I am quite interested in playing the soprano saxophone, partly because our band is now playing a piece w/ a soprano in it and also because I have kind of wanted to dabble a bit in another sax. I have played the alto for about 6 years now, and I will admit that I play the alto fairly well. My only question is, if I were to play the soprano, would it be like learning how to play a new instrument from the beginning? Or would I be able to play the soprano close to the level at which I play the alto right now? (obviously not as good because of the intonation issues, etc. that I have heard of that comes with playing the soprano)
Any information about playing the soprano (from alto) would be helpful too! Thanks!!

Intonation is the biggest chanllenge when it comes to soprano, but like the whole saxophone family you have to spend time on each individual horn. Practice with a tuner and find out which notes are sharp or flat. You have been playing for six years so you should be able to identify them by playing octaves also. Some may disagree with me, but learning soprano is the same as learning any of the other saxes. Another difference that you may encounter is that you may have exhale before taking a breath, which is also common for oboe players. The conical bore is just to small to accomodate the support we need to get a good tone out of the sax.

Good luck w/soprano
CJ