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I've been thinking about buying an Alto Saxophone for the past year. I love guys like Lee Konitz, Paul Desmond, and Will Vinson. I have no desire to put the guitar down. I just want a saxophone. The problem is, I have never even tried to play a brass instrument. So I'm not expecting to pick it up and blow like Parker or anything. I was just wondering for those of you who have been in the same place, how long did it take for you to have a decent sound and the ability to play melodies?
I'm looking at a used Yamaha Yas-23. Guitar is my main instrument, but I want to be able to play the saxophone with other guitarist, or at church.
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10-28-2014 03:07 PM
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I tried playing alto when I was in college...I got impatient and gave up after a year. It was tough already being somewhat pretty good as a guitar player and sucking so bad at something musical...
Actually, if you get a decent teacher, to be able to do what you want to do is very possible, and shouldn't take too long...I'd say after a few months I had gotten to a point where my tone was consistent, and I could play simple melodies. I wanted too much though, I wanted to be able to improvise like I could on guitar...and that was going to take TIME and WORK.
I should have stuck with it, laziness and impatience, the killer of anything musical. I say go for it.
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I taught myself little bit of trumpet and clarinet years ago....could play a couple of easier Parker heads on both. Yardbird Suite was one for sure. I would have stuck with them a bit more, but a friend borrowed both and I never saw any of them again.
Like Jeff said get good teacher who will make sure you get off on a good foot. Put in a few months and see how it feels.
If you can already read and have some theory, it shouldn't be that bad.
I can't deny I have been thinking of picking up a horn the past year or so, but I really have nowhere to practice it.
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I think you'll be really surprised at how hard it is just to sound decent on a single note.
I've tried to learn other instruments as an adult, but gave up quickly for the same reasons Jeff mentions. I'm just too lazy to start over again. It always makes me remember how impossible a bar chord seemed on guitar at first.
I'd love to be better at piano, but I just don't have the time.
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About 16 years ago, when I got my son an alto sax to begin his public school music education, I got an extra mouthpiece for myself, because I was psyched to give alto a try, seeing there would be one at home.
Because I already had years of experience with guitar, keys, bass, harmonica, etc., I was able to transfer musical concepts to the sax very easily and was playing melodies with pretty consistent tone after 90 days or so. Within a year I was starting to jam some blues and simple changes. At this point I realized that to advance beyond that level would take serious time and effort. I had already made the commitment to guitar and knew pursuing sax any further would be at the expense of the guitar, so I let the sax go. I have no regrets, guitar demands much more than the sax.Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 10-28-2014 at 05:11 PM.
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I did the opposite. I played alto sax for about 15 years starting as a little kid, then moved on to focus on guitar as a teen.
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I wish I could play sax I think it would help with improv with the change in thinking. Actually I tried playing alto for a couple months for a physical therapy, but it didn't work so I gave the horn back to my friend.
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I started out on sax and regularly gig with both to this day. Still can't decide which I enjoy playing more.
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Originally Posted by docbop
I've given much thought to the idea. I also believe that it would improve the way I see or think about playing through changes. I can chord simple tunes on the piano. On the guitar I'm able to play some-what convincing Jazz, okay-ish Bluegrass, Blues, rock and traditional enka. So I am looking at the Sax as a long-term type of thing. I'm 35 years old and I don't expect to be playing at the same level as I am at guitar anytime soon. My idea is to practice 30 to 45 minutes a day working on the basics and aiming at convincing long-tones. I know I can learn it, but was curious how others have adapted coming from a string instrument.
Thanks for all the post. Would love to hear more about the experiences each of you have had.
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I studied clarinet for a couple of years when at high school and then picked up the alto so I could play in (what was called in them days) the school "orchestra" (as opposed to the marching band).
Having lived through the struggles with clarinet embouchure etc I found the alto pretty easy to get the hang of. It was great fun at that tender age and I loved it. After HS I switched to tenor which I was advised would fit in better with a small combo for weddings etc. I missed the alto and always have regretted letting it go (ditto for the piano too).
Another duo of stupid blunders of my youth was ultimately selling my Selmer Mark VI tenor to buy a tele custom
which I also subsequently sold (this was long before they became "valuable").
