I thought it would be really good to have a sax-chat thread like the oboes have - I'm fairly new to the instrument having started just under a year ago and need re-motivating!
Has anyone got fun repertoire suggestions?
Who is taking an exam this term?

Doing grade 8 this term! Practise and lessons are going well so far! But then I haven't started on the aural tests yet!

Fairly new to the instrument - started just under a year ago - and already G7 distinction???? WOW!!!!


Ooops nearly forgot to say ..... I'm pretty much self taught on sax. Had the odd lesson here and there ... but mainly taught mself.

Played a lot in bands through my childhood and uni time - when it was nigh on impossible to get in on clarinet.

Played very little over the last year but am possibly around G5 level on sax , maybe 6 I really don't know but was playing some music described as suitable for a player of around G6 standard so I'm guessing....

I really should get myself reacquainted with it.

In fairness, the fingerings for flute and sax are almost identical
I kept on thinking I wanted to do my grade 8 but I need to get re-motivated first!!

I started learning on tenor in October. I want to play jazz and I'm working my way through James Rae's Progressive Jazz Studies and have just started using Bob Mintzer's 15 Easy Jazz Etudes. I don't have any plans to do exams and don't know what level I am but I think I'm starting to sound like someone who is beginning to know what they are doing with it, as opposed to someone who's just decided to pick up a sax and have a go on it!

Out of interest, are we all tenor players here so far?

No I'm an alto player. I'd love to have a go at tenor actually - but it seems massive!

Mine's a tenor.

And I think alto seems small!

After clarinet, even the alto looked massive to me - I went for the tenor because I just love the sound of those low notes. I'm quite small and have small hands but feel quite comfortable with it now. I had a harness to begin with but have just got a lovely new leather neckstrap and it's fine. My teacher said that my sax is also quite heavy but it hasn't caused me any problems so far.

The biggest difficulty I've had so far has been in relaxing my embouchure enough to sound the low notes properly - bit of a challenge after clarinet! A more open mouthpiece (David Hite Premiere) and lots of practise has helped me, though!





I was thinking the same thing when I was at band with it on Saturday morning!

You both need to try Bari

Emsoboe has Alto, Tenor and Baritone and maybe there might be a Sop waiting in the wings for her birthday

At the moment she is playing Alto and Bari regularly, there will be more opportunity to play Tenor when she goes to college next year.

I had a go on the one at school once, but it was too hard! I'll stick to tenor I think!

The most difficult thing is transporting it and getting lots of funny stares when you have to pull it along behind you (usually me ).

Us mums get all the best jobs, don't we?!!

This made me laugh.

About six months ago I was picking my eldest daughter up from her cello lesson. One of the teachers in the school, who knew I played the oboe, saw me with it and said "I didn't know you played the cello as well." To which I replied "I don't, it's my daughter's." At which point he turned to my daughter and said "Why is your mother carrying your cello" and she replied "Because I'm little." This was certainly true when she first started but she is now taller than me

A couple of wise crackers have even asked "if we have a new pet" I was moaning one time before a concert about having to wheel Bari from the carpark to the venue (through a shopping centre). The colleague I was speaking to thought it was a disabled person I was chauffering

Knew we should have gone for Sop in the first place, trouble was no one wanted Bari and it was the only way daughter could stay in the senior sax ensemble. 4 years on she's still there playing Bari. I'm dreading the next concert and I don't know the venue yet.

I wasn't going to share this but.... My daughter's head of year asked her a few years ago, when she was allowed to perform at school events, "is that a Bass Trombone"? The head of school wanted to know "is it heavy"?

The alto is big enough for me!

I've been playing it for about 5 months now and loving it (adult learner).

Sorry Disclaimer ahead of post but I couldn't resist ....



"The size doesn't matter .... It's what you can do with it that counts ......"

Alto here - started 2 years ago (only previous experience was piano as a child) and am currently playing pieces around Gr 5 / 6 level. Did Grade 3 classical in autumn 2009 and Grade 1 jazz summer 2010: I enjoyed the jazz but am probably more drawn to classical.

Have so far resisted the temptation to try other members of the sax family, but if I were to weaken, I'd probably like to have a go at bari, or possibly tenor. Never felt that tempted by soprano, though the portability is in its favour: easier to stick in the luggage when going on holiday

Yey to having a sax thread!!!!!

Although I play Clarinet and flute (and am self learning piano) I consider saxophones to be my 'main'.

