Sax on the Web Forum banner
Cancel

Just got an Alto sax.

5274 Views 14 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  ten man, 
R
Hey. Im brand new to these forums and i have just got my Alto Sax. I am waiting for my lessons to start in a few weeks or so, is there anything i can/should do to keep my self busy with the saxophone. I'm so excited!!
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
J-Moen
Good tip: Don't mess with it until you get to your lessons. If one thing is messed up, you're horn might need repairs already, as these are fragile instruments! The teacher will tell you how to assemble it and take good care. Doing things to early could only cause more problems.

You're in for a long ride, enjoy all of it, and, if there is one thing that I wish I would have done more of back in the beginning... its actually playing and practicing w/o being in class. After you learn the fundamentals from your teacher, practice!!!
Reply
Save
Like
ten man
*) i've found that, if you take it to work/school with you, you can keep yourself busy with your sax without even taking it out of the case.

*) be prepared to discover that there is something wrong with your equipment that prevents you fom playing great. therefore, you should do tons of reading about: ...
"which mouthpiece to buy";
"reeds: cane vs synthetic";
"why you can't sound good without a selmer mark vi";
"reading vs playing by ear";
"why lip savers or bite protectors are unrighteous";
"the similar tendencies of coltrane and kenny g".

*) invite your neighbors to dinner NOW, not later! be sure to add the following comments into the conversations:...
"WOW! you sure are smart."
"I wish i was as half as good looking as you are."
"It it such a priveledge to live near someone like you."
"If i was half as blessed as you were, i'd be happy."
"Do you mind if i ask for your advice from time to time?"
"I've been wanting to meet you for quite a while now."
"You seem like you have it all together."
"If i ever became rich and famous, i would never forget you"

*) Dream up scenes in your head of fantastic performances where 200,000 fans give a frenzied standing ovation and the top composers of the day fight to have you as a rediculously paid guest feature artist. Dream now, before you start to play.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
JayeLID
Omigosh, you guys...don't scare the OP to death !

....this is a celebratory moment !:D

You can go on YouTube and search for some vids on how to put the horn together, how to get a sound out of the mouthpiece, how to get a sound out of the horn...maybe even learn the fingerings for a C-scale.....simple stuff like that.

Heck...it is calling you...beckoning you ;)

What kinda horn ? M'piece ?

What kinda music do you wanna play on it ? Do you/have you ever played anything else ?
Reply
Save
Like
FremontSax
Just be gentle with it.

The usual rule of don't use force. Use cork grease when putting the mouth piece on the neck. If it is going to be a few weeks before you start you lessons then get a beginners book. Ask lots of questions.

Have fun
Reply
Save
Like
Mick Stuppguy
I'm with Jaye. You go, Ressman. If you figured out this site you can find a fingering chart and some basics about putting the horn together, puckering up and producing a note.

Mouthpiece on neck (reed side down, if you have a little cork grease, even better), now put the reed on, even with the mouthpiece tip. Put on the ligature (most put the screws down, but not everybody), make sure that the ligature is not riding up on the "filed" part of the reed. Screw the lig just tight enough to hold the reed in place.

Now put th neck on the horn gently (make suure the little tensioning screw is loosened first), tighten down neck.

Clip your neckstrap on the ring, adjust the neck strap. Put the mouthpiece in you mouth as described on the source of choice. Choose any old not to fingering, relax, take a breath, and fill the horn up with nice hot air.

Something cool just might happen now . . . Okay, if not, go back to the drawing board - - not many get the feel right away.

And yeah, there are a few more details in there, but you've got time. Keep us posted.
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
P
Mick Stuppguy said:
I'm with Jaye. You go, Ressman. If you figured out this site you can find a fingering chart and some basics about putting the horn together, puckering up and producing a note.

Mouthpiece on neck (reed side down, if you have a little cork grease, even better), now put the reed on, even with the mouthpiece tip. Put on the ligature (most put the screws down, but not everybody), make sure that the ligature is not riding up on the "filed" part of the reed. Screw the lig just tight enough to hold the reed in place.

Now put th neck on the horn gently (make suure the little tensioning screw is loosened first), tighten down neck.

