Saxophone beginners Absolute Beginner book recommendations

[nigeld]

Good to hear about the lesson.

If you are having trouble with playing notes on the sax, then I suggest that you go back to the mouthpiece and neck and get it right there before continuing with the sax. An "obvious" way for a beginner to play is to grip far too hard and to blow too hard, so everything ends up tight and tense. You could try doing everything with a more relaxed feel and imagine that there is a big open pipe from your gut up to your mouthpiece, with no constrictions and with the air pressure coming from the gut. As you are playing your long notes, you can be experimenting to see what works best.

 

[Tasjii]

Good to hear about the lesson.

If you are having trouble with playing notes on the sax, then I suggest that you go back to the mouthpiece and neck and get it right there before continuing with the sax. An "obvious" way for a beginner to play is to grip far too hard and to blow too hard, so everything ends up tight and tense. You could try doing everything with a more relaxed feel and imagine that there is a big open pipe from your gut up to your mouthpiece, with no constrictions and with the air pressure coming from the gut. As you are playing your long notes, you can be experimenting to see what works best.

I think my big mistake today was to start with the full sax straight away. So tomorrow I will go back to playing the mouthpiece and the neck to start with as a warm up before adding the saxophone body. I skipped this step today as I felt things went so well yesterday.

I also tried a different reed today. My sax came with 2 x Juno 1.5 strength reeds and I also have a few Rico 1.5 reeds that I picked up from a local music store as I wasn't sure whether the sax came with any. The Juno reed seemed a little easier to play, but I will keep trying the Rico reed as well. I read it is good to have a few reeds on the go.

I will get there, I just need to remember I need to learn to crawl before I can start walking and running....

 

[Tiberius]

I think my big mistake ...

In my view, the only mistake is to stick so rigidly to some perceived rule that you don't have fun. No fun usually ends up with people giving up.

 

[garrobito]

I could considerer myself as a total beginner too..
I use to play a bunch of year ago. So I started very easy... Play with the sax, tried to go with easy escales like C mayor. High notes are easy to play, lower ones, sometimes sound, sometimes nope.
Also I started, even with my very limited knowledge, to prepare my first musical theme. "Amazing Grace" is a very easy and wonderful theme for the beginner.. it's mostly just a pentatonic escale just with a couple notes with octave.
About books... "Tame the sax" (the web) is a impressive source of knowledge. I cannot suggest any book because I do not know any.
Also in my case, I pick up a couple DVD to refresh some concept.
If you're using a brand new sax, it's gonna take some time until create the right valve seat... be patience.
About mouthpiece on my humble experience there are basically 2 good ones for total beginners: Selmer S80 and Vandoren Optimum. I use the Vandoren and I happy. Reeds.. mostly people told me start with 1.75 or 2.. I choose start with 2.5. I feel comfortable and my notes sound a little more sharp.
For now, stick with the basic, no gear is gonna help to sound better at this stage.. it's a time for patience and practice, even if you feel you sound bad.. every day you're gonna find a little improvement.
Good luck and remember.. you're not alone out there.. there are a lot of beginners around you, blowing and blowing every day...

 

[Zugzwang]

If you're using a brand new sax, it's gonna take some time until create the right valve seat...

Something got lost in translation here, @garrobito. Can you say in another way, or maybe try writing it in your first language ¿Spanish? and someone here will translate for you.

 

[Tasjii]

In my view, the only mistake is to stick so rigidly to some perceived rule that you don't have fun. No fun usually ends up with people giving up.

Don't worry about me sticking to some perceived rule... sticking to rules is not something I am good at 😛.

I do think though, that I am trying to jump ahead whilst not being ready to do so. I still struggle getting a sound out of the sax at times. I found nigeld's suggestion of trying to get a nice long note on the mouthpiece and neck only very useful. So I think that until my embouchure develops a bit more and becomes a bit more natural I will start by playing long notes on the mouthpiece and neck only.

 

[Tasjii]

I could considerer myself as a total beginner too..
I use to play a bunch of year ago. So I started very easy... Play with the sax, tried to go with easy escales like C mayor. High notes are easy to play, lower ones, sometimes sound, sometimes nope.

