Hello. I'm a complete beginner and thinking with covid it would be better to buy an instrument to play but I am not 100% sure about a saxonett or what type of saxophone to just get started with before I get to the stage where I want to upgrade. I think I will get a curved alto but unsure if a saxonett might be a good start. Some tips please
What instrument to get started with?
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Moderator note:
I moved your post to a new thread in another sub-section of the forum (it didn't belong in the TOTM thread you posted it originally).
I would recommend you to search a bit in this section of the forum, it has a lot of information on what you ask:
https://forum.saxontheweb.net/forumdisplay.php?257-What-to-Buy-amp-Why-Saxophones
I moved your post to a new thread in another sub-section of the forum (it didn't belong in the TOTM thread you posted it originally).
I would recommend you to search a bit in this section of the forum, it has a lot of information on what you ask:
https://forum.saxontheweb.net/forumdisplay.php?257-What-to-Buy-amp-Why-Saxophones
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Most the learning materials out there are for alto or tenor. It's the most usual place to start and where the most support is.
Also, folks are going to ask some stuff like age, other musical background, preferred style. You might want to provide more info.
Also, folks are going to ask some stuff like age, other musical background, preferred style. You might want to provide more info.
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Most beginners start on an alto saxophone.
Some because of its smaller size, some because they are easily found in good used condition and lower priced.
If you want to learn to play the saxophone buy a saxophone. Not a saxophone wannabe. If you decide the instrument really isn't what you expected the real deal will be easier to resell.
Some because of its smaller size, some because they are easily found in good used condition and lower priced.
If you want to learn to play the saxophone buy a saxophone. Not a saxophone wannabe. If you decide the instrument really isn't what you expected the real deal will be easier to resell.
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Wow I thought I had heard of everything. I googled "saxonette" and got dozens of pictures of bicycles. A little more digging and I found this:
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These are fingered like a clarinet and overblow a twelfth rather than an octave. I suspect they are quite rare and therefore very expensive. Another "clarinet" with a similar shape is the alto clarinet and those who play that instrument are sometimes the object of musician jokes which I will not repeat on this forum. Bandmommy is spot on with her good advice. The alto sax is a good entry level of saxophone and there are some very good makes that sell for around $400 used. I would stay away from the ones on Ebay that come with a pair of white gloves and claim to be "director approved". No band director in his/her right mind would recommend one of those $200 SSO's. (saxophone shaped objects).
These are fingered like a clarinet and overblow a twelfth rather than an octave. I suspect they are quite rare and therefore very expensive. Another "clarinet" with a similar shape is the alto clarinet and those who play that instrument are sometimes the object of musician jokes which I will not repeat on this forum. Bandmommy is spot on with her good advice. The alto sax is a good entry level of saxophone and there are some very good makes that sell for around $400 used. I would stay away from the ones on Ebay that come with a pair of white gloves and claim to be "director approved". No band director in his/her right mind would recommend one of those $200 SSO's. (saxophone shaped objects).
Most people start on alto because most people start when they are children. So, a big part of the choice of alto vs. tenor or baritone is the size and weight. An alto sax weighs a lot less than a tenor and the reach is less for children's small hands. As bandmommy suggested, there are a lot of inexpensive used altos around and many of them are in good shape. This is because millions on kids get a sax in 4th or 5th grade, play it for a few months or a year, decide they don't want to do it anymore and quit. Then the horn goes into the closet and eventually is donated to Goodwill etc.
That is a good thing for someone like you who isn't sure whether picking up an instrument later in life ( I assume ) is something they will stick with. It does take some dedication to learn not only the fingerings but reading music and counting time and everything else that goes with it. So, given all that, look for a lightly used student sax like a Yamaha YAS 21 or 23, there are literally thousands for sale at any given time and they can be had for a very reasonable amount of $$$$. As Saxoclese said, stay away from those $200 Chinese horns (the ones that come with white gloves for some reason only known to Chinese manufacturers). They are pretty and shiny but many aren't going to hold up for very long. Some will but unless you do the research there's no way to know other than going by price. You get what you pay for in musical instruments just like anything else. There are brands like Antiqua Winds that are very well made and can be had for $300-400 in great shape. Others took but I'm not knowledgeable enough to give any recommendations.
That is a good thing for someone like you who isn't sure whether picking up an instrument later in life ( I assume ) is something they will stick with. It does take some dedication to learn not only the fingerings but reading music and counting time and everything else that goes with it. So, given all that, look for a lightly used student sax like a Yamaha YAS 21 or 23, there are literally thousands for sale at any given time and they can be had for a very reasonable amount of $$$$. As Saxoclese said, stay away from those $200 Chinese horns (the ones that come with white gloves for some reason only known to Chinese manufacturers). They are pretty and shiny but many aren't going to hold up for very long. Some will but unless you do the research there's no way to know other than going by price. You get what you pay for in musical instruments just like anything else. There are brands like Antiqua Winds that are very well made and can be had for $300-400 in great shape. Others took but I'm not knowledgeable enough to give any recommendations.
agree that alto and tenor are both easier to blow, but my first sax was baritone in 9th grade, and after giving up horns for a couple of decades, came back on soprano. if you got something specific in mind, i'd just go for it. but if this is just to get your feet wet, there are like a bazillion fine altos out there for less than an arm and a leg. flutes, too.
Sax, Flute, Keyboard, Vocal
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Get a yas 23 or 21 in decent shape and a yamaha 4 C or selmer C* mouthpiece. Then all you need is a teacher? K
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I agree with this, and we can add 'price' too. Altos are the cheapest saxophones, relatively speaking. Therefore the biggest sellers....
But indeed if one is a late-teen or older, the 'start on alto' advice becomes sorta moot. Pick the horn with the sound you like best. For some, it's Alto, others Tenor, others Baritone.
As noted by others here, stay away from uber-cheap, new saxes. I am talking Altos for $400 or below, Tenors for $600 or below.
They will be quite bad, probably from the get-go....and you may well find they do not last more than a couple of years without requiring significant repair/upkeep.
So....the cheapest NEW Alto of any repute is going to run at least $750, and that is for a store-brand horn (but again, one with some repute from a store of some repute).
A big-name new Alto is gonna be at least $1400.
A used Alto can be had for as little as $300 in playing shape - but buying used requires some care and thought. As a newbie, you want the seller to guarantee it to be in good playing shape - or they will take a full return.
Tenors, the cheapest NEW ones of some repute gonna be $850-900; a new big-name student make gonna run almost $1800; a good, serviced used one can be had for around $500.
I am not necessarily gonna bandwagon the Yamaha 21/23's.
Yes, a solid suggestion, I sell tons of 'em, and they are ubiquitous - but there are a number of others equally as good and priced similarly, used: Jupiter, Buffet, some Selmer USA's, etc. in contemporary horns....then the good older models such as Kings or Conns, etc.....
The good choices abound, really.
If you wanna jump on something safe without doing a lotta research, I just finished a YAS-23 Vito branded Alto which I am selling for under $300....it's in my listings section. (Apologies for gratuitous plug)
Hope this helps. (Saxinette....yeah, wow...a new one on me !!!!!)
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