Any tips for a total beginner for the saxophone? Like what brand of sax, to jazz lessons. All the way to holding positions. Really, any tips saxophone (or jazz players) can provide?

All I know is don't play it like Homer does.

"Sax-a-mo-phooooone"

I know. Not helpful.

I have played saxophone ever since fourth grade.. I am now a freshman in college. The brand I am always happy with is Yamaha. you can get a pretty nice one for about $400 to $1,000. Very important to know- Playing the Saxophone isn't cheap! I am always having to buy reeds, and cleaners for it.

The type of reed that I have used is pretty common. It's Rico and I use 3 and a half size. Since you are starting out you may want to go to only 3 or a 2 and a half size. Rico is a good brand, and they are affordable.


For the best positions to hold the saxophone, I would suggest holding it off to your right side first, then when you start getting the hang of that, switch to putting the saxophone in between your legs when you are sitting down. Thats how I learned, and I thought it did pretty good!

If you want to know more, or are having a hard time with any notes, just PM me and I will give you some more advice!

or, you can just look at all these videos!

http://www.ehow.com/video_6976797_buy-saxophone-beginner.html

I played Bari and Alto for two years, after playing the Clarinet.
So I can answer questions more than give lessons.
But for starters you will need to work out embouchure a bit. For a while the notes will probably waver in octave like a kid going through puberty but it should work itself out after a while; of consistent dedicated practice that is. And on that note (pun very intended) don't think about what to do, and then try it; but do something, then think about what you did.
And practice scales and thirds constantly.

There are http://www.sheetmusicco.com/images/211059.jpg in this series, at 5.50 a piece
And http://assets.sheetmusicplus.com/product/190X400/166990.jpg at about the same.
But that is basic learning. You may want to pick up a book for Jazz scales and techniques later, but learn your instrument first.

I would suggest starting with alto sax and work your way up if you want. However, you can start out with the others if you want to, alto's just easier for a beginner. Make sure to be careful with the reeds because they split or chip rather easily. So if that ever happens, you'll have to get a new one. I haven't played since a senior in high school. Makes me want to drag mine out and play!

Oh and jazz band is so much fun. In my opinion, it's a lot better than concert band music. But that's because I played tenor and we were stuck with background music like whole notes and such. In jazz band, we actually had the melody and it was a blast.

Yes, saxophones live for Jazz.
But before everyone toots their horn* toward saxaphones, they get 2 octaves.
Clarinets get 4.

Not to brag. But it's just...more.





* yeah, I did.

It's closer to two and a half... but jeez, I didn't realize the clarinets had such a big range, and I just wrote a wind quintet! I guess I've realized that I could have done a lot more with the clarinet part.

Also consider that the clarinet overblows at the 12th instead of the octave, making fingerings a lot different from octave to octave.

The last octave is more difficult to play at speed. For me, mainly because of the fingering. And each octave is different but the first three are at least consistent in pattern, and the last is comparatively random.
Not as bad as the trumpet though.

But the saxophone has a much more manageable sound.