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Thinking of learning the Sax

J

JJChicken

Diamond Member
I always found the sax a very cool instrument. Personally, I play guitar and love the strong tone the sax has that makes it great for improv. I've heard its a difficult instrument to learn. Any advice on how to start learning the saxophone?

Thanks ATOT
 
I was a trumpet player myself, but was in a band with a fair amount of sax players (My brother was a sax player).

Buy lots of reeds, Nothing worse then a cracked reed when you are trying to play the sax. If you could get a bulk amount then do it.

Decide what type of music you want to play and pick a sax accordingly. Most think of the alto sax when they think of a sax, but there is also a tenor and a bass sax (I think there is even a soprano, but don't quote me on that)
 
You're going to need to take lessons. Sure you can probably learn from a book, but it will take longer and there won't be anybody to correct your mistakes. A good teacher is worth his weight in gold.
 
Compared to other band instruments (trumpet, flute, etc) the sax is much easier to learn. If you're thinking about jazz and improv I recommend you try out a tenor sax since that is what most of the great players of the past have played.
 
Originally posted by: Cogman
I was a trumpet player myself, but was in a band with a fair amount of sax players (My brother was a sax player).

Buy lots of reeds, Nothing worse then a cracked reed when you are trying to play the sax. If you could get a bulk amount then do it.

Decide what type of music you want to play and pick a sax accordingly. Most think of the alto sax when they think of a sax, but there is also a tenor and a bass sax (I think there is even a soprano, but don't quote me on that)
Click to expand...

Yep I'll buy some reeds in bulk, I gather they are related to the mouthpiece.

villageidiot111

Yep, I'm definately going to get a music teacher. I was thinking of doing an alto sax, would you be able to explain why tenor sax would be better?

I'm wanting to play songs like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-fxs_ZWXH4, wanting to keep it as smooth as possible.
 
Originally posted by: Barack Obama
Originally posted by: Cogman
I was a trumpet player myself, but was in a band with a fair amount of sax players (My brother was a sax player).

Buy lots of reeds, Nothing worse then a cracked reed when you are trying to play the sax. If you could get a bulk amount then do it.

Decide what type of music you want to play and pick a sax accordingly. Most think of the alto sax when they think of a sax, but there is also a tenor and a bass sax (I think there is even a soprano, but don't quote me on that)
Click to expand...

Yep I'll buy some reeds in bulk, I gather they are related to the mouthpiece.

villageidiot111

Yep, I'm definately going to get a music teacher. I was thinking of doing an alto sax, would you be able to explain why tenor sax would be better?

I'm wanting to play songs like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-fxs_ZWXH4, wanting to keep it as smooth as possible.
Click to expand...

Yep, reeds are the wooden piece that vibrates between the plastic part of the mouth piece, they are easy enough to replace but can get crack, jagged. ect. They can be expensive to buy 1 at a time so thats why I recommend at least a pack of 10 or so.

As for going tenor, I guess it has a bit less of a whiny sound, other then that I don't know a good reason to choose it over the alto (lower notes is all)
 
Originally posted by: Barack Obama
I always found the sax a very cool instrument. Personally, I play guitar and love the strong tone the sax has that makes it great for improv. I've heard its a difficult instrument to learn. Any advice on how to start learning the saxophone?

Thanks ATOT
Click to expand...

ha funny. I played sax for 5ish years and was thinking about buying an acoustic guitar
usual generic instrument advice:
buy a used one on craiglist imho, buy reeds in bulk online after determining the stiffness and brand you like, a good mouth piece is more important than the actual saxophone.
 
i played sax for 7 years through school, been 3 years or so now since i've picked mine up, it's certainly is fun to play though. Forget starting on tenor, the fingerings for all of the saxophones are exactly the same, a tenor will be more expensive, and alto is much easier to start on. The tenor and bari require more air to get sound, and IMO you'll want to get down the fingerings, vibrato and really just the feel for having it in your mouth before you move up to a tenor or bari. I did play tenor for several of those years, and do love the tenor, but still suggest starting on alto.
 
Get this book

If you decide that you really do want to play, go to a used instrument dealer and pick up an alto. You should really get a tutor, but if you just refuse to, find some good videos. Remember that the first few weeks are very important because they're fundamentals. If you fail to properly teach yourself, you'll be in trouble down the road.
 
Originally posted by: Barack Obama
Originally posted by: Cogman
I was a trumpet player myself, but was in a band with a fair amount of sax players (My brother was a sax player).

Buy lots of reeds, Nothing worse then a cracked reed when you are trying to play the sax. If you could get a bulk amount then do it.

Decide what type of music you want to play and pick a sax accordingly. Most think of the alto sax when they think of a sax, but there is also a tenor and a bass sax (I think there is even a soprano, but don't quote me on that)
Click to expand...

Yep I'll buy some reeds in bulk, I gather they are related to the mouthpiece.

villageidiot111

Yep, I'm definately going to get a music teacher. I was thinking of doing an alto sax, would you be able to explain why tenor sax would be better?

I'm wanting to play songs like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-fxs_ZWXH4, wanting to keep it as smooth as possible.
Click to expand...

That was a Tenor Sax.
Not that hard to learn to play. Hard to get a good sound on (that mellow smooth sound). But it's easier on tenor than on alto.

However, few people start out on Tenor. All saxes are a decent $$ investment, Tenors moreso.
 
i play soprano, alto, tenor, and bari sax. My suggestion is to start with the alto. It is much easier to hit the notes and requires less lung capacity IMO compared to the tenor or bari sax.
 
I played for 15 years.

Definitely start with alto, move on to tenor if you feel so inclined.
I would recommend 2 to 2 1/2 for reeds when starting out, and a "concert" type mouthpiece. (i forget what they're called, but I remember that some were specified as "jazz" mouthpieces. These had a square-shaped interior, whereas the more standard mouthpieces are more rounded on the interior. The square-shapes are more difficult to play.)

A good private teacher is key.

As you probably know, learning new things like this is a bitch, esp if you have no experience with wind instruments (lungs, fingering, etc). So, you just have to accept that you will be pretty terrible while you get the hang of it. You know this from first learning guitar, but I find that the older you get, the harder it is to pick up new things from scratch. Mostly due to patience.... 😉

Good luck.
 
Wow, thanks for all the tips guys, I'll definately be keeping them in mind. I'll get a copy of the 'Art of Saxophone' book from my university library (it's one of the most awesomest libraries in the world). I'll probably pick up the alto for now, given that its cheaper and requires less lung capacity, and if I get good, try the others.

Thanks
 
Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
Learn the Skin Flute, and then you shall master the art of teh sex.
Click to expand...

Am I reading it wrong, or is the first part implying a homosexual activity (I have nothing against gays)?
 
Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
You do realize that learning to play the sax means you have to upload a video of you playing the Night Court theme, right?
Click to expand...

LOL.

*I'm suddenly reminded of the family guy episode where Bill Clinton plays the theme for Peter in the hospital*
 
Take lessons and expect it to take several years until you're good. Learning jazz will be harder than learning the mechanics of the instrument. When you're done, though, there's nothing like being able to freely improvise. I agree that sax is probably the coolest sounding instrument to improv on (if you're good with it).
 
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