[Gorquin]

OK here goes.

I have Pulmonary Fibrosis, Lung Scarring, most likely from a combo of Lyme Disease, a Mold infection, and a dental procedure that caused me to lose 20-30% of my lung capacity and seriously limited my 1 second expiration. I can still sing, walk, exercise ect. but hills are a killer. This is 15 + years and going.

So, to strengthen my lungs I've been using a Power Lung but want to take up the sax. I've been a guitarist for years and have a good ear.

So. What type of Sax takes the least amount of air and pressure to get it going?

Used, is fine, price, i"m flexible perhaps $300-$500?

Thank you !

 

[Reet McVouty]

I think alto sax is your best bet. Tenor and baritone have longer columns and soprano has a smaller bore. For $500 you should be able to get a YAS-23 in good condition.

 

[Hassles]

Advise - you 'will need to' choose your mouthpiece and reeds carefully. Heaps of advise to be had here. Perhaps Yamaha 3C and 1.5 strength reeds.

 

[Gorquin]

Also, what questions should I ask and what do I look for when checking out a Sax?

Thank you for the responses.

 

[Hassles]

excellent advise above from an expert - take from it what you will / can.

 

[StefGrani]

I think your medical problem suggest alto to be the best fit. The bigger the horn, the more air you need to make it play. Sopranos are likely to produce resistance depending on your setup. There might be some differences among the horn with resistance, but good mouthpiece-reed combination should keep it comfortable. As a rule of thumb, smaller tip opening and softer reed leads to less resistance. Note that higher baffles usually decrease resistance at the same tip opening. The Yamaha 3C or 4C mouthpiece with with 1.5-2.0 reeds (Rico scale) should get you started. The Vandoren scale is stiffer.

That Matt Stohrer video is gold, but it’s more valuable for people with some experience with saxes. I would suggest that you go with the cheaper e.g. Amazon horns, because you’ll get a solid return policy and sometimes a good service support like the Jean Paul horns. I have never played them, but I bought their clarinet to my grandson and he has been playing it several years already. If you become a serious player, you already know how you want to continue.

 

[datsaxman]

Alto for sure. Have some fun with it!

 

[milandro]

there are differences in volume and in pressure, you may have a problem with one while you may not have a problem with the other.

First read this

https://www.lung.org/blog/inhale-air-exhale-music

get in touch with them, maybe, or consult a lung specialist which has knowledge of wind instruments

 

[click]

I think alto sax is your best bet. Tenor and baritone have longer columns and soprano has a smaller bore. For $500 you should be able to get a YAS-23 in good condition.

That is what I would do.

And get a Yamaha 3C or 4C mpc and a 1.5 reed.

It seems like a good way to develop lung capacity and control.

Good luck!

 

[JayeLID]

No need for me to chime in as the responses have been unanimous.

But...I love chiming in where unnecessary, so....

Alto would be the best bet. Not knowing the specifics of your condition, it is hard to say beyond saying " it's usually the easiest to play as far as a combination of blowing requirements and embouchure requirements"...whether even an Alto would be successful for you, personally.

But if one had to choose one to give a go, Alto would be the most logical choice.

 

[Pete Thomas]

OK here goes.

I have Pulmonary Fibrosis, Lung Scarring, most likely from a combo of Lyme Disease, a Mold infection, and a dental procedure that caused me to lose 20-30% of my lung capacity and seriously limited my 1 second expiration. I can still sing, walk, exercise ect. but hills are a killer. This is 15 + years and going.

I'm in a similar health position now (thank you COVID) but without the ability to exercise (just makes it worse).

But I can give some advice from a professional perspective.

I am very gradually working again on alto, but only for very short periods of time. tenor is harder and I don't even want to think about baritone.

So alto yes, I'd also advise a basic mouthpiece like yamaha 3C (or 4C but easy on the reed strength)

Also given your budget alto is best .

 

[AddictedToSax]

My dad had fibrosis so I understand the disease. He also lost about 25% of one lung from what we believe was Valley Fever. May I suggest you rent an alto for a month to see if you can even play it. It’s possible you may not have enough lung volume to play a sax. If you do, playing sax will probably help keep what you have.

My father in law was diagnosed with COPD from smoking in his fifties and managed through diligent use of his Bird machine to live to the ripe age of 78. Keep at it.

 

[tenorsfan]

I have to disagree. I find tenor easier to blow. I think these fellows giving advice are from the present philosophy of playing with a large opening tip and having to fill the horn with air just to get a sound. If you look at pictures of swing era saxophonists, they all look as if they're playing with relaxed embouchures and with such ease. It was different back then. The philosophy has changed, but you can still find smaller tipped mouthpieces out there, vintage or a 2* Brilhart. Plus you can learn to sand down a reed below the tip for easier blowing. Good luck.

 

[datsaxman]

Longtime tenor man here. It takes very little air to fill even a large tip setup with air if you use a soft enough reed.

Still, even less air for an alto with the same setup. Opinions of course.