Clip your neckstrap on the ring, adjust the neck strap. Put the mouthpiece in you mouth as described on the source of choice. Choose any old not to fingering, relax, take a breath, and fill the horn up with nice hot air.

Something cool just might happen now . . . Okay, if not, go back to the drawing board - - not many get the feel right away.

And yeah, there are a few more details in there, but you've got time. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...
You got the steps out of order. You have him putting the neck on the horn without first clipping the horn onto the neck strap. The ONLY time your horn is not connected to the neck strap is when it is in the case or being transferred from the case to the neck strap (or to and from the neckstrap to a stand). They guy just got his horn and you are encouraging a practice that will have him dropping it within the first five minutes.

First rule of thumb, if it is not in the case or on a stand, it should be attached to your neck strap.

Edit: And the ligature goes on before the reed, slip the reed under the ligature, not the other way around. Less likely to damage the tip this way.
Reply
Save
Like
FremontSax
PridgNYC said:
Mick Stuppguy said:
I'm with Jaye. You go, Ressman. If you figured out this site you can find a fingering chart and some basics about putting the horn together, puckering up and producing a note.

Mouthpiece on neck (reed side down, if you have a little cork grease, even better), now put the reed on, even with the mouthpiece tip. Put on the ligature (most put the screws down, but not everybody), make sure that the ligature is not riding up on the "filed" part of the reed. Screw the lig just tight enough to hold the reed in place.

Now put th neck on the horn gently (make suure the little tensioning screw is loosened first), tighten down neck.

Clip your neckstrap on the ring, adjust the neck strap. Put the mouthpiece in you mouth as described on the source of choice. Choose any old not to fingering, relax, take a breath, and fill the horn up with nice hot air.

Something cool just might happen now . . . Okay, if not, go back to the drawing board - - not many get the feel right away.

And yeah, there are a few more details in there, but you've got time. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...
You got the steps out of order. You have him putting the neck on the horn without first clipping the horn onto the neck strap. The ONLY time your horn is not connected to the neck strap is when it is in the case or being transferred from the case to the neck strap (or to and from the neckstrap to a stand). They guy just got his horn and you are encouraging a practice that will have him dropping it within the first five minutes.

First rule of thumb, if it is not in the case or on a stand, it should be attached to your neck strap.

Edit: And the ligature goes on before the reed, slip the reed under the ligature, not the other way around. Less likely to damage the tip this way.
Click to expand...
Also: When you have the neck strap around your neck and it clipped to your sax keep a hand on the sax as well. Neck straps aren't perfect they can come unclipped and they can break and you don't want your new sax to get dropped on the cold hard ground.

I also just noticed the time op posted this was the last time the op was on the board. ohh well
Reply
Save
Like
ten man
FremontSax said:
...I also just noticed the time op posted this was the last time the op was on the board. ohh well
Click to expand...
oh... he WILL be back.
Reply
Save
Like
JayeLID
Not if we keep up like this.......:|
Reply
Save
Like
R
oh... he WILL be back.

Appears you were right :D
And thanks for all the advice! Lessons are coming sooner than i thought. Lots of friendly people on these boards it seems :)
Reply
Save
Like
Dr Dubya
You might want to have a read of some of the stuff at Beginner's Corner, very helpful indeed.
Reply
Save
Like
Shaneygrog
Put a reed in it now and blow!!! If you can't do that right then get the guys who sold it to you to show you how, then blow and have some fun, then you will have something going by your first lesson to show your teacher.
Reply
Save
Like
Tiberius
What the aussie said. It's a lump of metal that makes a noise when you blow down it. You're not seriously gonna leave it in the box until you've had a lesson are you?
Reply
Save
Like
ten man
heh heh heh. yeah, what they said. i enjoy even the slightest playing of my own, even if it's just doing simple stuff. guess i like noise.

hope you recognized the sarcastic humor in my above post.
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 15 of 15 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Sax on the Web Forum
A forum community dedicated to saxophone players and enthusiasts originally founded by Harri Rautiainen. Come join the discussion about collections, care, displays, models, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Misc. Saxophone Discussion Word games Sax Repair, Maintenance and Modification Tenor mpc SOTW Member Recordings & Reviews
Top