General Information On Saxophones
Different
Types of Saxophone. The most common saxophones are the Soprano, Alto,
Tenor and Baritone.
The small Soprano has a
lovely tone and is considered fairly specialised. It is usually straight
looking like a metal clarinet, but sometimes curved in traditional
saxophone style. It is unusual to start on Soprano as the
small mouthpiece and difficult tuning can make life hard when you first
start playing.
Youtube video of Kenny G on soprano sax.
Click to hear some soprano sax (from Perfect Day
by Lou Reed)
Click to hear some soprano sax (from Englishman
in New York by Sting)
The Alto is the most
popular saxophone for beginners. It is slightly smaller than the tenor
and looks and sounds as you expect a saxophone to. Compared with the
tenor it is lighter, slightly quieter, takes less puff, less finger
stretching and cheaper to buy or rent. Many people start on alto
expecting it to be a stepping stone on to tenor at a later date. This is
sensible as the fingering for all saxophones is basically the same.
However most of these people never sell their alto once they realise the
tremendous versatility of the instrument.
Youtube video of David Sanborn on alto sax.
The Tenor has a great
sound. It's widely used in rock, pop and jazz music. If it’s a tenor sax
that you really want, then go for it! Enthusiasm is so important. It's
fine to start on tenor from the beginning as it's really just a bigger
alto and it's generally as easy for an adult to start on tenor as it is
for a child to start on alto.
Youtube video of Snake Davis on tenor sax.
.........and something a little more rowdy from Clarence Clemmins on the
Tenor Sax
Click to hear some tenor sax (from The Pink
Panther Theme)
Click to hear some tenor sax (from Your Latest Trick
by Dire Straits)
Someone once described playing
the Baritone as like blowing through your central heating system!
It is a very large instrument with a wonderful deep tone but definitely
not a beginners instrument. Also described by Jools Holland as being
the sexiest sound in the world! The cheapest baritones cost in excess of
£1,500 so start saving.
Youtube video of Andy Findon on baritone sax.
Click to hear some great baritone (from Moanin' by
Charlie Mingus)
Different
Makes of Saxophone (new & used)
Over the years there have been countless different makes of saxophone.
Selmer (Paris) instruments are still regarded as one of the best and can
cost thousands of pounds. Leading makes costing in excess of one
thousand pounds such as Yamaha and Yanagisawa come from Japan,
P.Mauriat from Taiwan, Rampone & Cazzani from Italy, Keilwerth from
Germany and Selmer from France with Eastern Europe and the Far East
producing the cheaper saxophones. Unfortunately some of the cheaper
instruments are very poor and make the beginners life very difficult.
However there are some excellent value for money instruments produced in
Taiwan these days and most independent teachers will recommend these to
start on. Prices for these instruments generally range from £500-£1000.
Many, such as Trevor James, Sakkusu, Artemis, Earlham, Elkhart, Evette &
Jupiter are made to a high standard specially for European companies.
Can a sax be too cheap?
YES!!!
If you're
about to buy your first sax then please read this article.
Then come back here to continue on the sax trail.
Good second hand saxes hold
their prices exceptionally well and there is always a healthy demand.
Typical depreciation is around 20% from new and there is rarely anything
worth buying under £350 unless it is battered and bruised. If you are a
novice we do not recommend buying second hand unless you have expert
advice or buy from a recognised dealer.
Mouthpieces
It is so important to have a good mouthpiece and these can cost
hundreds of pounds. It is the interface between you and your instrument
and they vary enormously. A poor mouthpiece can render an adequate
instrument unplayable and a high grade mouthpiece can make a huge
difference to tone and ease of playing. Consequently we supply
recognised good quality mouthpieces with all of our outfits.
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