complete beginner

[Sharron]

Hello folks,

I'm about to begin learning to play sax. I have chosen to learn on a tenor- because I think it sounds nicer- hopefully I'm not making a mistake. (bit late now- my husband is buying one for Christmas for me)
I need to learn to read music too. Can anyone recommend any easy to follow tuition material suitable for tenor? Almost everything seems to be aimed at alto.
What is transposing?

Thanks in anticipation
Sharron :S

 

[jake_honeywill]

Hi Sharron.
I would recommend the 'Jazz saxophone Method' by John o'neil (there are 2 versions - tenor or alto)
It starts off with some really easy tunes - they are all quite short which makes learning them easy.
They are quite nice tunes generally - not too cheesy & really nicely played - IMO. It comes with a playalong CD. The book doesn't go into too much detail about scales & theory which I think is good, especially at the beginning as you really just need to get to grips with playing the notes on the instrument and trying to make a good sound.
Happy Honking!
JAKE

Sharron wrote:
Hello folks,

I'm about to begin learning to play sax. I have chosen to learn on a tenor- because I think it sounds nicer- hopefully I'm not making a mistake. (bit late now- my husband is buying one for Christmas for me)
I need to learn to read music too. Can anyone recommend any easy to follow tuition material suitable for tenor? Almost everything seems to be aimed at alto.
What is transposing?

Thanks in anticipation
Sharron :S

 

[charliem]

Hi,

Would recommend finding a teacher to being with.

There are lots of good habits that are worth learning from the very beginning that will save you hard work later on - like breathing correctly, correct fingerings, embouchure etc.,. Nothing scary at all - playing sax is an absolute joy, and can be from the very beginning, but a solid foundation is essential.

My recommendation is also to take it easy and concentrate on enjoying what you're doing and avoid getting bogged down in any one thing. Find tunes you like and play them - either by trial and error or from music books. There are bags of beginner books online that people here can recommend.

Scales are essential later on, but not from the start, so don't think you need to know 100s of them. Instead listen to CDs and find something you like and try and copy bits of it - having a sax idol always inspires practice! Whenever I listen to Brecker I normally go away thinking "I still have a long way to go still... Better do some more practice. I wanna be able to do that"

Good luck!

Charlie

 

[AlistairD]

Tenor is great.... you won't regret it. I would second both of the above suggestions esp. find a good teacher so that you don't pick up too many bad habits to begin with. I started with lessons from the local Adult Learning Centre... Great fun because you are with a number of other people who haven't got a clue either!!!

 

[saxismyaxe]

Another "must have" book that should be in every sax player's library is the oft recommended "THE ART OF SAXOPHONE PLAYING" by Larry Teal.

 

[lee_]

Here's a place to start

 

[peter_fitton]

Sharron, I don't think you're making a mistake by opting to begin on a tenor. I started on alto but bought a tenor only a few months later and I have to say that I find the tenor easier to play in just about every respect I can think of. Only slight problem might be the size of the thing if, like me, you're not that tall. But even that is not a significant problem.

I can second the recommendation for the John O'Neil Jazz Method book/CD...it's excellent. If you're husband is buying the sax from sax.co.uk they'll probably send the book/CD with the sax anyway 🙂

Pete's DVD is also superb and is well worth getting. Only thing is is that's it's for alto sax so if you try playing along with Pete the notes will be a different pitch on your tenor. But all the techniques that Pete demonstrates apply to both tenor and alto.

The sax is a transposition instrument which means that the notes as you play them on the sax are not the same notes as on a concert pitch instrument like the piano or the guitar.

That sounds awkward and off-putting but it really isn't that much of a problem unless you want to play with other musicians right from the start.

To give an example: if you play the note designated as B on an alto you are actually playing D in concert pitch; if you play a B on a tenor you are actually playing an A in concert pitch.

If you intend playing from written music there is a lot available written specifically for both alto and tenor saxes.

Cheers

Peter

 

[Sharron]

Thanks everyone,

I'll try to get hold of the suggested material ASAP.
I have now managed to find a teacher - like hen's teeth in the Scottish Highlands. There are plenty of teachers for piano, fiddle & bagpipes though....! :whistle:
I hope to have my first lesson after Christmas.
The sax arrived today - can't wait to get started.
It's just as well we live in the country, no doubt the noise will not be pretty at first. Who knows I may have someone out looking to bag a Christmas goose! :laugh:

Will let you know how it goes.
Cheers
Sharron

 

[Bobby G]

All the best with your new tenor Sharron. Do let us know how it's going. I hope you have somewhere warm to play, my partner lived in various areas of Scotland before we met, like Lossiemouth, Elgin and Arbroath, she says it gets a bit nippy in the winter!

You'll probably find you produce some horrible notes at first, but have a go before your first lesson, especially if you have a book with fingering charts, and who knows you could be knocking out 'Hark the herald angels sing' on Christmas morning. 🙂

Cheers, Bob

 

[nicsax]

Hi Sharron,

My pc is a pain I get cut off - typed out a load to you and then it went.

Nice to 'meet' you, enjoy your tenor.

I call my time on mine 'noisy meditation' which says it all!

Addicted comes to mind. Bought my Alto in Sept. have acquired way too much music but love to dip in an out of what I fancy - self taught no lessons yet. Great site this, Bob above is encouraging and knowledgeable and I've found other people really friendly and helpful too.

