Adult Beginner

[jigglejoe]

I am interested in putting away my bass for awhile to take up the sax. Feel a need to musically express myself further. I need some advice. What should a beginner learn to play? Tenor,alto,baritone? How much should I invest? What's a good model for an adult beginner? Too many questions? Sorry. Hope someone has some answers. Thanks.

[girl]

Which sax do you like the sound of most? Play that.

Also, remember that some saxes can be very large to carry round and even to play if you are small.

[orions_belt27]

I think for an adult beginner, the alto or tenor is fine :) perhaps even the baritone, though it's a lot heavier and more cumbersome and you risk instrument neck damage.

as for the soprano, i dun think any beginner, child or adult should start on it because it is so hard to keep the intonation in tune :)

alto is smaller and lighter than tenor, but it is harder to sound good on one. most ppl sound pretty good on tenor sax :)

enjoy yourself :)

[Sigmund451]

Joe, Im a recent adult beginner. (prior guitar player for many years). I started on alto only because I picked up one real cheap. I quickly changed to tenor because first off I like the rich deep sound of tenor better. I have also found it easier to sound better (and I use that term loosely as Im a newbie) beacuse you dont need as much mouth control to make notes on a tenor. Granted you have to work hard to sound good on either. I guess what Im saying is you can sound bad on a tenor easier than you can sound bad on an alto :) .

Also you are a bass player....Im assuming that you have an innate appreciation for deep tones...do you really want to venture into the land of the high pitched....your experiece is in low tone expression...perhaps you would find expression more suited to your experience in a tenor....just a thought.

How much to invest is a big question as well as type of horn. First dont be crazy and buy a new one. Id suggest an older horn. I have been lucky on ebay but be careful and buy from sellers that sell horns and know what they are talking about. If you can go local thats better because of obvious reasons....bring a player with you if you can.

For a beginner I would still reccomend at least an intermediate horn...I was disapponted with student models. Im a musician, a poor sax player, but I can hear the dif between junk and the good stuff and Im guessing you will too. The OLD Conn M16 horn can be very good. Dont buy one after the 60's tho. The quality dropped a great deal and all conns became essentially student grade. You can find the serial numbers and log onto the internet (just type in conn serial numbers) go to the sight and find the year it was made. The general rule of thumb is to avoid those starting with a letter. Dont buy a horn made before the 40's because the finger work can be difficult ergonomically. You can pick up this model on ebay for under 400 bucks...usually around 300.

There are many other horns you could look at, thats only one suggestion...there are tons of others. Keep in mind, if you buy a decent used horn and dont stick with it you will likely not loose money (you may profit) when you sell it...so dont worry. I have bought and sold a number of horns and NEVER lost money....sometimes just broke even but never lost so go with your budget and buy the best it permits. Dont go cheap on the mouthpiece either they really matter....get a decent one.

Good luck, glad others have the nerve to jump into the scene when they are adults. There is a ton of knowledge out there. Do your homework and most of all have fun, its been a blast for me so far.

[jigglejoe]

thank you all. your info will be very helpful to me.

[top_gun25]

JOE from a Fello BASSist. BARI has a sound similar to bass. also the music is quit similar in tempo, beat, notes, just a different instrument, and a different key. BARI music as a lot of times just the BASS part in TREBEL clef. so it would be easier to learn BARI and move from there. or stay bari.

8) STAY COOL!

PS. the WIEGHT. not really that much more than a bass. bass is solid so it is heavy. bari is hollow so it isnt TOO heavy. bout the same id say. plus the hand position is a little more familiar. (FARTHER APART) on the bari. not as close together on the tenor or alto.

[Gandalfe]

If you can try out the horn first, that would be a plus. Bring someone that plays sax so that they can help you choose or talk to a sax instructor after he has evaluated your embouchure. In this manner you might end with a horn that you will use and won't feel compelled to trade up from in a couple of months.

[DecaturBill]

I'm a flutist returning to tenor sax after a number of years off. Most of the embouchure muscles I use for flute seem to provide a bridge back to sax and I'm pleased with the results in a week and a half. There is so much more to learn I don't even know what it all is at this point, though. I'm starting up with a local teacher when he returns from vacation in two weeks.

I think an adult, especially an experienced musician, has an edge over someone starting from scratch. I have a nice fat sound on my flute and that's the sound I'm working towards on tenor. I have the finger skills; it's the blowing part I'm working hardest on right now.