I play Alto and soprano, and own a sopraNINO (tiny little squarky thing that you not so much play but grapple!

I adore the soprano, I just find I can best 'say' what i'm intending, although the alto is very close on its heels!

I do have to play tenor occasionally in the saxophone ensemble, but I don't own one, I have my own mouthpiece set up!

We have a bass sax and a Tubax in our group which are more like heavy artillery than instruments really.....

I've been playing saxophone for 13 years and am working on some LRSM Diploma pieces and Piazzollas Tango etudes at the moment.

I play tenor mostly, and occasionally alto. I play almost exclusively jazz, although my original musical training was classical (via clarinet). To begin with improvisation was super scary, but now I can't feel help feeling cheated if I'm playing something and all I have to do is play what's written. I knew I'd really "switched over" when I was depping in a big band and there was a tenor solo written out - I ended up thinking "there's no way I can sight read that" and improvised the solo instead!

I've never done any exams on sax, partly because I'm sceptical at how well the preparation for the jazz exams helps you to become a better jazz player. My feeling is that if your ultimate aim is to be a decent jazz player there are more effective ways of using practice and lesson time then preparing for exams. Having said that I have had a look at the various syllabi and I can make a decent stab at several pieces on the Trinity grade 8 syllabus.

I don't think I tend to work on pieces in the same way as classical musicians - the "head" of many jazz standards is often quite simple, but I work on various techniques with the aim of incorporating them into my playing. I do a jazz workshop every Saturday which seems to have settled into a nice stable group of 8 people (4 rhythm, 4 horns) and for the last year or so we've been playing occasional gigs at the local pub. I'm obsessed with "sound" and a good part of each practice session is spent on exercises designed to maintain and improve the sound I make from the instrument. As a jazz soloist I think you can play something very simple, and if you have a great sound it will sound great. I'm pleased that the feedback I've been getting from people who've heard me play recently is that the work is beginning to pay off.

I don't know if it's possible to quote a signature but I would say that TSax's sums up my aims on sax pretty well! I seem to think it's a quote but can't remember where I've heard it...

I have a very clear idea of what I want to do with both my sax playing and my clarinet playing. Until I took up sax, I enjoyed playing classical and jazz (and everything in between!) on my clarinet. Now that I have the sax, I know that (for me) it's for jazz and I think that inevitably, I will concentrate on classical on my clari. I'm equally serious about both instruments and know that I have a lot of work ahead of me on them. I would love to be able to switch reliably from one to the other and maintain a good sound on each - I think that is my ultimate goal!

I joined my local music centre band last autumn and took up sax to play in the swing band (I play my clarinet in the concert band). In my teens, I always wanted to learn tenor sax but obviously they are expensive instruments and I was encouraged to go for alto because of my (small and even smaller then!) size. I wasn't drawn to alto in the way that I am to tenor so I stayed with clarinet. However, here I am twenty five years later, learning tenor and loving it!

It's paraphrasing sax supremo Alan Barnes, one of my saxophone heros, and a lovely guy too. Equally adept with clarinet.

Something else I'd add for those of you who are earlier on on your journey (actually for everyone), is if you get the chance to attend a course, workshop etc by one of the top names in the saxophone world then make every effort to attend. I've been lucky enough to attend courses and have lessons from both Alan and Rob Buckland, both very different players but both quite brilliant and very good teachers. I've learnt a huge amount from them. My regular teacher knows both of them, has a lot of respect for them and encourages me to learn from them, although was slightly miffed when Alan claimed that the improvement in my playing was "down to all that stuff I taught you last year"! Another of Alan's quotes I remind myself of when I'm getting bogged down with my playing is "Will you stop your whinging,woman. You're perfectly capable of it, just do it!"

I would love to attend a sax course but it would need to be a basic one at the moment!

By the way, I don't know whether you saw in my earlier post but I now have the Bob Mintzer book and am working from it both at home and with my teacher, so thanks for the recommendation - it's exactly the sort of thing I was after!

Glad you like it - I think the word "Beginner" in the title is a bit misleading, the tunes are really not that easy. I used this book a lot when I was at the same kind of stage you're at. I'm currently working on some stuff from the more advanced books, but finding it quite tough going - rewarding, but tough.