On the alto, have someone help you to select the right mouthpiece for a beginner. And on a used instrument you would do well to have a tech check it out. It could need some subtle (or not so subtle) adjustments for best playability (like having a guitar setup done).
Chuck
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I spent 2 years learning the basics on alto - just trying to be able to play at a not too serious level and keep guitar my main thing. It took me that long to realize that I couldn't possibly keep the two of them together at a high enough level to please me. I kind of envisioned learning sax would improve my guitar playing somehow. I have a day job and the practicing I do in the evening is with whatever energy I have left over and to take an hour or hour and a half of that time away from practicing guitar and than have less energy available for jazz guitar practice - for me jazz guitar is just too damn demanding.
Having said that, if you have a love and spark for sax, you can usually rent a YAS 23 for very little money and they are a fine horn.
For me I had to go through it to find out what my priorities are.
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I tried, boy, I tried. I ended up giving my horn away to a deserving teenager who is coming along nicely. (no relation to me) I thought because I can play flute a bit that sax would not be that foreign--similar system. Wrong! Blowing a reed is just not like flute embouchure.
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I always wanted to learn trumpet. Through dream analysis I discovered that I'm an awesome trumpet player when I'm asleep because I like to 'toot my own horn' in real life.
I think I won't be playing a wind instrument anytime soon. I'll have to be content being a half-ass guitar player.
I say go for it. You never know, you might take to the sax.
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I started learning clarinet to improve my phrasing on the guitar
amazing how so many things that are taken for granted on guitar are difficult on horn instruments... Like playing a single note consistently. It really has helped, though, I find myself understanding phrase length, legato etc much better now.
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By the way, the Gear Acquision Syndrome so common among guitarists is at least as dangerous for saxophonists. There is finding the perfect horn, then the infamous holy grail mouthpiece quest, accompanied by the growing stock of mouthpieces in your sock drawer. Also the perfect ligature then the reed and how to adjust the reed to make it even better. Eventually you realize that there are other horns out there and you just have to know if you are more suited to tenor, soprano or baritone...
I have been there. Consider yourself warned.
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i grew up playing classical flute
after years and years of playing and gigging on guitar i tried to learn alto
because of my intimacy with the flute and with e.g. bebop heads, i was able to play tunes quite quickly on the alto - but not with a consistent strong tone - nowhere near.
like many other posters on this thread - it quickly became clear to me that if i was going to get anywhere with the alto i would have to stop the guitar (i'd have to give up trying to get better at guitar anyway). after putting so much into the guitar, that was just not an option, so i sold the alto.
still trying very hard to get better at guitar - and that is the way it will stay i think. but perhaps my main aim on the guitar is to sound as much like an alto as i can.
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I am a marginal guitar player with a decent ear. 10 years ago I rented an alto sax on a whim as I love the sound of the sax and thought I would try it out. With a beginner book I was able to get all the notes down the first day, and could play some basic melodies by ear the next day, and was playing simple tunes from books soon after that. I soon bought my own horn, and after messing with it for a few months I got involved with a jazz ensemble at a local music center. Combined with a few lessons I was having fun, but moving beyond my beginner level would have taken a much more serious effort. Work, and life in general got in the way after a few months, so I chose to focus on the guitar and played my alto very infrequently. My son is now using my horn in his first year of band, and his interest is rekindling my interest. I have been looking at getting a tenor lately, but have been looking at a particular guitar as well. Meanwhile, the integrity of my left rotator cuff is in question after a recent hockey injury, so I may not be playing anything for a while if my upcoming ortho consult doesn't go well.
I say go for it! If you have a decent ear you should be able to play basic melodies and improvise at a basic level very quickly. How you progress is anyones guess, but it is a lot of fun either way.
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What I wanna know is - do you think you'd simply apply your improv knowledge directly to the horn? Say, your lines, devices, the way you ornament etc? If improv comes from the head anyway, isn't it just a matter of connecting what you hear in your head to the mechanics of a different instrument? A lot of work, obviously, but t least you don't have to learn to improvise all over again!
I'm very curious about players who get very good on an instrument that carry over their improv chops to another, If you were great on sax, do you play the guitar differently to most guitarists as a result? Vice versa??