[Paul Coats]

If I could only own one sax, it would have to be a tenor! No question about it. And for me, nearly 40years of playing saxophone has borne this out. I think tenor is more the "saxophone sound" people identify with for rock and roll, R&B, jazz, and most popular music.

[jigglejoe]

Well, if you know nothing about saxophones and you feel that you're going to end up with something defective if you buy a used one and you know that there is a chance that the sax will end up in the closet victim to a passing whim, what if you go and buy one of these cheaply priced new inferior brand models? Is it a waste of time and really detrimental to developing skill with the instrument to learn on one of these?

[Lyle]

jigglejoe

Perhaps you could rent a good student horn to determine if you will stick with it, or stick it in the closet. And, also rent a teacher.

[top_gun25]

OHHH.... RENT A SAXTER
:lol:

Gee I wonder if rent a sax teacher 1/2 off....

[Paul Coats]

Joe: The store brand tenor, Woodwind, from The Woodwind & Brasswind, # WWTS, is an excellent choice from the standpoint of good sound, response, good keywork, good intonation, and price. I can highly recommend it to you. Check their 30/60/90 plan, and their 10 month payment plan. Ask about their "buyback" plan.

http://www.wwbw.com/Item/?itemno=70951

Visit Charlie A's www.gigdust.com and I will suggest a few accessories to get you started well.

Look at his products, go to mouthpieces, tenor, and scroll down.

Here is a mouthpiece I recommend for you on Charlie's site, the Runyon Custom Spoiler, and I suggest the #6 facing. Pick a color, a facing size (6) and go on and get the Spoiler option. This is a chamber insert that will allow you to remove it for a darker, smoother tone, and put it in for a brighter, edgier tone.

Product ID: S2-P-CU Category: Mouthpieces-By Instrument-Tenor Sax
Custom Tenor Sax Mouthpiece
Description: Our all-around choice suitable for any type of music played by the experienced player, this mouthpiece is available in black, red, blue or amber.
Price: $62.00

While at Charlie A's site, pick up 2 or 3 Fibracell Soft (1 1/2) reeds. Later you may prefer to move up to Medium Soft (2), but for now, the Soft 1 1/2's will work well for you.

Product ID: F-S2 Category: Accessories-FibraCell Reeds
Fibracell Reed - Tenor Sax
Description: Fibracell(R) offers a cross-sectional fiber and cell structure patterned after natural cane. The use of high-tech aerospace materials and manufacturing methods means a consistency of quality and a lightweight strength that surpases natural materials in ev
Price: $8.86

Also at Charlie A's pick up a booklet, Santy Runyon's Suggestions for Woodwind Players. There is a great wealth of information in this small book that will help you along quickly.

The above items will give you a good initial setup that can yield surprisingly good results. And when considering the price, a great value.

And don't forget to get the starter pack of Gigdust and Crudpads. This will cure those sticking pads!!! The only thing I know that really does works.

Paul Coats
Columnist
Sax On The Web

[jigglejoe]

Well Thank You, Mr.Coats. I'll do a little more research, but I believe I will be following your recommendations.
Shucks , the people around here are real nice. I hope I'll be acquiring these qualities when I'm playing the sax. Everyone's been telling me lately that I could be a real mutha. Thanks again.

[reschurr]

First Post: Being completely confused about which Sax would be my first purchase as an adult beginner after hours and hours of research, I'm going with Paul's suggestion myself (to the letter). I just placed the order(s). We'll see how things go in a few days when everything comes in. Playing the Sax is something I've wanted to do for decades but never found the time to fit it in. At 40 now, I'll be taking my first formal lessons in a couple weeks. Just wanted to make sure I had at least decent equipment to get started. Looking forward to it. I'm glad this forum exists, I'll be spend a lot of time here. Thanks Paul. :)

[Paul Coats]

Reshurr, have you orders begun to arrive yet? How is it all working for you?

[reschurr]

Yes, Paul. The Sax just came in on Saturday, so I've spent some time getting familiar with the instrument itself. The pads seem a little sticky and make a sound as they pull away which I assume is normal for a new sax. I havent recieved the order from Charlie A's yet but I imagine the gig dust will fix that problem as you said. I picked up a 2.5 Rico reed from a local store (thats all they had in that range at the time) so I can try some notes until the fibracell reeds get here. I realize lessons are the way to go but I have a few instructional books I've read several times over (plus all your articles) and I want to try before the lessons start (excited to get going!). Thanks!