2/04/2013

Hints and Tips for Saxophone Buying

By Anita Hale


There are many things to consider before you start learning the saxophone. Saxophones are usually not the most economical of the woodwind family and therefore you should try to start with a saxophone that will stand the test of time.

Generally, you can get 4 standardized types of saxophone. They are soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. The soprano sax is in the key of Bb, and then the alto saxophone is one-half octave lower, in the key of Eb. Tenor saxophone is also in the key of Bb, but a full octave lower than the soprano. Finally, baritone sax is one full octave below the alto and so also in the key of Eb. The baritone saxophone is physically much larger in size, while the soprano is the smallest.

Music pupils are occasionally counselled at school to get started with the clarinet just before playing the saxophone. The clarinet features more difficult fingering and so teachers often believe that it provides a good grounding for potential saxophonists. Conversely, many believe that the saxophone is the perfect instrument when you are a newcomer to woodwind instruments because of its more gentle learning curve. The saxophone's embouchure is assumed to be rather less onerous than that of the clarinet. Embouchure denotes the way you apply your mouth to the mouthpiece to deliver notes. As this and the regular span of keys are easier to work versus the flute and clarinet, a saxophonist should be able to get a appealing sound from their horn with less effort.

The alto saxophone is considered the instrument that countless first-timers are recommended to begin with. Those starting out generally find this the easiest to generate the full range of notes from because the more extreme ranges demand more difficult breath control. In addition to this, the scale of keys is reduced on an alto and so young people should have no trouble in keeping hold of the instrument. The alto saxophone is usually the most frequently employed kind of saxophone in classical music and due to this fact there's a good deal of written music developed for alto sax readily available. This can be handy to students searching around for musical scores to learn.

The most key point to remember when buying a saxophone is that you want a model which will keep you committed to practising. This might not be the cheapest, but it's better to invest in a sax that you won't lose interest with because it's too difficult or uncomfortable to play. And as you will be parting with a lot of cash, make sure you actually get to try it out before you buy. There are plenty of online deals to be had online, but you should be able to track down any reputable brand in a shop to at least handle before buying.




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