How old to play Sax

[richie]

A friend of mine has a daughter aged 5 years who is asking for a sax for christmas. Is this too young to start playing?

 

[Pete Thomas]

I would ask a dentist. Apart from any dangers to her teeth forming I don't see why not, but she will probably find it a bit frustrating as she probably won't reach all the notes.

 

[philthd]

if you dont have adult front teeth there is the possibility of sax (or clarinet - or even brass) playing causing dental issues - and for that reason alone i wouldnt recommend it - but other than that i am all for encouraging music making at any age

 

[Jules]

The other thing to watch out for is the reach of her left hand to get over the palm keys

 

[philthd]

although a casio dh100 (or similar) has neither of these problems.


you used to be able to pick them up dirt cheap but i think are becoming cool now or something since the prices keep going up


or of course point out just how many tranferable skills you can pick up by playing a recorder (available for a couple of quid almost anywhere)

 

[Thaumaturge]

From an adult point of view I would recommend the recorder route. But from the chold's point of view the recorder is not a big, shiny, gold coloured instrument.........

 

[RedBottom]

Thaumaturge wrote:... the recorder is not a big, shiny, gold coloured instrument...

... and that, I think, may well be the crux of the matter.

When I was five, I don't think I even knew what a saxophone was, although I could have identified simple things like piano, guitar, drums etc. I imagine a child who's grown up around a certain type of instrument will know what it is and will have a good idea of its idiosyncrasies - my bloke's a drummer and the boys were bashing the kit as soon as they could hold the sticks, but neither of them have taken up drumming seriously - I have flautist-turned-tuba player and a guitarist for my sins. But I wonder how many children say they want to play an instrument like the sax because it's big and shiny, yet as soon as they begin to blow it, it becomes obvious that this is not the instrument for them (yet).

There's also the fact that, even if the child's wish is more than an uninformed fantasy, I would think most five-year-olds are too small to handle even an alto (given that the soprano isn't recommended for beginners).

The recorder, on the other hand, teaches dexterity and breathing techniques, as well as giving the child the opportunity to learn to read music and to play in an ensemble. It's a fine grounding.

 

[mfox]

almost impossible for a 5 year old..silly idea.. get the kid a recorder.. i remember playing cornet in primary school, i once had to carry it almost a mile when the school bus broke down,it seemed to weigh a ton.and yes i did cry..
any teacher worth their salt would turn down the job..

 

[Jules]

Though the curved sop isn't generally a good starting instrument my old bassist's daughter started on one at about the age of 6 (I suspect they taped over the palm keys to prevent leakage) and thrived on it- she's about 16 now and a great palyer on sop or alto.... though i suspect she's more the exception that proves the rule (plus she had Julian Nicholas teaching here- superb brighton teacher and jazz bloke)

 

[jonf]

My eldest is six, and she loves being in the room when i play, and can get a note out of alto, tenor and bari. In fact, sshe managed to blow the bari with a lot more ease than my wife. However, she has no wish to play the sax - as she puts it, she doesn't want to play a musical instrument, she wants to play the drums.

Anyway, back to the point of the post. I strongly believe that a child shouldn't try to play the sax until they've got all theeir adult teeth, and are big enough to cover all keys with ease, and blow a decent amount of air though. What age that is depends on the child, but it would usually all coincide with going to secondary school. Not bad timing, as secondary schools can often be pursuaded to fund the purchase of a first sax.

Just my two pennorth.

 

[Linky Lee]

Another thing to think about for the future is that if they have a brace it will be on for longer if they're playing a reed instrument.
I decided not to lengthen the wearing of my retainer and a few of my bottom teeth have moved out of line a bit. Would of been fine with a few months more retainer wearing.

I would ask a dentist (or two) about it before you make a decision. I'd hate to see someone wanting to play an instrument not get a chance, get them while they're young but maybe with something more suitable, like the piano. And it's an incredibly useful skill to be able to play the piano, I wish I could!

 

[Bobby G]

JonF wrote:
My eldest is six - as she puts it, she doesn't want to play a musical instrument, she wants to play the drums.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Great stuff Jon, don't worry about what instrument, or not, to play at such a young age, get 'em indoctrinated with drummer jokes!

I started on piano at seven, and persevered with it until I sneaked a go on my cousin's guitar when I was 12, and that was when I discovered my vocation - a month later it was a guitar for my 13th birthday, no more piano lessons and hello rock'n'roll