Hi!! I'm new to the forum. My first instrument is the trumpet,(for 2 yrs.) but i found it hard to play ( My hernia recurred because I had done a heavy exercise. My body resistance is very weak, and i can feel some tightness/heaviness in some of my fingers- especially Right little fngr(5th), and the 4th.
Planning to undergo repeat surgery, have lot of rests, to take Vit.B complex(to relieve fingr tightness), i'm considering returning to d band and choosing to study one fr. d three--alto or tenorsax, or the flute.
Please give me some comparisons of the three, so that I could choose one to play. to me ease of playing is more important to reduce risk of hernia to recurr.
For exmple,1)tenor parts usually requires fewer notes than alto but i'm not sure if tenor requires heavy blow and pressure(bec. it has larger size). 2) which of the three, naturally, has lesser resistance. (I borrow my friends flute- easier than trumpet).
thanks to all

All I can give you is my personal experience, so take it as you will.

I played clarinet first, which (to me) has more complex fingering than flute or saxophone. But then you sound intelligent enough to me, so if you were to consider clarinet, you shouldn't have a problem.

When I took up alto sax, I found the blowing and the fingering easier. I didn't feel as though I were trying to blow up a fully inflated balloon all the time. It's almost as though the sax does half the work for you. In terms of blowing, I found little difference when I moved up to tenor. Both tenor and alto are big instruments to handle, though. OK for me, 'cause I'm well-built, but it could be difficult for someone smaller. A tenor in its case is no small package. Mind you, we have a seventy-two year old baritone player who's had a hernia op, and it doesn't seem to be stopping him.

To the flute. Obviously much easier to handle. I used to know one chap who turned up for rehearsal on his motorbike, flute packed in the tank bag. I've never found blowing one to be a problem, although you have to develop and strengthen the embouchure as you would any wind instrument. But it played hell with my shoulders and in the end I decided to give it a miss. I also know someone who's played the flute for many years but has now developed an arthritic condition in her shoulders and has had to give up because it's do painful.

So ... there's my two penn'orth.

what u said are interesting.

First of all, welcome to our wonderful forum!!

I'd have to say alto because 1)you don't have to use that much air and 2) most people start out on the alto when choosing a sax. The tenor's great, too, though. It just depends on whether you like playing low or high.

As to the flute, I'm not really sure. Most people usually say "I play the flute but I want to switch to the sax" or vice-versa. Basicallly, I can't help you with the whole "flute vs. sax" thing because I can only play 4 notes on the flute (I was at a friend's house...).

Anywho, keep asking around...

Good luck!!

Alto and tenor arent too much different, alto gets slightly more difficult parts, tenors harder to get air through. The fingerings for all of the saxes are the same, and even the flute has similar fingerings. The flute reqires better technique because in the higher register the fingerings differ very much, but air is pretty simple on flute.

Hope I was helpful.

Good luck!!

I really dont know about the flute but alto is really easy compared to tenor. the parts tend to be a little different depending the style of music but alto takes A LOT less air.

Is it just me or are you guys getting the urge to argue about the alto and tenor saxes??

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WOO HOO!! That's my 600th post!!

Yah.... post ur 601st-1Mth now,..blow ur saxes let me know ur opinions ha ha!

iWhat i mean when i say less resistance is that the instrument will produce sound without too much effort. d tenor with more air but less pressure(more pressure makes tendency to erroneously push down the diaphragm-i might get hernia again)(correct me if i'm wrong), i'm glad to hear that-it's second from flute (for requiring less pressure).
i worry about the flute for the too many notes content of most pieces(i want to consider my fingers also.). Maybe the alto requires tight embouchure( as others say).
in this case i like to favor the tenor. then i hope i may have much rests to make my body stronger.

Hi guys.
I got an idea. considering my case please give pros and cons about my alternative choice. i'm thinking, how about the bass clarinet. maybe there will be no worries about playing it. i think the embouchure is not too different fr. saxes. the notation are sure to be cool. maybe it need an easy blow.

are the pieces for the bass clar. very rare? then, i think i may read the pieces for the bass(marches,overture, any others??) but need to transpose it(our conductor is not very strict, may not be against this). What are ur comments/opinions on these ideas. thanks to all

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hey guys i forgot to say i'm MAKISIG (the one who posted the orig inquiry or message/ this topic). ALLENSKY AND MAKISIG are my names. i mistakenly used my other name(allensky).

There are no entry-level bass clarinets. There are no deals on used ones either. The bottom rung of the bass clarinet market is an instrument fit for professional use. There are used ones for sale, mind you. However, they will need so much skilled labor to bring them into playing condition that you would be better off buying a new one with a warranty.

You will find the same is true for bassoons, oboes, and English horns too. Set a budget of $1,500 USD if you’re looking for one that is playable and that figure goes up to $6,500 pretty quickly.

in case you couldn't tell, us saxophonists don't really like being told that saxophone is easiest to play

MICRON, pls give me some websites/articles that also explain what you said. maybe a little harder to play(2nd octave)??? do u mean more difficult than saxes??
does the simpler mechanism makes the entry levl bassclar so very unpopular??


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KLEZMERSAX, why ??

try alto sax
i play tenor + is much heavier
i also play flute + sometimes embrochure gets funny
however flute is lighter than tenor
dno about alto
and is near enough the same fingering

depends, alto is easier in normal stuff.
But then the tenor is easier in altisimo.

And i have never played flute.

Alto easiest for normal stuff -.