Sax newbie
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There are many of us (adult beginners) on this forum who had never played an instrument and began with the sax. It is important that you take lessons from the beginning. You should also ask your teacher or a friend who plays the sax to test the saxophone before you buy. As recommended above, get a repair tech to check the sax before you start learning on it. As with any other instrument, you have to be willing to practice. Whether you are an adult or a child, I believe that with practice and lessons, anyone can learn to play it. How well you play essentially depends on how much you practice.
Grafton + TH & C alto || Naked Lady 10M || TT soprano || Martin Comm III
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The saxophone is said to be a very easy instrument to learn to play, but very difficult to learn to play well. In my experience it is easier than many, it takes less time to get a reasonable sound and/or play a tune than say clarinet, flute or violin.
Getting a good teacher from the start is great advice. Buying the right instrument is crucial. If you just go to a local shop or ebay and buy a cheap saxophone, it could be a load of rubbish, so do get advice on that: a good teacher may well be able to help.
The advice about a tech is useful too, obviously a used instrument should be checked, but in many cases even very expensive new ones need a going over. If buying used without someone checking on your behalf or from a reputable dealer be prepared for the shock of paying a lot of money to have it fixed up.
Getting a good teacher from the start is great advice. Buying the right instrument is crucial. If you just go to a local shop or ebay and buy a cheap saxophone, it could be a load of rubbish, so do get advice on that: a good teacher may well be able to help.
The advice about a tech is useful too, obviously a used instrument should be checked, but in many cases even very expensive new ones need a going over. If buying used without someone checking on your behalf or from a reputable dealer be prepared for the shock of paying a lot of money to have it fixed up.
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You may wish to consider renting an instrument from a reputable shop rather than jumping in and buying a new sax, that way you give yourself some time to see if you have the time to practice have found a good teacher and after three or six months may be better positioned to know what kind of sax you may wish to purchase.
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Not a bad idea, although if I were to play Devil's Advocate I would say once you have expended 6 months worth of rental fee on a rental horn, you will likely have paid as much as what it would cost you to buy a horn to begin with. And the thing is...if you decide sax isn't for you....you'll never get that rental $ back, while you can at least resell your own horn and recoup some $.
All replies above make good points. Teacher: mandatory. Good-working horn: mandatory. Easy to initially learn: yes, sorta. Hard to master: indubitably. Fun: hell, yeah.
Now...do you have any idea WHICH sax you wish to play (Alto, Tenor, Soprano, Baritone) ? A lot of folks answer "oh, I dunno". If that is your case, listen to some music and find the sax sounds you like....and figure out which horn it is.
Many folks choose Alto because they have the (mistaken IMHO) impression that it's 'easier' than the others or more appropriate for young players. In reality, I think the Alto gets that reputation simply because it tends to be the cheapest of all horns to acquire.
I always suggest this to a brand new player:
1) Make a preliminary decision on which horn...you can change that decision later.
2) Go buy a decent but cheap mouthpiece and 2 or 3 reeds. Like a Brilhart Ebolin 3 or Yamaha 4C mouthpiece.
3) Go online and find free vids for "how to blow into a saxophone mouthpiece". Learn how to do it.
4) Go to a local shop and ask to play a few horns (no point in asking for their pro models, but no need to really pay attention to their price tags either...because you are testing yourself, not the horn). If they have both new and vintage horns, try both.
5) Take it to a practice or tryout room and slap on the m'piece and just see if you can get the horn to speak a few notes. To do this, you may wanna also bone up on how to finger a few notes on the instrument (see free vids for this, also).
6) See if you like it. Does blowing into it and making a sound 'move' you positively ? Or does it make you feel like "oh...this sounds nothing like what I wanted it to" ? If the latter, then repeat the process trying another size horn (i.e. if you did this with an Alto and you didn't feel good about it, try it next time with a Tenor).
Glad to have you on the Forum !!!
All replies above make good points. Teacher: mandatory. Good-working horn: mandatory. Easy to initially learn: yes, sorta. Hard to master: indubitably. Fun: hell, yeah.
Now...do you have any idea WHICH sax you wish to play (Alto, Tenor, Soprano, Baritone) ? A lot of folks answer "oh, I dunno". If that is your case, listen to some music and find the sax sounds you like....and figure out which horn it is.
Many folks choose Alto because they have the (mistaken IMHO) impression that it's 'easier' than the others or more appropriate for young players. In reality, I think the Alto gets that reputation simply because it tends to be the cheapest of all horns to acquire.
I always suggest this to a brand new player:
1) Make a preliminary decision on which horn...you can change that decision later.
2) Go buy a decent but cheap mouthpiece and 2 or 3 reeds. Like a Brilhart Ebolin 3 or Yamaha 4C mouthpiece.
3) Go online and find free vids for "how to blow into a saxophone mouthpiece". Learn how to do it.
4) Go to a local shop and ask to play a few horns (no point in asking for their pro models, but no need to really pay attention to their price tags either...because you are testing yourself, not the horn). If they have both new and vintage horns, try both.
5) Take it to a practice or tryout room and slap on the m'piece and just see if you can get the horn to speak a few notes. To do this, you may wanna also bone up on how to finger a few notes on the instrument (see free vids for this, also).
