The Beginners Guide To The Saxophone

The saxophone has been through a bit of a roller coaster ride in the realm of popular music. Ever since the technological explosion of recorded music, it has made its mark on a variety of musical genres. The heyday of the sax is quite potentially the 50’s and 60’s period. During this era, the saxophone was blowing the lid off bebop and heavily used in the rock n roll that took the world by surprise.

While always present in popular music the sax peaked again in the 80’s and then kind of hit a wall in the early 90’s; with adult contemporary disguised as light jazz. Unfortunately, modern hip hop and electronic dance music haven’t had much of a spot for the instrument (and when it is used, it is a sample or synthesizer patch!). No worries though, the saxophone is always playing in jazz and soon enough it will find another resurgence in future music styles. Clearly, woodwinds have potential now as Lizzo is inspiring a whole new generation to pick up the flute. Let’s hope the sax is next!

Saxophone History and Basics

Speaking of woodwinds they have been around for a very long time; archaeologists have dated some to be from 40,000 years ago. In that incredibly long time, we have innovated with wooden reeds and new materials to make them from.

One particularly famous Belgian clarinet and flute player decided he alone was going to invent a whole new family of woodwinds! Adolphe Sax patented multiple reed blown instruments made of conical brass in the 1840’s. Some of these early examples are not recognizable while a few became the standard saxes we see today.

Originally Adolphe created instruments in the pitches of F and C, later adopting the standard Eb and Bb that we have today. Because the saxophone is a transposing instrument, it creates a lot of confusion for beginners. If a pianist, guitarist, and bassist all sit down to play a song they can all work off the same notes and chords. If a sax player joins in, and they play the same notes, it will not sound right.

One reason this came about was to keep fingerings similar across all woodwinds. Sopranos and tenors are in Bb (an octave apart) while altos and baritones are in the key of Eb (also an octave apart). When playing with other musicians a saxophonist must have transposed sheet music. Otherwise, they will be transposing in their heads.

That way your saxophone, whether in Bb or Eb, will play in the correct key of its bandmates. Transposing instruments require a little more than a paragraph to explain, but as a beginner just keep this important fact in mind. Later you can dive a little further into it.

Saxophones initially held the interest of the classical music community and especially military bands, but then they nearly disappeared forever. Just like in modern times they had highs and lows, and it was early 20th century America that revived and reveled in the sax.

Saxophones were suited to the dynamic and technical playing of early ragtime, soon being adapted to jazz, big band, and swing. Of course, many instrument makers made improvements to Adolphe’s original design. By the 1940’s the basic styles and sizes of the saxophone had been fully formed into what we now consider to be the basics of the instrument. As a beginning player, you are likely considering one of the following sizes to play; soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone.

Soprano

While there are technically two smaller sax sizes, the smallest in common use is the soprano. It is pitched in the key of Bb, an octave higher than the tenor. It is comparable to a Bb clarinet and has a similar tone to the oboe, even occasionally used in place of one. Years ago soprano saxophones were very pricey and not mass-produced.

These days it is a lot more affordable and common to purchase. A beginning sax player shouldn’t start on soprano. This saxophone can be difficult to play properly intonated notes. Unlike many string instruments, with brass and woodwinds, we have a variety of ways to get a note to sound proper. With a soprano sax, there are multiple factors like tongue position, embouchure, and even alternate fingerings that can affect your intonation.

Alto

This is the most common size sold, they can usually range from 4-6 lbs. The alto is pitched to Eb and is a great length for an average size tween/early teenager. In school bands, there is generally a large alto section, a few tenors, and perhaps a baritone or two if lucky. One quick note about all sizes is they share the same fingering. If you can play one you know the notes on the rest (this is one reason they are pitched differently). If you are unsure what to gift a complete beginner, then the alto is usually your safest bet.

Tenor

The tenor is pitched in Bb and can weigh about 6-8 lbs., it is the second most common size in most student bands. Besides the size difference, the tenor has a curve in the neck, unlike the alto. The tenor size also uses a larger mouthpiece, reed, and ligature (altos and sopranos use the same sizes).

These all have to be larger as there is a much bigger brass conical tube on the tenor to blow the air through. If a student is a little taller than their classmates, they will often be asked to play tenor, as too many end up on the alto. Otherwise, some kids have to grow into playing this larger size saxophone. If you are wondering which common size, alto or tenor, will get you more work later, both are about the same. Perhaps choosing a tenor though will help, as there are always more alto players.

