Tenor is better. I play alto in Jazz because my teacher wont let play me my tenor.

I used to regret not playing the tenor. I used to listen to my mates play the tenor and thin `wow, i wish i could get that sound out of my alto!` I would listen to coltrane and sanders and almost cry. But now I realise, that the alto surpasses the tenor in all ways, in terms of jazz. People talk about the tenor having a beautiful, mellow sound sometimes, and then growls and screams at others. You want a diverse instrument? Try the alto. All you have to do is invest a bit of time and cash into finding the right reeds and mouthpieces and ligatures that suits the kind of jazz you want to play. The jazz alto saxophone cannot be surpassed by any other. Also, the fact that there are less alto players than tenor players means that u will get more gigs....a good pro of having an alto sax! Mate, i would GO THE ALTO!!!

Hello all! I am almost 18 years old and have been playing the sax for 10 years (bari, tenor, alto, and soprano). I have been playing jazz for bout 8 of those years, so I am well versed in jazz playing. I recommend going to www.jazzbooks.com. This is Jamie Aebersold`s website. Jamie Aebersold is a Jazz God. From this website, you can get free jazz material that will help with jazz playing and improvising. Keep asking the questions and I will answer as many as I can to the best of my knowledge. :-) Keep on playin`!

In terms of what instrument to play, it all depends on the player and how you feel playing different instruments. I have tried all the main saxes, and I do agree that I enjoy the tone of the tenor the best for jazz. I currently am going to major in jazz music performance on my alto because although I like the tone of the tenor the best, I just love my alto. I have a Yamaha YAS-62 with a Autolink metal jazz mouthpiece and I just LOVE it. But I reccomend trying different saxes along with different mouthpieces and reeds and choosing the one that fits you best.

i personaly play the alto and have never tried the others bt according to others the alto is much easier to play and usually gets more afa tune in orhestras rather than (exept soprano) the others usually just get a back c,d,e,c,d,e,c,d,e ect.
i would definetly chhose ALTO

I belive that the tenor is better for improv a nd that the alto is mopre for the melody in stead of inprov.

not true god

The soprano! It sounds incredible, when you learn how to play it! It`s the dolphin instrument. Check out Blu Mankuma1s improvisations on the soundrack of "whale music".
It can even make a mosquito-like sounds on the higher scale. It`s awesome!

It all depends on what type of jazz u wanna play really. Alto is awfull for slow sexy jazz because it screaches too much. But if u wanna play fast up tempo Jazz then u could get away with an alto cos it is easier to play. Nevertheless, Tenor is the standard jazz sax. Just look at the greats;- Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, John Coltrane need i go on?

i want to play the tenor sax because i like the lower pitch but i find it more relaxing and i think thats what i want to play the sax for, but i dont know where to start! did you all buy saxs when you starting learning? or did you all hire one?

It really depends what kind of jazz you want to play, if you want it to be a slower pace almost like a blues then go for the tenor, if you want a high pitched lots of excitement then go with the alto... but it doesn`t really matter not to mention once you know how to play one you can basically play the other...

if i were you i`d stick with alto for awhile, once you get the hang of playing jazz on alto you should try out the tenor, soprano, and baritone. alto is the easiest to play though. i play it and i think it`s good for jazz. listen to some jazz and see which sound you like the best and go for that one.

Just to let you know.... I consider myself a talented Sax player (all of them)... played since 5th grade... I now have 11 years experience... jazz ensembles, marching bands (including the Pride of West Virginia, the mountaineer marching band), and rock bands... it depends on what KIND of jazz you want to play. Blues is definately more tenor sax (deeper, more soulful sound). The alto is for a more touchy, clear, precise sound used for modern, fast jazz/rock scores.

yeah, soprano is awesome because kenny G plays it*


*sarcasm*

What is wrong with Kenny G? I havent really listened to his music, and i dont plan to. I was wondering why people dont like him...please respond

Thanks