Tell me about the Saxophone

[bluefinger]

Seriously, I'm intrigued. Any sax players here who could advise me on saxophones, best ones to start with, etc, and generally what sort of stuff I should listen to in order to get the most out of learning to play the thing. Ages ago, I apparently was shown to have talent with the sax, but since I never took it on I felt it was a missed opportunity. And since I feel like learning an instrument again, I felt I should go with something I may actually enjoy and have potential talent. Also, on a dreaming note, saxophones have been a recurring dream sign for me, of which it would always be a rusty, old looking sax which when played would have a wonderful sound to it. So tell me about the Saxophone.

[Sornaensis]

You can't play it if you have a lisp. Even a slight one.

[bluefinger]

You can't play it if you have a lisp. Even a slight one. Interesting... thankfully, I don't have a lithp... oh shi-!

[A dreamer168]

I played the alto sax for two years. PRACTICE!!!!!! I didn't do that

[skysaw]

I play a lot of instruments, and have dabbled in a lot more. Saxophone is probably one of the easier ones to learn to get a good tone on. The real secret is the reed. A good reed means a good sound (or at least a much better chance at it!)

[Bob90039]

I've played the alto sax for about 8 years now, and the best advice I could give you, is to practice fundamentals a lot. Play long tones (whole notes, slow scales, etc), focusing on tone quality! Don't just jump right into trying to play and learn songs; you could be able to play any song, but it won't sound good without nice tone quality. Even afte 8 years of playing, I still do my fundamentals all the time. I practice my scales, and constantly try to improve my tone quality. And another thing; when you play, tighten up your cheek muscles (don't let them expand when you blow). To visualize this, smile tightly, and then bring the corners of your mouth closer together, and blow. That is how your mouth should be situated when you play. That's the most accurate description I could think of. A few good sax brands you could go with are Yamaha, Selmer, and Vito. I've found that Vito has mostly introductory level saxes, intended for beginner to intermediate level users. Hope this helps!

[Bob90039]

Forgot to mention that your bottom lip should be curled over your teeth, so that when you bite down on the reed, your teeth push your lip against the reed (rather than your teeth just touching it directly. Your top front teeth, however, should be touching/biting down on the mouthpiece directly.