Considering a saxophone.

[quotidian]

Hi. Lately I've been playing saxophone melodies on my bass, mainly lines form Afro Blue and Love Theme from Spartacus. I definitely want to continue playing the bass, but I've been thinking of expanding my musical horizons a bit, been thinking of taking up the sax.

I'd like to hear from other bass players that play the sax. Should I start out on Alto or Tenor? Can you suggest a good brand for a beginner? I've done a few searches online, but wanted to ask here as well.

Thank you in advance for answering my questions.

Peace,

Dean

[Vorago]

My brother is a saxplayer; he says that

both Alt en Tenor are ok startermodels, but if you have big hands, a tenor is more practical. Alts are a bit more expensive because of the smal scale of the components.
Don't get a 'reedbinder' with fancy pancy gold stuff, it's not really necessary, unless you want to throw away money.

Start of with soft reeds because they are easier to play on in tune.

Test a lot and ask someone who knows his saxes to come along, same as with basses basicly.

Hope this helps.

[quotidian]

Vorago,

Thanks for the reply (thank your brother too). Can he suggest a decent brand for a beginner? I've noticed Yamaha, Selmer and Yanagisawa. They seem to be higher end models, all priced over $1000 USD. Would it be better starting off with a less expensive brand? Thanks again for the help.

Peace,
Dean

[clanner]

julius keilwerth is what i stasrted on and still have. it's a really great instument when playing in an ansembleif the director has a good attitude (i recently stoped playing because one of my highschool directors is a total asshat)

but if you have small hands i'd go with an alto, but the bari (baritone sax) is where it's at for me, same fingurings as alto but alot more fun (atleast to me) to play.

[Vorago]

Keilwerth is what my brother plays and suggests, then again, I think meeting with a sax player and going to the shop with him is your best option...Or ask on a sax forum

[markjazzbassist]

i play sax. i own a selmer bundy II alto saxophone. i got it when i was in 5th grade and starting playing in the band at school. here are my suggestions.

selmer bundy series (great beginner sax, decent for the intermediate player)
reeds - 2 or 2 and 1/2
cheap plastic mouthpiece and ligature
alto or tenor, it doesn't matter


it would be wise to get a teacher. to learn how to correctly blow and put your mouth on the mouthpiece is very vital. good luck. if you have anymore questions PM me. i still play all the time.

[quotidian]

Cool. Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions. I will definitely find a teacher, as well as buy from a store that can do repairs and maintenance.

Mark, thanks for the offer to PM you. If I have more questions, I'll drop you a line.

Peace,

Dean

[tplyons]

I haven't played in a little over a year, but I played for 9 years, and want to take it up again.

I would recommend trying to pick up a used Bundy II (this is a good time of year, kids getting out of school) and picking up a new Selmer C* mouthpiece, couple of 2 or 2-1/2 Rico or Rico Royal reeds. Would really recommend starting on an alto, much more forgiving to begin.

I started on alto, switched to tenor after about four years, then expanded playing all of soprano, alto, tenor and bari saxes, between bass playing. I spent way too much time in the music department at school.

[Peck_Time]

Hi Quotidian,

Saxophone is my main instrument, and i've made all the mistakes, here's what I learnt...

- There are good cheap horns around, but you gotta know what they are (Antigua Winds have a good rep, so do the Dave Kessler line so do others). Old horns can be a good buy OR can be a money pit OR can be a pile of worthless junk.

My main alto and tenor were made in 1929 (by Martin), but it cost me around US$800 to get them going right.

- Check out the Sax-on-the-web forum, it is excellent! Great advice on horns, mouthpieces, etc.

- The mouthpiece/ reed/ ligature is where the sound comes from. The sax is just a tube with holes in it for changing pitch. An expensive
horn will sound bad with a $5 plastic mouthpiece.

- A good mouthpiece will make a huge difference when you are starting out, eg a Meyer hard-rubber 6m on alto or an Otto Link metal 6 or 6* on tenor.