Pete's CD is GREAT - I thought it might be discouraging with him being so good but it just makes me want to play more and try more little fidddly bits with the fingers etc.
A reallly good buy (he's not paying me!)

I have an idea of getting sax players to the tops of mountains and playing for charity some time in the summer - though I might frighten off even the ravens! Am lucky enough to live near the Lake District - like the highlands but not done much walking there - which Glen will you be playing in?

Have a happy happy time with that new instrument of yours,

Many best wishes

nic
'noisy meditation'

 

[Sharron]

Hi Nic

Nice to meet you too.
Pete's CD is now on order - hopefully it'll arrive before Christmas. It certainly comes highly recommended and it should help me get started before I meet my teacher for the first lesson.
Just hope the locals are too busy eating their Christmas lunch to take any notice of the honking!
I live along Strathnairn, thankfully not too close to others. The accoustics outside are amazing as there are hills either side of us. Maybe I could get a job scaring away the tourists in the summer!

Cheers
Sharron







nicsax wrote:
Hi Sharron,

My pc is a pain I get cut off - typed out a load to you and then it went.

Nice to 'meet' you, enjoy your tenor.

I call my time on mine 'noisy meditation' which says it all!

Addicted comes to mind. Bought my Alto in Sept. have acquired way too much music but love to dip in an out of what I fancy - self taught no lessons yet. Great site this, Bob above is encouraging and knowledgeable and I've found other people really friendly and helpful too.

Pete's CD is GREAT - I thought it might be discouraging with him being so good but it just makes me want to play more and try more little fidddly bits with the fingers etc.
A reallly good buy (he's not paying me!)

I have an idea of getting sax players to the tops of mountains and playing for charity some time in the summer - though I might frighten off even the ravens! Am lucky enough to live near the Lake District - like the highlands but not done much walking there - which Glen will you be playing in?

Have a happy happy time with that new instrument of yours,

Many best wishes

nic
'noisy meditation'

[/quote]

 

[Bobby G]

I wonder what it is about some advanced players; there are those who make you think you'll never get where they are as players, even if you practise 12 hours a day, whereas others seem to act as an inspiration, where they make you think, well, maybe... just maybe...

You don't even necessarily have to hear them play. I've been inspired by plenty of people in the Breakfast Room without having heard them play a note. I'll spare blushes and 'aww, shucks' by not naming names, but thanks.

Cheers, Bob

 

[tris]

Hi Sharron!

Welcome to the wacky world of sax. I joined the �club� in March after 18 years of serious guitar. I have been self taught.

Playing the sax is the best thing I have ever done with my life, with the exceptions of my wife and son. The more you put in the more you get out and the further the addiction sets in.

Alto or Tenor... get the one that YOU hear in your head the most.

 

[Linky Lee]

You're so right with the addiction.

Playing sax is like a drug, I'm so happy it's not illegal!

I went to Germany for a week (educational purposes) and was without my saxophone the whole time.

I really enjoyed my week but MY GOD did I miss my saxophones!
As soon as I got into the house that was it for three hours...

...And the next day ....And the next after that. I double the amount of time I usually spend with my sax for the first few days until I felt I knew it like I used to again.

And now my Hanson is being sent off to them again for the second time to have another fiddle with. I'm alto-less for a while 🙁
But I've got my tenor! Yay!

 

[Sharron]

Hi folks,

Hope you all had a good Christmas. I've been having fun with my new tenor sax- lots of tuneless honking until Pete's DVD arrived on Thurs which helped me get started.
Today I had my first lesson.
It feels like I've started out on a long but exhilarating trip. Great fun and a numb lower lip by the end of it. I also learned how to use Rizzla papers to protect my lower lip- not something I'd imagined.
Somehow I don't think I'll manage "Auld Lang Syne" by tomorrow night! But hey, we all start somewhere.

Cheers

Sharron

 

[Bobby G]

Go on Sharron, you can do it! You have all day tomorrow 🙂 You're right too, it is a long and exhilarating trip, or more accurately an endless trip.

You go girl, as I believe the youngsters say.

Cheers, Bob

 

[tris]

Yeah,

You can do it!!!

The best thing about it all is the more you put in the more you get out of it.

"Auld Lang Syne" give it a go... if you can't get it today, maybe tomorrow or the next week! Music has no timetable you develop at the pace that suits you. A little patenice early on Yeah,

You can do it!!!

The best thing about it all is the more you put in the more you get out of it.

"Auld Lang Syne" give it a go... if you can't get it today, maybe tomorrow or the next week! Music has no timetable you develop at the pace that suits you. Getting the basics right will allow you to flourish. Try to resist the urge to steam along on to the next thing all good things come to those who wait!

 

[Greywolf]

Hi Sharron

Good luck with the sax. It's a fantastic instrument, everyone who starts seems to get addicted to it. I certainly am.

Don't worry about whether you should have started on tenor. You'll find it fine especially if that's the sound you want. the only thing you might find difficult is reaching the bottom keys with your right hand little finger ( I do as I have short little fingers.. I think it's a genetic thing), but I was thinking about this recently and realized that I don't have much trouble any more, I think my little finger stretch has improved.

Really good to get a teacher.

the sax is an easy instrument to play and an easy one to learn bad habits on which can hinder future development.

Greywolf