The Steel Guitar Forum

How difficult is the saxophone to learn? Having no experience with reeds or brass instruments, just curious.

If pedal steel guitar is considered one of the hardest, for the sake of discussion, lets say 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Where would you rate the saxophone in terms of difficulty?

Most likely alto, but possibly tenor?

When I was playing Trumpet, I met with a sax friend of mine and asked him to show me the basics.

I don't know if it was my embrasure from playing the trumpet or what but for the life of me I could not get the reed to play a note. I finally gave up.

Jerry Overstreet wrote:How difficult is the saxophone to learn?

You should be able to play a scale and Tequila in about 10 minutes. There are those who say it takes a lifetime to master, but if you can play Tequila, why bother?

If you drink some tequila beforehand, that also helps in playing it.
Erv

Getting a note out of a sax is the tough part, as with all wind instruments. I have played trumpet and clarinet which use a tight embouchure and I've never taken to the sax which is slack and unnatural to me but suits others just fine. Once you've crossed that hurdle the fingering is easy.

Adolphe Sax was commissioned by the French government to design something loud, weatherproof and simple enough to be played by rank-and-file soldiers. Technically it's military equipment, although I wouldn't recommend trying to reassemble it in the dark. Apparently he never got paid.

Sax is one of the easiest wind instruments to get started on. It takes quite a while to develop good tone (sound familiar?) but you'll likely be able to play some melodies in the first week. Once you figure out where your hands go, the basic fingerings are fairly simple. More so than clarinet or other woodwinds. Your mouth muscles will get a little sore and you need to take a break if you get dizzy. If you have any specific questions, I'll be glad to help (or at least try).

I played the Eb alto clarinet for a while in high school.

Later, I switched to Bb tenor sax.

This was in the late 1960s.

I remember thinking at the time how easy it was to play that sax.

Perhaps it was just relatively easy, compared to the alto clarinet.

Thanks for your input everyone. I'm considering it. Now, finding one I can afford that is play worthy and won't fall apart in a few weeks is an issue.

Then there's things I don't know like quality but affordable reeds, mouthpiece, ligature etc.

My cousin played sax in band many years ago and I was able to borrow it and squeak out some basic sounds then, so I might be able to find something on it.

I have a flute and some whistles that are a real challenge for me and I gave away a bone I had, so these horns are not going to be for me, but maybe the sax.

I took up tenor sax for a while in the mid-70s to mid-80s. Self taught, I had no trouble getting sound out of it. (Wish I'd stuck with it! I love the instrument.) Mine was a Bundy--essentially a Selmer budget model.

A couple of times I've tried a clarinet. Could not produce ANY sound from it--not even a wheeze or squeak. Forget fingering--the embouchure and wind strength required for clarinet are daunting, to say the least. From my point of view, tenor sax is a piece of cake. And well worth it. I'd urge anyone, Go for it!

(I did have background in trombone, starting at age 6 in 1957, but I don't think that has much relevance to producing sound on a reed instrument!)

Lee, I reckon the alto is the toughest of the clarinet family. For several years I conducted a band that was the pick of the best high school players in the city, but I rarely found anyone who could handle it with conviction. The problem was that even if you mastered it, the parts written for it weren't very rewarding.

I've just realised I'm writing about alto clarinet on a steel guitar website - strange times indeed...

How hard can it be? The saxophone mechanism seems very similar to the underside of a psg.

I tried the flue in high school and got dizzy every time. String instrument for me!

When I had the flue, I got dizzy too.
Erv

There is probably a band instrument store in your area that rents instruments. Maybe a good way to try one.
I played Alto in school and in some bands. Haven't played Sax in several years though.
It is pretty easy to play but you have to toot it (like saying the number "two") rather than just blow air into it.
Maybe watch some Youtube instuctional vids.

I have a friend here who plays a tenor tuned to the key of C. He can flat do the steel guitar rag on it. He learned to play it in high school. Very good musician knows when to play. Played in my dance band was very good at it. He's like me now in 80's tough to play. Wes

Ian Rae wrote:Adolphe Sax was commissioned by the French government to design something loud, weatherproof and simple enough to be played by rank-and-file soldiers. Technically it's military equipment, although I wouldn't recommend trying to reassemble it in the dark. Apparently he never got paid.

And the earliest player were not really considered musicians and were referred to as “saxophone operators”

I played alto and tenor in elementary and junior high. I was also playing electric bass and taking up steel. The band director said “we have lots of sax players but we could use the bass if you would.” I just sorta followed the sousaphone parts and was grateful he didn’t force me on to that dreaded instrument. No sax in almost 50 years for me and never looked back.

I found sax pretty easy to blow but could only ever get a squeak out of a clarinet.

I bought a saxophone after seeing The Neville Brothers in concert. I found the fingering pretty similar to playing the recorder. Having experience playing the trumpet/cornet helped as well.
It takes a lot of work to get a good tone and I didn't have the time so sold it on.
It would be a good idea to rent one and see how you go

Do you know why Lawrence Welk got kicked off of television?

Too much sax and violins.
Erv

I found the sax was very good in a dance band especialy if he could play any songwell.Wes

Saxes come in several sizes. Easiest to start on is probably at Eb alto sax. Small size but good for learning and can be played with bands. Tenor saxes are in Bb and a bit bigger, so more work to hold while playing. Good brand names are Yamaha, Selmer, Vito, and Jupiter. There are some less expensive imported saxes that may work but I avoid most of them. The names listed above work well, can be repaired, and parts are available for them. Start with a thin reed, a number 2. As you get better, you can move up to 2 1/2 or 3.
I am a band instrument dealer in NY. Feel free to ask me any questions.

I appreciate the input. Thanks for you offer Larry. I may be in touch at some later date.

Bill Cunningham wrote:I found sax pretty easy to blow but could only ever get a squeak out of a clarinet.

Don't be fooled by the mouthpieces. They look similar but are set up quite differently. After a few years of clarinet I tried sax but could only get a squeak out of that! Sax and flute is a more natural double.

I play a Selmer tenor sax, and it is wonderful to play. With vibrato, bending notes, and growling (humming while blowing) it is a very expressive instrument. Also for visceral enjoyment it's hard to beat! By that I mean when you blow into it your diaphragm, windpipe, and mouth are actually part of the instrument and the notes you play resonate inside your body. It's cool to play different instruments - for me its PSG, fiddle and sax. And yes, it is pretty easy to learn. However, for domestic peace you might have to practice in the garage

You could start buy buying these two:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C8EkNeKJlo

Thanks Harry. Yes, I have a barn some 100 or so feet from the house. Hope that's far enough.

I haven't moved on it yet, but I've been interested for quite some time. I'm also thinking it might be helpful dealing with some respiratory ailments as well. Judging by my therapist's comments and the spirometer and other muscle training devices they have given me to help strengthen my system.

I have tried the whistles and a flute, but I'm not having much luck with those. I thought perhaps the sax would be a little more intuitive and less difficult.