Trumpet to Saxophone??

[trumpetramen]

So I've played trumpet for the past 5 years; and I have always wanted to learn to play the sax. My band director has a school sax she's going to teach me on- I start learning after the Christmas concert on the 15th.

What are some things I should know about the saxophone before starting to play? I'm not sure if it's alto or tenor, so tips for either would be appreciated.

[zirbo]

Whoo you're about to enter the amazing sax realm! Ok let's see....
I think the biggest thing is make sure that your embouchure is correct when starting. Trust me, you don't want to have to correct a bad habit. I've been playing with a bad embouchure for 5 years, and I'm working on fixing it and it's so hard to break a 5 year habit.

Also don't get into the mentality that a harder reed is better. It's not true!

Alto and tenor are pretty similar, fingerings are all the same. alto's in Eb, tenor's in Bb. I think tenor might be a bit more resistant, but I'm not entirely sure since I've only heard that, never actually played tenor before.

Oh and the most important thing is to make sure the sax you're going to be playing is in good condition. Never a good thing to start playing with a sax that has a bunch of leaks.

Whee! Have fun! Sax is amazing

[Deleted]

Brass switching to woodwinds...what is this world coming to?

[altoclarinets]

^a passable end. There's still the whole nobama thing to worry about but at least that's right with the world.

[bluescalesdragon]

For reeds: Use Rico size 2.5s. They're the best for beginners.

Remember to use your tongue. There's nothing worse than a sax player who just honks with his throat.

Adjust the neckstrap so that you don't have to lift your chin up to get your mouth on the mouthpiece. It's also bad if you have to reach down to get the mouthpiece either. You may have to fiddle with your neckstrap for awhile to get it perfect, depending on how hard it is to adjust.

Oscar: Saxophone can be viewed as a bridge between brass and woodwinds. You can almost always hear saxophones in a marching band, as they are capable of being VERY VERY LOUD. just like the brass. Just ask my bd. As a tenor saxophonist by concert and jazz season and a trombonist by marching band season, I know these things.

[bisaxual]

when you are playing remember to keep your cheeks stiff

[nphsdm]

Resistance is based on Reed size, from what I've experinced. I play on a vandoren zz 4 on my Tenor Sax in Jazz band... I've played on my friend's Bari sax who plays uses a size 3 reed and there is almost no resistance at all... and I've played on a alto with a 2 1/2 reed with even less resistance.

When you get a new reed, make sure to soak it for a little bit first. Some people think that you have to soak it for at least a couple of hours before playing a new reed... others think that soaking it for 5 mins before playing a new reed is fine. Really, It's up to what you think.

The care of your reed is the most important thing!

Make sure that you soak it a little bit before playing under some water... you can just use spit but I always find it easier to take the time to soak it for a little bit. After you're done playing, you might want to rinse it off from the faucet and then get a paper towel and a FLAT surface and press the water out of the end to keep it straight and don't put it away until after it's dry... you want to keep it straight as possible.

You might also want to switch reeds every other day when you play... so have at least two reeds prepared for playing.

A mouthpeice is the instrument to a brass as a Reed is the instrument (in a sense) to a woodwind (except flute) It makes playing so much easier if the reed is taken care of properly.

[Duel of the Flutes]

Another piece advice regarding reeds: the hardness/reed size relationship tends to change between different brands of reeds, and even between different types of reeds that the companies offer. For example, traditional Vandoren 2s will tend to run slightly harder than a Rico or La Voz 2, and Vandoren JAVA's tend to run slightly softer than the traditional ones. (or at least, this is what I've found) So don't expect to buy your size reed in a different brand and have it work the same way. And also, as someone here already stated, harder reeds are not necessarily better! I used to play on a Vandoren 4 traditional "back in the day" (in middle school, when I played a LOT more than I do now), but now I play on Vandoren JAVA 3.5s... softer, but they work better for me. Don't feel like your reed size is relevant to your playing ability, because it's not!