Hey, I`m learning alto sax, I`ve only been playing like 3 months and I`m a sophmore in HS, and I realized that most of the musicians I listen to are tenors (i.e. John Coltrane-Love him, and others) So now I`m torn. Do I continue to learn alto and march it junior and senior year and then switch over or do I stop in the middle of the learning process and pick up a different instrument? I mean I`m not even sure what the difference between them is except one is lower. Please Help.

(P.S. I alo have another topic about learing sax, please respond to that one 2 )

The only difference is the key of the instrument. All the other aspects of playing are the same, fingerings and such. You will have to regulate embouchure and amount of air depending on horn. In high school I played tenor, in concert alto, in jazz and marched with the baritone. I need 2 horns a c melody and a bass sax and I will have one of each for my collection. I try and play a different horn every day so I keep my skills on each sharpened. Good Luck

I am in middle school and I`m taking tenor sax lessons online, but no websites have the fingerings for notes. Help if you can.
K.W

Fingering guide
http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/sax/sax_bas_1.html

If there are some empty squares where the fingering is just hit the reload button.

I`m taking tenor saxophone as one of my high school courses, and I really like it so far. If I was to buy a saxophone, which would be a better pick, tenor or alto? I think I like the sound of tenor a bit better, but the only problem is my music teacher says that tenor hardly ever gets melodies, and alto would be a better way to go. I need some opinions please! If I was to get a tenor, would there be a lot of music that I can play on it? Please reply!

Hey,

I am a beginner to music. I have always had a passion for Sax and do not know which to go with. Alto or Tenor. And is there anyway to get a Sax at around 2-3 hundred dollars.

Thanks for all the help.

Never give up and Never Surrender.

of course, im a tenor player, and u don`t always get melodies, but when u do, they usually rock. plus, there are less ppl who play tenors, so if u tried out 4 all district or something like that, u`d have a better chance of getting in. and they do have a prettier sound, in my opinion. if u need an idea of what it`s like, u usually play the same part as the trombones or some parts w/ clarinets.

naturally, i think u should go w/ tenor. u may not always get the melody, but i don`t like how altos sound. and ebay is a great place 2 find saxes. but make sure to email the person for further details-a picture isn`t always worth a thousand words. u can`t really tell from a pic how the sax will play. i saw 1 a couple of days ago on ebay for 350-i dunno if that`s right 4 u or not. it was a tenor!

u can go to this site 4 fingerings:

www.jamesriverband.com

Yeah Okay. There is NO WAY you can get a sax in $200 to $300 price range! Unless it`s very old and ugly and doesn`t work AT ALL! Other than that your screwed! If you do find one Tell me so I can get it first!

I play the alto, but I think tenor has a deeper, richer sound.

There are many good alto players. I don`t think one should switch instruments that they play just because they want to play what their famous composer plays. I mean I play alto and I Like Chris Botti(who plays the trumpet). But if you really feel the need to play the same instrument, then try playing both! It`s fun. I can play the clarinet!

i agree w/ the one before me. that`s what music is all about-being yourself. don`t try 2 b someone else, just do which ever one u like the best.

This year (sophmore in HS) I changed from alto sax to tenor. It was different because alto is in the key of E flat and tenor is in B flat. So when you play a concert scale the starting note and the number of flats/sharps will change. The fingerings are the same for the all saxophones. You do need more air and in all honestly the tenor is rough on your neck, back and shoulder. The mouthpiece is also big on tenor so it may be easier for you, but get low notes out may be a challenge. I mainly went for tenor because I loved the sound compared to the higher pitch alto.