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Guys anyone wanting to try a sax should have a listen to Matt Stone on Youtube. He was jazz guitarist, he now plays tenor sax. The improv side of Jazz was helped by his guitar playing.
Tom..
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Will try to check him out. Mean time, what do you think about his style? Can you hear a guitar influence? Originally Posted by oilywrag
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I am currently fiddling around with brass on the side but am not yet sure whether I will stick with it. I pulled out the horn for a couple easy songs at a private jam yesterday...
One nice thing about taking up a 2nd instrument, at least for me, is that I've already got the biggest hurdle covered as far as taking solos is concerned: I can keep my place in the changes. At least for me, that was the biggest impediment to being able to improvise with any kind of logic. Nice tone, in tune, melodic ideas, decent time...those are all important, but if you can't keep your place in the form...AHHH...I used to beat myself up so much over that.
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Bought an alto sax a couple of months ago and have been taking lessons with one of the local legends. I am learning to play it for many reasons.
When I was a kid, I was the 1st Chair Oboist for our school band. I was good, but I quit because I got made fun of for it (kids are both cruel and dumb sometimes)! I am not naturally good on the guitar, every milestone is a struggle. I never felt that way with the oboe and now with the sax. Quite a different embouchure, but I'm getting it. My wife has commented several times that she actually enjoys listening to me practice the saxophone, and never once in almost 7 years of marriage has she said the same about my guitar playing.
For me there was no adapting, it's something new. It's really pushing my ear and getting me back into reading music at a higher level, which is one reason I wanted to go back to playing a woodwind. There are no sax tabs!
I'm not a great guitar player, so it's not like I can be worse on the sax with a little practice!Last edited by JSanta; 11-03-2014 at 02:59 PM.
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I've decided to do it. I'm picking my Sax up next week. I'm not a professional guitarist although I am pretty good at the thing. I do all of this for the sheer joy of it. Music is my stress reliever from life. I don't expect to be amazing at the sax, but I'm looking forward to the journey of learning.
I want to be able to maybe record some sax melodies to recordings or play at church when their playing basic 1-4-5 progressions. In time I believe I will achieve these goals.
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I don't play the sax but I do play trumpet. In my case, I took up the trumpet as an adult after giving it up when I was in high school. I would have taken it up earlier but living in apartments was not practical for learning such an instrument. That's something to think about before starting on an "band" instrument. After several years of practicing I put my playing aside because I had a couple kids and my playing interrupted their napping, prevented me from keeping an eye on them, and I didn't have a lot of time to spare for practicing anyway. More things to consider. Also, my dog used to whine when I played, a four legged critic.
At that point, I started learning to play guitar. It allowed me to play without disturbing others, and it didn't require so much concentration. At that point, I was just trying to move from one cowboy chord to the next while playing simple strums. Over the years I have developed as guitarist. Eventually I returned to the trumpet and I have played in a local band for a number of years now.
Something to consider with a brass instrument is that if you don't practice regularly you cannot improve, and while this is true for every instrument, playing a brass instrument is very dependent on developing and maintaining some facial muscles. You really need to spend a half an hour every day playing a lot of scales and slurs and working toward getting a good tone and a decent range.
Playing guitar is extremely difficult, but there are some things that are simpler. The fretboard allows the player to develop a visual understanding of the relationship between notes - such as thirds, fifths, etc. And transposing a melody can be achieved by shifting to a different fret. With a brass instrument, these things are much more difficult.
Overall, I think my understanding of music and my development as a musician has benefited from playing two instruments that are so different. I'd say more but I need to practice. Good luck!
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I've really enjoyed reading all the replies, but the sax forums sound way more encouraging than the guitarist when talking about learning to play the Alto Sax.
I guess at the end of the day its all about how good you want to be. The sax will always be a secondary thing. I would like to record little sax melodies to the music I write. I don't expect being a lead sax player in a group anytime soon, although that would be cool. I figure spending a year practicing 30 minutes a day or so everyday would at least get me to the point that I can have a somewhat consistent tone. I'm hoping my theory knowledge transfers over so I could quickly have the ability to play some melodies after I have the mechanics of the Horn down.
I hope. lol
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