- Same for reeds and ligatures. Use decent reeds (rico royals or Vandorens etc) and a decent Ligature (Rovners etc).

- A teacher can help a lot. Sax can be demoralising for beginners, - everyone sounds bad when they start/ the buttons are confusing and uncomfortable/ it's a transposing instrument so instead of playing in E or A, you're in c# and f#, etc.

Upside: It looks cool, it's the nearest thing to being a singer, playing in a horn-section is neato, you get to ride on the rhythm sections hard work!

-Daniel Y

[anonymous278347457]

I play clarinet, and from my experience with reeds I have to say 3 things.

another +1 on soft reeds,i find it fustrating when i get a new reed and its hard to force a sound out of it(new reeds are usually harder to play, and you need to "break them in")

putting the reed on properly is possibly one of the most important things, because if you have it too far out its hard to play, if its too far in the gap is too big and your spit clogs up the instrument making a buzzing noise


reeds are expensive, and IMO vandoren are better than rico


and lastly

if anything goes wrong when playing, blame it on the reed, because it usually is

[BassManJim]

Excellent advice given so far.

After over 20 years of Bass, i really wanted to add a melody instrument that gave me the same "feeling" (addiction) as the Bass. Turns out it's the Sax.

I've been playing Tenor now for six months on a Yamaha YTS23. Probably one of the most highly regarded student horns around. You can get a used one for around $800.00 USD.

You need to check out www.saxontheweb.net too. It's the TB for Sax players (seriously) Tons of good info and a real friendly community.


.............Jim

[spudmaster34]

My first was a rental alto (a yamaha). I would suggest renting before you buy anything. Its something like 20 bucks a month where i live. My current sax is a Monique, and i couldn't be happier with it unfourtunatly the company went out of buissiness. I have also semi-recently (3 years ago) started playing bari, my bari is also a yamaha.

Deffinitly start out on #2 reeds, stick with them for awhile untill your muscles develop enough to handle stiffer stuff.

Something that most people would overlook but is verry important, the octave key. It is located on the back of the instrument it is usually touching a black piece of plastic (your thumb rests on the plastic) different brands/models have different key mechanisms, although they are fundamentally similar, some are just more comfortable for different people, be sure to find one that works for you.

edit: be sure to take your sax in for anual/semi-anual repairs and adjustments, it has so many pieces that so many things can go wrong, and you won't even notice them untill you need it, then your screwed. Also, be sure to get a nice neck strap most saxes come with crappy plastic ones that should be thrown away

[scorpionldr]

i say negatory on the soft reeds.....being a sax major, you should be able to pick up a size 3 reed if your putting in an hour a day consistantly, more if you feel like it. this coming from a guy playing off classical hardblow mouthpieces. Vandoren is also a way to a great tone. I think that Ricos sound a bit thin, and altho Vandorens are slightly thicker, they make up for it in tone. Tenor is a good instrument. I'm playing Bari and Alto typically, but ever since I played a yamaha custom z tenor (and was able to hit every hard note or sax riffage i'd usually have trouble with), i've been yearning to play tenor ever since.

[quotidian]

Thanks again for all of the responses and helpful information. A saxophonist in the town where I live is going to lend me his alto sax for a while. I'm meeting with him today to go over the basics. He's also going to lend me some sax books and DVDs. I'm moving to Japan in a month, so I will wait to buy a sax and find a teacher once I'm there. Meeting with the sax player today and borrowing his horn and learning materials should be a good start. I'll post sound clips from my first lesson. Just kidding!

Peace,
Dean

[MysticMichael]

Seems there's quite a few bassists who started in music by playing a horn. Or who double on bass and a horn currently.

Tenor sax was my first instrument. I played regularly from age 10 'til age 18, then intermittently for the next five years 'til I sold it off to finance some bass gear...