I can relate to that. I haven't yet progressed to the stage in the swing band where I get picked on to do a real solo, thankfully, but I know for a fact that I'd much rather improvise something simple but (hopefully) effective than try to tackle a written-out solo. The written-out solos are too fiddly! Though sometimes as a section the first altos (which includes me) do a written-out solo as a section, and then I just have to muddle through .

Yep - I can imagine! I think this is at the right level for me (assuming that I'm playing straight off the page, that is!) I'm working on Swingin' 2 at the moment and just working on where to articulate, where to slur and where to accent, so that it (hopefully) sounds polished without losing the relaxed feel.



Actually, I saw the first tenor's self penned solo which looked really complicated. He played it brilliantly but sometimes I think less can be more, if it's played well, particularly if it's a real improvised solo (as opposed to a written one!) I actually really like the written solo from 25 or 6 to 4, (which is also written in the 2nd tenor part) and have really enjoyed playing it at home but don't tell anyone at band!!

Saxophile and I play in the same band, for the benefit of anyone who doesn't know!

Well! We seem to have gathered one of each of the saxes and the trial Sop has been given the green light to join us permanently

Wondered what pieces everyone is playing?

Emsoboe is on the Nobuya Sugawa Concert, Perfection and Performance studies with the new Sop. Scaramouche Milhaud and Changing Times studies Rob Buckland on Alto. Gerry Mulligan Song for Strayhorn on any sax she happens to have in her hand. Supposin', If Only James Rae and some Mintzer studies on Baritone.

I'm doing Bach Sonata in G minor 2nd and 3rd movements, Of Spain by Colin Cowles, which is a really beautiful piece, and Scherzando Sax by Alan Bullard (I think it's that one anyway!) They're all my grade 8 pieces.


This thread could really do with a saxophone smiley!

Emsoboe played the Bach for Grade 8 Good luck with the exam when it comes.

Thank you! It's all going well so far, so I'm not worried about it!

I'm currently doing:

- Satie (Prelude from Jack-in-the-box)
- Gypsy Songs (Joszef Balogh)
- Saxsequential (Paul Harris - getting fed up with this one)
- Spanish Love Song (anon- from the Gr 5 syllabus)
- Bright Young Things (Jim Parker)
- Lennie Niehaus jazz articulation studies
- Klose technical exercises
- and a lot of stuff which I need to practise for band, because I keep messing it up in rehearsals! .

Just spent a frustrating hour and a half on some interesting sax parts. I'm beginning to think I've bitten off more than I can chew at the moment. I'm trying hard to incorporate using the bis key but am struggling to use it in fast passages as my fingertip keeps slipping between the keys. I'm also struggling with quiet soft chromatic passages at the very bottom of the instrument and clean transitions between notes at the top.

I feel as if I have a technique mountain to climb as well as trying to get some musical shape into the notes. I've packed in for now as a crisis of confidence was rapidly occurring.

Just bought the Scott Joplin, Rags for Eb and Bb Saxophone arranged by Colin Cowles. It's hidden as part of birthday present (few weeks off yet), We seem to have a jazzy feel to the sax music at the moment

Saxophile I always liked Spanish Love Song.

It is indeed beautiful - and I've also found that the final pp sustained palm-key D is an excellent test of whether a reed is dead and needs chucking in the bin . However, for some reason, I always need two attempts at starting this piece when my teacher is accompanying me on piano - just can't get the pulse from the 1 bar intro. Once I started it at double-speed by mistake - rather destroyed all the romance!!

Ok, I've decided to take the plunge and go for grade 8 sax in the summer session
Right, now to do some practice!!
I think my lack of motivation stems from hating one of the pieces so I'm going to switch my list C piece to Syrinx. I wasn't sure how I felt about playing Syrinx on sax as a first study (and extremely passionate) flautist, but I've just listened to this on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umPBlzG4e78
I've been converted forever How amazing is this guy?! I think I might go ahead and order the Ravel Habanera as well - I played it on flute a few years ago and liked it but I think it'll suit my style of sax playing really well. Ohhh hooray for becoming remotivated


Edit - also, I played Syrinx for my flute grade 8 so while I guess it's an "easy" option for me, I absolutely love the piece and got full marks so it could be a good choice!

