How Easy Would I Take To Playing Tenor Sax?, I've played clarinet for around 20 years....... Options

[hammer action]

I fancy learning Sax as i've played clarinet for many years now. A friend told me that i should try Tenor as the fingering is quite similar. Is this true? Can anyone give me some advice please and anything that i should be looking out for? Thanks in advance (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sbhoa]

I don't know about the ease or difficulty of adding sax after playing clarinet but I'd be wary about fingering comparisons.
I think it's best to treat it as a different instrument as far as possible from the start.

[kingsley13]

I took up the tenor sax last summer after having played the clarinet for five years and done grade 8. There are differences, and I sometimes find it hard to switch between the two one after the other, but the general playing is the same. The fingering is the same as the clarion register on the clarinet, and is the same for all types of sax, so you could probably easily take up any type of sax. I think the mouth position on the tenor is more similar to the clarinet than the alto is, but again, it is different and takes some getting used to. I find the tenor has a good range too. It can go quite low, but also high, where the alto sax sounds a bit shrill at the top of its range.

Another thing to bear in mind, lots of people play the alto sax, whereas fewer people play tenor. This is one of the reasons I took up the tenor, as I was more likely to be wanted for things like jazz band at school, because ther's only two of us.

It's quite common for clarinet players to take up the sax, lots of people at school have done it, so I'm sure you'd enjoy it!

[barry-clari]

I don't know about the ease or difficulty of adding sax after playing clarinet but I'd be wary about fingering comparisons.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) - yes, there are similarities between the sax fingering and the clarion register of the clarinet (all saxophones share the same fingerings), but be careful about making too many comparisons.

There is plenty you'll probably pick up quickly, but there are aspects which are very different (embouchure is different, and the lower end is rather more tricky on sax as compared to clari, to name but two). However, the saxophone is a fun instrument to play, and I'm sure you'll be getting some good sounds fairly quickly, if you put the practice in. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[TSax]

Another thing to bear in mind, lots of people play the alto sax, whereas fewer people play tenor. This is one of the reasons I took up the tenor, as I was more likely to be wanted for things like jazz band at school, because ther's only two of us.

Depends on your age and the type of playing you do. For adult amateur jazz sax players there tend to be a lot more tenor players than alto. The younger and more classical based you are the higher the likelihood of alto being more prevalent.

Tenor has the same fingerings as alto which both have similarities to clarinet but tenor is in the same key (Bb) as clarinet whereas alto is in Eb. This is an advantage if you're going to do much in the way of transposition because you''ll be used to doing it anyway, or if you're a jazzer and you've already learnt tunes in Bb the chords/notes will be the same. It could be an advantage if you've got clarinet music you'd like to play on sax because it won't need transposing, but the different ranges may well be a problem.

The best piece of advice I can give you is don't treat it as a big metal clarinet. You can make an OK sound over some of the range if you do that, you'll only make a good sound over the full range by treating it as a different instrument and learning sax-specific techniques. I found this out by playing tenor sax as a big metal clarinet for a number of years before discovering the difference playing it as a sax made.

[stevensfo]

I was just about to reply, then realised that TSax had said everything I was going to say!

After the clarinet, the sax will seem incredibly easy, and having a conical bore, the fingerings are basically the same as recorder, flute etc... ie the 2nd register of the clarinet.

Obviously, first impressions can be deceptive, and despite the initial feelings of euphoria, it will demand the same levels of commitment to do it justice.

I tried the alto for a while but to be honest, I've had so many headaches with arranging music that I think all instruments in Eb should be illegal! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

My sax is now somewhere else - lent to somebody who wants to 'try'. In the future I'd like to get a tenor sax. Our eldest son plays the trumpet so we're definitely a Bb household! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)


Steve