I would just add this much: The most fundamental thing on which you need to focus is simply how to create a great tone. And the key to that, along with proper breath control from the diaphram, is what's called your embouchure - essentially the way in which you form your mouth to the mouthpiece of the instrument (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embouchure).

This is one of the more technical aspects of playing a horn - any horn - and is something you will need to learn from your teacher. So don't worry just yet about flying all over the place on those keys like Charlie Parker - 'cause if you don't first have a great tone, none of that will matter. Focus on proper breathing & breath support from the diaphram, and on developing a well-formed and consistent embouchure. The rest is just practice...

MM

[scorpionldr]

Originally Posted by Joshua

A #3 reed for a beginner?

i'd say if at a disadvantage, start with a two. that's assuming you got the note system down allright (i learn pretty quickly, so for me saying #3 isn't that bad). practice hard (two hours a day maybe if you want to hit the grount running) and always experiment. work your way up to a #2 1/2, and eventually #3 isn't so bad.
Believe me, it's difficult. i got into college, and realized VERY quickly that i sucked. I didn't have the right tone, or the right fingerings for the right situations. got a better setup (going from stock yamaha mouthpieces to a caravan for alto, and rascher for bari), and after playing and working with it consistantly, i'm already starting to think #3 1/2 or #4.

[JNBlack]

I've been playing Sax for about 13 years. I started on an Alto and moved to Tenor after about 3 years (I was in 5th grade when I started; Tenor sax was not an option). I played a Bundy Alto and then traded it for a Yamaha Tenor (student model). I still play that Yamaha pretty regularly; also perform in alumni bands/christmas bands. It's my workhorse.

But my real gem is my 1947 King Super 20 that I bought a few years back for REAL cheap! It was used for many years by a guy in a local jazz band and sat in someone's attic for quite some time. I break her out every once and a while.

Anyway, see if you can try out both the Alto and Tenor as far as size-wise for your hands/fingers. Go with whatever 'feels' right. Both instruments are very similar in what embouchure is required.

I would suggest a Yamaha, Selmer, or Bundy. Some of the models are quite expensive, but you can many times find them in local classifieds sections. Most important if you do get one used.... find a repair shop to check it out.

IMO, a good mouthpiece, reed and reed placement, and good pads are essential in getting a good sound from your horn.

~Cheers and good luck!

[Bard2dbone]

*Disclaimer: I started as a brass player. I don't play saxophone. Although I have been considering taking it up.*

Don't a lot of us here have "Bass Player Hands", or what my drummer refers to as 'Orangutan hands'? I thought that much of the reason my hands are larger than strictly proportionate to my already-freakishly-large self was from playing bass.

If doing the big stretches on your bass programs your hands to like larger spans (well, like mine) then wouldn't a tenor be more comfortable for the typical bass player? I was considering the tenor over the alto, mostly because I started on Bb instruments (trumpet/cornet/fluegelhorn and treble clef baritone horn/euphonium are written in Bb, just like a tenor sax.), but then it occurred to me that the tenor would 'fit' my hands better.

[scorpionldr]

ok, so I hate to hijack this thread, but since i just need to know, what's the giant thrill with the Selmer Mark VI? Around my college I swear they're as common (and lusted after) as tits.

[spudmaster34]

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

*Disclaimer: I started as a brass player. I don't play saxophone. Although I have been considering taking it up.*

Don't a lot of us here have "Bass Player Hands", or what my drummer refers to as 'Orangutan hands'? I thought that much of the reason my hands are larger than strictly proportionate to my already-freakishly-large self was from playing bass.

If doing the big stretches on your bass programs your hands to like larger spans (well, like mine) then wouldn't a tenor be more comfortable for the typical bass player?

Although this is a good idea/point, after a quick glance at the 2 saxes in my music room I realized why it made no sense to me,

Saxaphones have what are called "displaced fingerings" meaning that the key you press isn't always right over the hole it covers/uncovers. My alto and bari have a negligible difference and i would say that is because of age and brand.