I missed this completely..... I'm doing the Scaramouche 3rd Movement for my grade 8
Any tips?
I'm also going to play Sarabande et Allegro by Grovlez, Syrinx (errp) and a study by Jeffrey Wilson instead of scales.... My excuse being that I did scales for my grade 8 flute, and for grade 7 sax and I just want to play now! That's a flimsy excuse but I won't be pursuing music seriously much beyond grade 8 so it's more for my satisfaction that I take the exam

Emsoboe is supposed to be playing Grovlez on Oboe but we haven't coughed up the ?20 for it yet. We would if she hadn't got so much of the other repertoire already. There is access to it via the Library but most of the G8 repertoire seems to have been out on loan for ages. We've spent a fortune on music just recently.

At the moment she's going it alone looking at the TG Grade 8 Jazz Sax on Baritone and is seriously thinking of going down the study rather than scales route. She did scales for AB classical Sax and the Jazz with LCM.

I've had pupils in similar situations who have chosen to do the Wilson scale study instead of the scales, and I think it's a great alternative, and still technically challenging. Also, I love the Grovlez - particularly the Sarabande. Scaramouche is also a great piece - I've had a couple of pupils play it, and it's really effective if you can pull it off. Good luck

Sorry I only read half the post I am not sure she would be able to give you any tips. If I'm honest it's taken a bit of a backseat whilst she persues the G8 on Bari. This is only happening because she keeps getting moaned at for playing flat, partly because of cold instrument but also down to lack if playing. There seems to be a demand for her to play Bari more just at the moment. I don't think Scaramouche has really caused her any problems, though I have no idea which movement she played, it's just a case of playing it more The Mintzer needs some work on it.

I'm interested in some of the things people are playing but would welcome one or two suggestions for a slightly lower standard - around grade 6 - 7. My teacher has relatively few sax pupils at that level and so we've been looking for things that are not arrangements of baroque/early classical pieces as if I want to play them I'll play them on flute. We've done a couple of movements of the Binge Concerto and some of the Debussy for Sax book, Sax scorchers study book, some of the Elgar album, Graham Lyons pieces and about to look at the James Rae Sonatina. Although doing a grade 6 exam would probably give a goal I have no desire to spend lesson time revisiting aural from when I did it 30 years ago and leaping straight in to grade 6 improvisation might be a bit foolish.

^^^^ Agree

I haven't been on the forum for a while, so what a great surprise to find a dedicated sax thread

I was bought an alto sax as a xmas present in 09, started lessons this time last year, was learning just for fun but decided to test my ability with an exam which will be arranged in my 1st lesson back tommorow, so hopefully i will be taking grade 1 around feb/march

I started practising the grade 1 syllabus in november so looking forward to the exam

After my exam i want to concentrate on improvising which i enjoy, i do like jazz/funk/blues so eventually that will be my style

I don't know which pieces are arrangments. We bought the following music off Grade 7 list for the list B and C pieces.

Thomy Minatures in Various Styles

Lennie Nehaus Jazz Exercises Number 2

The Alan Bullard studies cover quite a few of the grades

The Bozza Aria is very nice, and approachable by a grade 7-ish sax player.

The Joszef Balogh "Gypsy Songs" which I'm currently attempting is on the Grade 6 syllabus for sax. Definitely not baroque or classical .

How about Brazilian Walk by Rob Buckland? I did it for my grade 7 and loved it, and it comes in a book with loads of other studies too. Also, James Rae's Sonatina is an EXCELLENT choice

Feeling just a teeny bit pleased with myself - had my sax lesson this morning and my teacher told me that the book of solos I was going to buy would be too easy and that I need to get something around grade 3-4 level!

I know that there are a lot of players here who are way beyond this stage but after a little over three months of juggling sax with clari, I'm starting to feel that I might not be doing a bad job after all!

Before I start feeling too pleased with myself, I will add that she did also point out that I need to do a lot more work on my articulation...

How exciting
That's amazing - 3 months!

Thank you! I know I still have a lot of work to do but it's really given me a little confidence boost!

I really wish i had taken up sax many years ago or even another instrument, when i read what some of you guys/gals are achieving in so little time it saddens me (but pleased for you)

I realise you have put all the hard work in many years ago, which allows you to pick up another instrument so easily, just makes me annoyed i didn't do it sooner.

Then i visualise myself in 5yrs time playing to an audience however small/large and it encourages me

On a different point before i even attemt it, what are your views on learning " My funny valentine " by James Rae am i thinking too far ahead of myself ? remembering i'm only at grade 1 or 2 i haven't taken grade 1 but my teacher says it won't be a problem for me.