Which do people play? I personally play classical, can't improvise to save my life so I steer away from jazz even though I love it.

Probably no surprise to anyone, but jazz all the way!

When I started playing sax I had a classical background from clarinet and no clear idea about what I wanted to d oon sax. I muddled along for a while, a bit of self-teaching, a few lessons, some swing band stuff. Then I moved to London and the sax lived under the bed for a couple of years while I got my life together. When it came out again I joined a group saxophone class where we did a bit of improvisation. Although I was one of the better readers in the group I felt physically sick each time I was asked to improvise. I moved on from that class and started having 1 to 1 lessons with a jazz specialist, then joined a jazz class and I've never looked back. I love improvising, it doesn't always come off but the buzz when it does is amazing.

I very occasionally (about once a year) play some classical sax, maybe sax quartet stuff. I enjoy it, it uses different skills, and getting all the parts fitting together is very satisfying, but it's not where my heart lies. I pretty much never play any solo classical sax stuff.

I know that feeling. I used to be in a big band and occasionally we'd have improvisation sessions for half of the rehearsal or something, I hated it .

Jazz!

I don't play sax (yet ) but to listen to I prefer jazz - I just don't "get" classical sax, I've yet to hear sax sounding "right" to me in that arena - I'm sure it's me not the saxes but I just don't like it much. I really don't like transcribed pieces, and thus far I'm not that keen even when something's been written for sax

Willing to be converted if anyone is able!!!

I do like listening to sax as a jazz instrument though.

I doubt anyone can convert you. People like different things, I love classical sax and don't understand why others don't like it, but that's just because we're different. If you don't like it, you don't like it. It's not the end of the world.

That's true, there's a fair amount of stuff that other people on the forum seem to love that does nothing for me at all, in fact I might even go out of my way to avoid it! I'm happy to take their word that it's good music, it's just not my taste. Not classical sax I hasten to add! I enjoy listening and playing classical sax, it's just that there's so much great jazz and so little time.

Classical - my attempts at jazz sound like a classical player trying to play jazz. Same on clarinet really. I suspect it is partly 'cos I listen to lots of classical and not much jazz.

bit like me really. I've been classically trained on flute, so it's hard to just launch in to jazz - even when it's on sax!

I enjoy jazz , it's just that I think i'm probably better at the classical stuff. My sister has a real knack for it (Jazz) - so jeleous .

I'd agree with you all - maybe in differing amounts... maybe because I don't do either to a very high level

there's no doubt that the sax is often seen as a jazz instrument and of course yeah.. it's great for that.
But for me, it's a very versatile instrument that can play almost anything.
One piece in one of my grade exams that I thought just 'worked' was a piece of Bach... and the sax works (for me) in ensemble playing.

In good hands (no comment on any of you posters) it is simply good at most things.
My feeling anyway

I do like Jazz but for me Classical Sax is the best! I too can't improv at all so I guess if I ever wanted to play Jazz I'd have to spend alot of time working on that.

I'm a fully paid up member of the classical club who rarely listens to jazz. It was never listens to jazz until I found a Benny Gooman CD at my parents. He was pretty good at it!

I like both classical and jazz playing on sax equally!

I play a lot of jazz. But then I don't have that much sax music... I like classical sax too though, from what I have heard. In one of my books there is an Israeli piece and I think the sax really suits that kind of music.

I can easily imagine the sax playing Israeli or Klezmer style music

Check out www.balkanatics.co.uk - not klezmer music, but definitely some similarities.

Classical most of the time - I dont know why, but my teacher taught me classical from the beginning when I started at 13 and I've never really explored except with pupils who now want to learn to improvise

I dont play the sax, but i enjoy jazz more its funner and brighter! im great terrible at improvising though

with your lessons, you should get better at it improvising.

xxx