The Fingering Forum
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Author: David
Date: 2001-12-22 19:22
I'm an adult and want to take up the saxophone. I'm trying to decide if I should learn on an alto or tenor. Any suggestions.
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Author: Ken
Date: 2001-12-22 19:28
Personally, I think you should start on alto because to me it is a little easier, but it is your choice. The advantage about playing any saxophone is that no matter the size the fingerings are all exactly the same so you can switch instruments very easily. Once you learn alto, you pick tenor up easily. The only thing you would have to worry about is that on tenor, your embouchure (the way you place your mouth on the mouthpiece) must be looser than on alto. A lot of beginning students start on alto though.
Have fun
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Author: Sax Appeal
Date: 2001-12-24 00:25
Id definately start on alto. Id move to tenor once I got the basics down, but the alto is far easier to start with.
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Author: Josie
Date: 2001-12-25 22:17
Hey, just thought I'd contradict what these guys are saying, I started on soprano, then went to tenor (tho I play clarinet already) then to alto, and having played the extremes I think alto is far easier to pick up... I think it's harder to go from alto to tenor as you have to relax more.... But I'm 17 so I'm not an adult and can't speak from that perspective!! I don't really think it matters, if you want to learn you'll learn, I know most people start on alto. I mean, I started on soprano two years ago and now i'm grade 8 in all of them, but starting with soprano was tough but the others were easier which was a relief! Umm, I doubt this has been of any help, but I'm bored. All the saxes are fun!!!!! Good luck! Josie :-)
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Author: claudio
Date: 2001-12-27 11:21
definately alto coz i do. Nah i don't know whatever u like. Tenor is more used in jazzy things and alto in both but also has some classical peices writted for it too. i chose it becoz i thought it had more melody parts but now i like it also becoz it can go low and also very high by using this special technique using unconventional fingerings. there's also some really good peices written for the alto eg. second theme by bizet
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Author: claudio
Date: 2001-12-27 11:28
hmm i just read what everyone just wrote and i think u meant to play either one or the other. i think all the saxes r all equally hard and for the tenor i think it is just a matter of blowing harder and stuff. But this thing that they're saying is that playing the tenor is like the next step from the alto as if it were a lead up instrument but i don't think so.
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Author: saxy boy
Date: 2001-12-29 19:26
I myself started on Tenor, and i found it easier to switch from saxophone to saxophone, because with alto, you're used to playing with a tighter embouchure, so if you tried to switch to say, a bari sax, you might have trouble. Basically what i'm saying, is that if you start on tenor, it gives you a better perspective on what your embouchure is. But really, it doesn't matter, whatever you feel like.
Saxy Boy
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Author: Aye P. Freely
Date: 2002-02-26 23:59
By now it's likely that you have already gotten your alto/tenor sax and you aren't even checking this site anymore, but i would like to give my opinion anyway. I started playing tenor in grd. 7 and i found it really hard at first.I'm in 9 now and I'm glad that I never gave up or stopped practising. It doesn't really matter which one you choose, because once you get good at it, you will want to play them all anyways. Just don't give up.
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Author: Beginer Sax
Date: 2002-03-23 08:13
Right now i'm 15 and i started playing the tennor first and found it a little bit harder than the alto. one reason is that the tennor you need a lighter ambechour(how ever you spell it) than the alto. it just depends on what kind of challenge you want. if you want a harder challenge, pick the tennor, if you want a little bit easier challenge pick the alto.
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Author: maggie
Date: 2002-04-21 15:59
hey. i think you might be better off starting with the alto. as most people i am sure have told you, it is much easier than tenor. well, good luck playing!
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Author: sax moy
Date: 2002-10-30 00:07
I think you might be better off starting with tenor is very easier.
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