I have never played an instrument before, I sing in the Rock Choir but haven't looked at sheet music or studied music theory since my early teens. With the Rock Choir we learn every song by ear. I can remember the basic notes (i.e. whole notes, half, qtr, 8ths and 16ths) and how they look written down, and that where they are placed on the bar determines which note is needed, but how to read this as in that note placed there is a G, A, B, C, D, E, or F and everything else is a mystery to me at the moment. I am sure this is one of the things that my teacher will teach me.

About books... "Tame the sax" (the web) is a impressive source of knowledge. I cannot suggest any book because I do not know any.
Also in my case, I pick up a couple DVD to refresh some concept.

I have ordered the Taming the Sax Volumes 1 and 2 and the beginners DVD from here. And I will now wait and see which book my tutor recommends.

If you're using a brand new sax, it's gonna take some time until create the right valve seat... be patience.
About mouthpiece on my humble experience there are basically 2 good ones for total beginners: Selmer S80 and Vandoren Optimum. I use the Vandoren and I happy. Reeds.. mostly people told me start with 1.75 or 2.. I choose start with 2.5. I feel comfortable and my notes sound a little more sharp.
For now, stick with the basic, no gear is gonna help to sound better at this stage.. it's a time for patience and practice, even if you feel you sound bad.. every day you're gonna find a little improvement.
Good luck and remember.. you're not alone out there.. there are a lot of beginners around you, blowing and blowing every day...

The sax I have is a ex demo Yamaha YAS280. So not brand new but it probably hasn't seen that much use. I plan to change that . It came with the Yamaha 4C mouthpiece. I am not planning to change the setup at the moment, I know that at this stage it is me that is the issue not my sax. It is up to me to improve and get better, one day soon I will be able to pick up the sax and know that when I start blowing I will get a sound every time. I'm not saying it will be a pleasant sound but it will be at least a sound.

Thank you for the encouragement.

 

[MandyH]

My tutor started me on this Learn As You Play Alto Saxophone (repackaged edition with CD) - Learn as you play series - for saxophone (BH 12469): Amazon.co.uk: Peter Wastall: 9790060124693: Books

🙂

Jx

I was going to suggest the same...

 

[Medusa]

I'm not that far ahead of you..started 5 months ago, with a tutor and even I can tell how much progress I have made in 5 months...from not being able to read music at all, to being able to open various 'Guest spot' books (have a google on amazon..they come with CDs of fullbacking and tune only with songs you will know) and being able to have a fair stab at sight reading them, with the support of my teacher. I think a decent teacher is vital..mine is funny and makes it enjoyable but works me hard and as he is a jazz player he is edging me that way, step by step.
I find it frustrating, brilliant, absorbing and maddening all in the space of a few minutes some days, but I find I want to pick up my sax eveyr spare moment I have!

 

[Tasjii]

I'm not that far ahead of you..started 5 months ago, with a tutor and even I can tell how much progress I have made in 5 months...from not being able to read music at all, to being able to open various 'Guest spot' books (have a google on amazon..they come with CDs of fullbacking and tune only with songs you will know) and being able to have a fair stab at sight reading them, with the support of my teacher. I think a decent teacher is vital..mine is funny and makes it enjoyable but works me hard and as he is a jazz player he is edging me that way, step by step.
I find it frustrating, brilliant, absorbing and maddening all in the space of a few minutes some days, but I find I want to pick up my sax eveyr spare moment I have!

Thanks for the encouragement, so far I have really enjoyed noodling around on my sax, although sometimes I struggle with my fingerings, or things like the tricky change from C to D and I can get frustrated at times when it just doesn't go right. I know practice makes perfect so I am sticking with it and keep going until I run out of puff or my mouth muscles start to protest.

I am going for my first lesson on Friday, excited to get some professional help. I have no idea what to expect. I have been trying to teach myself so far with the help of the internet and some books but as I don't read music I really need help from a teacher. I hope the guy I found to teach me is a good teacher.

I will have to let you all know how I get on at my first lesson.

 

[Rob Pealing]

Practical Hints on Playing the Alto Saxophone, by Eugene Rousseau, is an excellent resource for beginners.
It explains how to assemble the sax and how to place the reed, how to hold it and play your first notes.

 

[MarkSax]

That 4C mouthpiece will be easy to play and will give you a decent tone as well. I have one, plastic, but really good mpc. As for books 'The Complete Saxophone Player' by Raphael Ravenscroft (did the sax bits on Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street ) was my starting point. 4 books altogether but worth it.