6) See if you like it. Does blowing into it and making a sound 'move' you positively ? Or does it make you feel like "oh...this sounds nothing like what I wanted it to" ? If the latter, then repeat the process trying another size horn (i.e. if you did this with an Alto and you didn't feel good about it, try it next time with a Tenor).
Glad to have you on the Forum !!!
Waw, thanks for respons, this forum is AWSOME!!! I didnt expect so many answers 
. For sure i want to play on alto, but there is a problem i dont know any person whos play it, so i cant have some help with buing second hand i think for start is good for me secon hand, and then ill buy some good quality. Second problem is im from Europe and smaller city, so i dont know about sax lessons. Ill go tomorow in local music shop and get some informations about sax scene in our town
About sax, ive read a lot of forums here, an in the most of them i saw model Yamaha YAS-23s....i heard its good for beginners. Any good advices for beginner?
Thanks again, you all awsome!!!
. For sure i want to play on alto, but there is a problem i dont know any person whos play it, so i cant have some help with buing second hand i think for start is good for me secon hand, and then ill buy some good quality. Second problem is im from Europe and smaller city, so i dont know about sax lessons. Ill go tomorow in local music shop and get some informations about sax scene in our town About sax, ive read a lot of forums here, an in the most of them i saw model Yamaha YAS-23s....i heard its good for beginners. Any good advices for beginner?
Thanks again, you all awsome!!!
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?128621-Tenor-sax-for-€700-1000&highlight=slovakia
Read this thread. You could contact this forum member to get more information about how he bought his sax.
Edit: You can send a Personal Message (PM) to the forum member from Slovakia to find out if he/she bought the sax and how it was done.
Read this thread. You could contact this forum member to get more information about how he bought his sax.
Edit: You can send a Personal Message (PM) to the forum member from Slovakia to find out if he/she bought the sax and how it was done.
In the other thread, click on his name and you will see several choices. One of the choices is Private Message. Select that and you will be able to send a Private Message. Earlier, I had said Personal but actually it is Private Message. It will go to the person's Inbox.
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Exactly...you need more posts to activate PM'ing.
If you have access to a yas 23 easily.....it is a good beginner Alto. If it is used, this is what you want to know from the seller:
1) does it play up and down ? or does it need any work ?
2) does it have any body damage ?
3) you would like to take it to a sax tech/repair person so they can check and make sure it is in good shape. (Or take it to your first lesson and have the teacher play it to make sure it works OK). If they say it needs work, can you return the sax for your money back ?
This is one way you will get a working horn.
If it is new...they are overpriced as new horns. But if you can afford it...you could do much worse than getting one.
I do not know what music stores are like in or near your town...if you are looking to buy new, keep in mind everything is asian-made these days and their quality is very, very inconsistent. This is a primary reason people buy used/vintage instruments...they are cheaper, and tend to be better-made.
If new is your desire, the Yamaha is a good choice, as are Jupiters, Barones, and apparently BW's from what I have read.
Another option would be to buy used online from a seller who has a return policy. This way, once again...if the horn arrives and it is not in good playing condition, you can send it back to the seller and get a full refund.
If you have access to a yas 23 easily.....it is a good beginner Alto. If it is used, this is what you want to know from the seller:
1) does it play up and down ? or does it need any work ?
2) does it have any body damage ?
3) you would like to take it to a sax tech/repair person so they can check and make sure it is in good shape. (Or take it to your first lesson and have the teacher play it to make sure it works OK). If they say it needs work, can you return the sax for your money back ?
This is one way you will get a working horn.
If it is new...they are overpriced as new horns. But if you can afford it...you could do much worse than getting one.
I do not know what music stores are like in or near your town...if you are looking to buy new, keep in mind everything is asian-made these days and their quality is very, very inconsistent. This is a primary reason people buy used/vintage instruments...they are cheaper, and tend to be better-made.
If new is your desire, the Yamaha is a good choice, as are Jupiters, Barones, and apparently BW's from what I have read.
Another option would be to buy used online from a seller who has a return policy. This way, once again...if the horn arrives and it is not in good playing condition, you can send it back to the seller and get a full refund.
I saw some saxes in our internet shot, both are new. What do u think about them? And i cant see the marks there, u know it?
1. http://hudba.bazos.sk/inzerat/10580375/Predam-novy-ALT-saxofon-musicgruber-cierny.php
2. http://hudba.bazos.sk/inzerat/10645909/Predam-Novy-Alt-Saxofon-s-Kompletnym-Prislusenstvom.php
1. http://hudba.bazos.sk/inzerat/10580375/Predam-novy-ALT-saxofon-musicgruber-cierny.php
2. http://hudba.bazos.sk/inzerat/10645909/Predam-Novy-Alt-Saxofon-s-Kompletnym-Prislusenstvom.php
I am a beginner so I do not know anything about different saxes. I will not be able to tell which one is good. Also, you will need a teacher. It is much more difficult to learn by yourself especially if you have never played any other instrument. May be you should first find a teacher and ask the teacher to help you buy a saxophone. Is there a university close to you or in the school may be there is a teacher with whom you can talk and who can help you buy a saxophone. Also, do you have a repair shop in your city. Even after you buy a saxophone, new or old, it is very important that you should be able to get it repaired or checked for problems such as leaks.
Edit: I think you should solve two important problems first (find teacher and repair shop) before you buy a saxophone.
Edit: I think you should solve two important problems first (find teacher and repair shop) before you buy a saxophone.
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