My two newby students - 12 and 10 years old - both wanted to start on tenor. I set them up with tiny tip openings and very soft reeds.
With essentially identical alto setups, they both agreed that the alto was a lot easier. You could hear it.
Not exactly scientific, but there ya go.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I have to disagree. I find tenor easier to blow. .

I used to find that. But are you actually speaking from the experience of suffering from severe breathing issues? If so then I take it back and salute you for being able to do so.

A lot of good advice here on this thread, but it seems to be about saxophone playing in general rather than addressing the medical issues.

 

[DryMartini]

OP can I ask how a dental procedure caused you to loose lung capacity?

 

[GaSax]

I have to disagree. I find tenor easier to blow. I think these fellows giving advice are from the present philosophy of playing with a large opening tip and having to fill the horn with air just to get a sound. If you look at pictures of swing era saxophonists, they all look as if they're playing with relaxed embouchures and with such ease. It was different back then. The philosophy has changed, but you can still find smaller tipped mouthpieces out there, vintage or a 2* Brilhart. Plus you can learn to sand down a reed below the tip for easier blowing. Good luck.

FWIW....

I've been playing an Alto, Tenor and Bari off and on recently. I started on a Tenor in the sixth grade and been playing it the longest.

Tenor feels more natural to me.
Bari takes more effort and I have to take breaths more frequently with it.
For Alto I can go further on one breath but I usually have to get a fresh breath before I run out of air.

It's been some time since I played a Soprano but I don't remember it being that hard. Probably the hardest part for the Soprano is the embouchure which I believe is why most don't recommend it for beginners.

 

[harmonizerNJ]

I agree with the multiple recommendations from others that you start with the alto sax, and choose a mouthpiece with a modest tip opening and a relatively soft reed.

I wanted to share some info on what the mouthpiece numbers mean. For any given brand and model of alto sax mouthpiece, the most significant thing that can vary is the tip opening. This tip is the end of the mouthpiece you put in your mouth. The tip opening is the measurement of the gap between the end (tip) of the reed and the tip of the mouthpiece, when the reed is properly mounted. As a general rule, there are two things which influence how hard you need to blow in order to make sound on a sax: a larger tip opening will make it seem you need to blow harder. And using a harder reed (higher hardness number for the reed) will also make it seem you need to blow harder.

The suggestions given here have been intended to make it so you will not need to blow as hard: use a mouthpiece with a small tip opening, and use softer reeds.

There are some who think it is not "manly" to use mouthpieces with small tip openings, or to use softer reeds. Someone in a store might try to talk you into getting a mouthpiece with a larger tip opening, or to use harder reeds than what is being suggested here. If they do, I suggest that you stick with the suggestions that have been offered in this thread.

Here is a chart which shows the tip opening measurement for a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece, plus some others:
https://bettersax.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/alto-sax-mouthpiece-tip-openings-954x1024.jpg

 

[click]

I agree with the multiple recommendations from others that you start with the alto sax, and choose a mouthpiece with a modest tip opening and a relatively soft reed.

I wanted to share some info on what the mouthpiece numbers mean. For any given brand and model of alto sax mouthpiece, the most significant thing that can vary is the tip opening. This tip is the end of the mouthpiece you put in your mouth. The tip opening is the measurement of the gap between the end (tip) of the reed and the tip of the mouthpiece, when the reed is properly mounted. As a general rule, there are two things which influence how hard you need to blow in order to make sound on a sax: a larger tip opening will make it seem you need to blow harder. And using a harder reed (higher hardness number for the reed) will also make it seem you need to blow harder.

The suggestions given here have been intended to make it so you will not need to blow as hard: use a mouthpiece with a small tip opening, and use softer reeds.

There are some who think it is not "manly" to use mouthpieces with small tip openings, or to use softer reeds. Someone in a store might try to talk you into getting a mouthpiece with a larger tip opening, or to use harder reeds than what is being suggested here. If they do, I suggest that you stick with the suggestions that have been offered in this thread.

Here is a chart which shows the tip opening measurement for a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece, plus some others:
https://bettersax.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/alto-sax-mouthpiece-tip-openings-954x1024.jpg

Also,

check out this guy using a stock brilhart number 3 with an alto

 

[JazzBuss]

Kudos to you for picking up the saxophone! You are an inspiration!

A different scenario I know, but I once had a student who struggled with asthma. One practice routine that helped her was sustained long tones (within reason - no straining). This helped her develop more breath control and use her air more efficiently, enabling her to play longer phrases.

I agree with previous posters - alto sax probably makes the most sense, with a small tip opening mouthpiece and soft reed. Make sure your reed is very well aligned with your mouthpiece. Being off by a small amount can make it harder to play.

Any horn you are looking at -- have a technician look it over. If that horn is leaking (leather pads under the keys not sealing 100%), the sax will be more resistent and require more air. At the very least, have an experienced player test your horn (tough in covid times I know. Let it sit for 3 days if you have to). An alto in working order with the appropriate mouthpiece should speak somewhat easily.