Baritone

Length is added to the baritone by not just curving the bell-like other saxes, but also curving the added neck tubing. The baritone is the most commonly used lowest-pitched sax. It is pitched to Eb and can weigh above 11 lbs., clearly not for very small people. Posture is, of course, important with any instrument but very large items like the bari sax will need extra care taken to be sure it is not creating too much strain.

In early grade school bands it is not common to see this size, often students can play it near their mid-teens. It is an essential instrument in military bands, early rock, and pop-rock as its lower register is perfect for cutting through the guitars and drums in the mix.

Other Sizes

Of course, there are more sizes than the usual four purchased above. However, these other saxes are more for novelty purposes. The sopranino and sopranissimo are very tiny and not always with practical use. The larger size saxophones are the bass, contrabass, and subcontrabass.

The bass is occasionally used in bands and orchestras, while the contrabass and subcontrabass are simply too heavy to lug about. These other sizes, especially the larger ones, are cool to hear and see, but they aren’t saxes you will ever likely be used in gigging! Obviously when too small or too big a saxophone has trouble playing clear intonated notes.

Saxophone Components

Mouthpiece, Reed, and Ligature

Beginners guide to Saxophone: Mouthpiece, Ligature, and Reed

The first and most essential part of any woodwind is the mouthpiece. On instruments like the flute, there is only the mouthpiece, but with saxophones, we need a reed and ligature to attach it. By blowing on the reed, it vibrates. And it’s those vibrations that are amplified through the rest of the sax.

Reeds are simply thin strips of material that can be made from many things, those made from metal are found in harmonicas and accordions. In woodwind instruments, we use wood reeds mostly made from cane, for saxes only a single reed is necessary. It is attached to the mouthpiece with the ligature which holds the wood reed on without ruining the vibrations. Reeds come in sizes 1-5 with 1 being the softest and 5 the hardest. For beginning saxophone players soft reeds are always the best.

Neck, Cork, Octave Key

Beginners guide to Saxophone: Neck and Cork

The necks can vary in size based on which kind of saxophone, but all the necks have a cork allowing them to be connected to the mouthpiece (using cork grease to help put it on and seal the air in). The first padded note we see on the neck is the octave key when first troubleshooting sax problems and issues it is always wise to check the octave key spring and pad first.

Body

On the main body, we have the pads, keys, key pearls, and the thumb hook to help us hold the saxophone. After the air passes through our mouthpiece and neck it is turned into specific notes with various combinations of open and closed keys. The octave key is on the body and uses a spring to open the octave on the neck. Pay attention to the springs on your sax as there will be times when they will pop loose.

It is the type of minor repair that a beginner can do once they have been shown. Another important part of the body is the neck strap ring connection, without a strap attached it will be difficult to balance and hold the saxophone. In fact, don’t try playing it without a neck strap! Get to know the body well by pressing each key and watching which mechanisms move and which tone holes open and close.

Bow

The bow connects our body to the bell. There are also a few tone holes on the bow along with key guards to protect them from damage. A bow guard covers the very bottom as the bow is one of the most common areas for damage. With a bad neck strap or carelessness, it is not hard to put a couple of large dents in the bow.

Bell

The final part of the saxophone is the bell, which also has tone holes and key guards. The other most common spot for damages is the flare of the bell, this part is often nicked, dinged, and bent. Another potential area of damage is the inside where the bow joins the body and the bell. Here corrosion can be heavy from the gross but obvious saliva running down the body of the saxophone.

Picking a Saxophone

If you have not already purchased or been gifted a saxophone then you are likely in the market for one. There are some basic rules when buying any musical instruments, and the main point they all come back to is price. The music industry is huge, it is worth billions of dollars because everyone dreams of playing music.

What this means is a lot of non-playable garbage is sold out of every major online retailer. You get what you pay for and woodwinds require a lot of care in their creation. Being cheap on a ukulele or student guitar isn’t the end of the world, but being cheap on a sax might destroy your or your child’s chances of playing. Yes, it is true, if your budget is not high enough you will get a lemon of a sax and guaranteed failure.

Budget Saxophones

If you are on a very serious budget, then below we have some of the cheaper saxes that will get a student by. Go any lower and run the risk of having an unplayable instrument.