Introduction Hello from West Yorkshire, UK!

[nfs515]

Hi, I’m in sixth form (Year 12 - age 16/17) in the UK and am looking to start learning the saxophone as one of my career goals is potentially to work in pit bands for shows and my music teacher has recommended that I pick up something like saxophone or clarinet to help with this!

I already play flute (Grade 6/7) and piano (Grade 7) and have been told that the saxophone would be a good second wind instrument as the fingering is very similar to the flute!

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Good day,
Single reeds, Sax and Clarinet are good to learn, and Sax might get you more work to pay for things you need/want, playing tunes in clubs etc etc.
Hope you have Piccolo skills as well.
Best to start your daily practice with the Flute family before the reeds, but going back and forth will be required for pit work.
Sight reading skills are a must.
Kids I knew, that studied Sax at Juilliard, also developed solid Clarinet skills.
Their Flute and Picc skills, were, just about okay. 😱

 

[DaveT]

A half-way decent clarinet will be cheaper then a half-way decent saxophone.
The sax will be more fun!
Bass clarinet makes a lovely noise and they are all expensive.
Sax teachers I have used in the past were always disappointed I couldn't play clarinet because they said it would make learning sax easier.
Fingering is just fingering, no big deal swapping to and fro. Embouchure and technique takes the effort.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Hello and big welcome to the forum.

 

[Jeanette]

Welcome to the café

Jx

 

[skeller047]

I did show work (backing singers, not in musicals) for many years, and doubling is a hard road. Minimum for a doubler is alto sax, clarinet and flute, plus piccolo and perhaps alto flute. Add in soprano saxophone too.

If you also can play tenor sax, bari sax and bass clarinet, you will get more work. Of course you will need it to pay for all those horns! (Notice I am not mentioning any double reed instruments…)

Each of these needs to be treated like a separate instrument; switching quickly is key, and you have to have a solid embouchure and sound conception for each one.

Fingering is similar enough between all these horns that it should only take a few weeks to get that part down. (Clarinet will be the hardest.) I remember so many shows where the sax is hanging around my neck while I pick up the flute for a few bars. Or keep the piccolo in my jacket handkerchief pocket to get to it fast.

And welcome! Hope we didn’t scare you 🙂

 

[Ghr9204]

Welcome to the forum!

Given you have a flute and piano background will help immensely in learning the sax. I bet once you find a decent one to start on, you'll come up to speed very quickly on it. In the Mistral thread you mentioned that the shop you bought a used flute from, also has used saxes, sounds like a good starter place. Since you are on a budget, usually the altos are more affordable starting, but as you prosper, you can branch out from there.

 

[Sue]

If you're in West Yorkshire you might know Jo Lewis. She's based in Menston and is a fantastic musician and educator who plays in many pit bands and local orchestra/bands. She is primarily a flute player but also teaches clarinet and sax. She will give you solid advice and lessons. If you would like her details please ask.

 

[Tenor Viol]

Hi, welcome and good luck with your journey.

 

[MikeMorrell]

Welcome to the cafe, @nfs515!

Musically, you're already way above my (amateur) level! I have no experience whatsoever in pit orchestras. I assume that their members' reading and playing ability is also far above my (amateur) level. I just wonder whether you're asking this question a bit too soon in your musical career. I don't question your musical talent or ability (on both instruments that you play)!

I just note that almost all (with some exceptions) ''instrument-playing professionals" in NL have a 'music degree'. During their degree courses, they obviously focus on developing their reading/playing of their 'main instruments'. But they're also required to develop their skills in a 'second instrument' too. For students who have voice, woodwind, brass or stringed instruments as their 'main instruments', their (obligatory) second instrument is almost always piano.

In addition to their general musical education and their primary and secondary instrument education, they also have 'options'. Some students choose composition/arranging with - optionally - directing. Others optionally choose a 3rd (or 4th) instrument to study and practice.

So, without any experience whatsoever, I wonder whether you are able to:

• qualify for and attend a college/university and get a 'music' degree (which IMHO would help you become a professional musician)
• get advice from your tutors there w.r.t. to the instruments on which you could best 'double' given your goals; and you never know, your goals could perhaps change in 3-4 years time!​

Hope this helps,

Mike

PS. I have no idea whether learning to play clarinet or sax helps you most. When I asked a sax teacher what the difference was between the two, his reply was "you have to really learn to play the clarinet but you can just hold a sax in the wind and it'll play itself". I've never learned to play clarinet but from his reply, I deduced that it's better to learn to play clarinet first and sax second rather than the other way round. As always, I'm probably wrong!

 

[DaveT]

"you can just hold a sax in the wind and it'll play itself"
So THAT's where I'm going wrong!

 

[Ghr9204]

"you can just hold a sax in the wind and it'll play itself"
So THAT's where I'm going wrong!

Sometimes I break wind whilst playing; all others but me think I'm going wrong!

 

[Targa]

Sometimes I break wind whilst playing; all others but me think I'm going wrong!

Practising the beaufort scale?

 

[Ghr9204]

Practising the beaufort scale?

The U.S. Navy detected an anomaly but declined further comment.