Saxophone beginners Time for a Tenor?

[nigeld]

Maybe playing the tenor really well is different from the alto, but the fingering is the same. I started on tenor and moved to alto, and I found the smaller mouthpiece a struggle at first. In the other direction, some people don't like the larger tenor mouthpiece, and some people think the tenor feels big and heavy after the alto, but that is just a matter of getting used to it.

 

[brianr]

Get a tenor. !!!!!!!!!!!

Its a well worn phrase..........BUT........ life is too short..... do stuff that pleases you.

I was an alto player for 20 years. I had a tenor and I even did some gigs on it.
But I was better on the alto. better tone, more fluent, comfortable etc etc.

but for almost all of that time I wanted to play tenor. I resisted because of some stupid notion that I didnt want to go backwards in my ability. Didnt want to start again on a different instrument, embouchure etc etc.

what an idiot I was.

a couple of years ago, I came to my senses and started playing and practicing only on tenor.

Yes, it was a step back initially, but I loved it. Id found my sound, after all those years.

I practice more now on this “new “ instrument.

This is not religion. Nothing is set in stone.

Do what you want and what makes you happy.

 

[nickh]

Tenor Time i would say

 

[altissimo]

if you want a tenor, then get one - either you'll love it or find that it's not for you, but you'll never know until you try..
my first sax was a tenor, but it was only when I got an alto that I found my true voice, despite most of my favourite saxophonists being tenor players. For me alto's where it's at and I'll never play tenor again, for others switching from alto to to tenor was the best thing they ever did and for some playing both and/or soprano and baritone gives them the most joy. We're all a bit different and finding what suits us best is part of the journey.
If you can get to a shop and try out a tenor and see how it feels, you'll know if it's for you. If you don't try you'll never know.
I think people make the most progress if they're happy with their instrument and not wishing they were playing something else

 

[Kiko]

Go get that tenor! Life is too short...

 

[saxyjt]

Coltrane was an alto player initially, but he switched to tenor and never looked back!

He later adopted the soprano, do be prepared... That's not an uncommon thing to do. Despite the bigger difference between a tenor and and alto. So there is no rule. Just a number of experienced that can only be lived!

Go for it!

You have nothing to loose.

 

[trimmy]

Coltrane was an alto player

The most famous failed altoist 😉

 

[altissimo]

The most famous failed altoist 😉

he didn't fail, he just changed instruments when he got a gig with Earl Bostic...
Coltrane played some alto later on in his career, the 1958 Gene Ammons All Stars album 'Groove Blues' has Coltrane playing alto on 3 tracks as well as 'The Real McCoy' on 'The Big Sound' recorded at the same session.
Yamaha gave him and Pharoah Sanders an alto each on their '66 Japanese tour which got played on all the concerts on that tour and is heard and pictured on the cover of the Live In Japan CD. He also plays alto on 'Tranesonic' on the Stellar Regions album .. and isn't there some overdubbed alto faintly audible on the very end of 'Psalm' on 'A Love Supreme'?

 

[tatooandy67]

If you can afford to keep both alto and tenor why not play both, lots of doublers and more on here

 

[Alphorn]

Try it but be prepared that you might like either tenor or alto better. There might be music that fits better to a higher or lower voice and where you feel tenor or alto might be more appropriate. Myself I started out on alto when I switched from clarinet (late bloomer). After some time bought a tenor and played that almost exclusively, switched back to alto for more than a year again almost exclusively and now I am back on tenor again. While you can apply everything you learn to both there are specifics that need concentrations to master it eg. low e and f tend to overblow on tenor while I had no problem with those notes on alto and that's on serviced decent horns.

Try it.

Ah well, one last word. Don't try soprano at all or your will have a third size to cope with. Seems soprano is the size that is my hidden love. It is a joy every time I pick it up.

Alphorn

 

[Ivan]

Don't try soprano at all or your will have a third size to cope with

...not forgetting the mighty baritone

 

[nigeld]

Don't try soprano at all or your will have a third size to cope with. Seems soprano is the size that is my hidden love. It is a joy every time I pick it up.

...not forgetting the mighty baritone

. . . and then there are sopranino, c-melody, bass, contrabass . . .
So basically you need to get your tenor asap in order to have time to get the others.

 

[IGoddard]

I’d love to have the skill, money and time to play and be good all the saxophone types . Maybe one day.

So for all those who play both alto and tenor. When you made the transition did you stick with the same horn manufacturer or go completely different?

 

[tatooandy67]

I’d love to have the skill, money and time to play and be good all the saxophone types . Maybe one day.

So for all those who play both alto and tenor. When you made the transition did you stick with the same horn manufacturer or go completely different?

Yamaha yas280 alto, yanagisawa t901 tenor, although my tenor is currently out of action due to needing a service (some leaks need fixing)

 

[Colin the Bear]

When one of these should I shouldn't I threads pops up I like to recycle these old vids

View: https://youtu.be/3dpCB-a6dEU

View: https://youtu.be/p-b6I1ihh2s

View: https://youtu.be/k9YJM2GCvk8

 

[kevgermany]

Almost all of my saxes are different makes. The only duplicate is that I have 2 Kohlert altos, different models, though.

 

[saxyjt]

Almost all of my saxes are different makes. The only duplicate is that I have 2 Kohlert

I'm just the exact opposite. Most of my saxes are Yamahas. They may not The Best, but they are solid horns with a good price/quality ratio.

 

[spike]

Don't think about it - just do it . . .
The world seems to be so full of Willy Nilly's these days
to quote Joseph Addison -1712 - Cato
"When love once pleas admission to our hearts
(In spite of all the virtue we can boast)
The woman that deliberates is lost."
Substitute "woman" with "saxophonist" and you end up drooling yer cornflakes down yer pelican bib 😉

 

[nigeld]

So for all those who play both alto and tenor. When you made the transition did you stick with the same horn manufacturer or go completely different?

Mine are all different, but my bari sax is a Yamaha, and when I played a Yamaha alto I noticed how natural the keywork felt. On the other hand, I think most people probably find Yamaha keywork easy to play. So my experience is that it's not necessary to have all your saxes the same make, but it may make things just a little bit easier.

 

[IGoddard]

When one of these should I shouldn't I threads pops up I like to recycle these old vids

View: https://youtu.be/3dpCB-a6dEU

View: https://youtu.be/p-b6I1ihh2s

View: https://youtu.be/k9YJM2GCvk8

Gotta love the videos from sax.co.uk. It’s useful to have impartial, educated reviews of horns.