Remember, not every saxophone will be suitable for the beginner when buying your first saxophone. It would help if you chose the particular saxophones ideal for beginners like you who are playing the saxophone for the first time. Let's head over to your ultimate guide for shopping for your first saxophone.
So You've Decided To Play The Saxophone
Buyers of saxophones may be a parent of a young student just starting to learn the saxophone, a musician eyeing at learning a new instrument, or a person looking for a new hobby. Whichever you are, to purchase a sax is a good decision to make. However, with many saxophones in the market and the truth that not every saxophone is designed for beginners, it can be daunting to choose your first saxophone. This is why we created this piece to discuss the best saxophones that beginners should have.
What Should First Time Saxophonists Look For?
The saxophone is an incredible instrument to play. Keep in mind that it'll fall under your investment when you want to own this instrument, as it's also among the larger, heavier, and more expensive woodwind instruments, compared to, let's say, the clarinet or the flute.
Thus, when selecting an instrument for a young student or yourself as a beginner, consider your budget. Yet, despite these, worry not, there are a lot of student saxophones available at affordable prices and with the top-notch quality that these saxophones ought to have.
Beginner Or Student Altos
For beginners or those having their first saxophone, one of the most renowned saxophones for these individuals is the alto. This is heavily featured in melodic sections of the woodwind score. Many band directors are delighted with several alto sax players in beginning band programs.
Altos or the alto saxophone is touted as a great choice for beginners because the airflow techniques and embouchure they'll learn while playing the alto will easily move toward the other saxophones if they decide to change or add a different saxophone to their repertoire. Moreover, a lot of student altos feature keys that have a loose action, so it's easier to transfer between notes. Altos are smaller than tenors, so they'll also be more lightweight when carrying them around.
For beginners, some of the best alto saxophones are Allora AAAS-301 Student Alto, Prelude by Conn-Selmer AS711 Student Alto, and Yamaha YAS26 Alto Sax.
Tenor Saxophones For Beginners
Tenor saxophones are what many individuals think when they think of a saxophone. The tenor sax is immensely popular in jazz and other types of music for its mellower, lower-pitched sound compared to the alto. While they're bigger and heavier, any first time saxophone player who can handle the size of a student tenor saxophone is making a great choice. Like with its counterpart, the alto, the embouchure, and playing techniques will let the beginner move easily between various saxophone styles, as discussed a while ago.
Among the best tenor saxophones in today's market include the Allora AATS-301 Student Tenor, Jupiter JTS1100 Tenor Sax, and Yamaha YTS26 Tenor Sax.
Other Saxophone Styles
The baritone, bass, sopranino, and soprano saxophones, on the other hand, are ideal for intermediate saxophonists who may have already mastered the alto and/or the tenor sax. Generally, beginner sax players should temporarily steer away from these models. However, if you wish to play any of these, there are also many great options in the market today.
Recommended Saxophone Accessories
Aside from buying the saxophone, beginner players should also shop for sax accessories. After the instrument, saxophone mouthpieces and saxophone reeds are important items to include in your shopping list. Remember, though, different student saxophonists will have different choices for these saxophone accessories, so it's vital to choose from various brands and styles.
Furthermore, to protect this investment of yours, you'll need to purchase a suitable saxophone case, a good mouthpiece cap, and many woodwind care and cleaning supplies. It's better to start considering these early on. You may also want to purchase basic parts and tools, when the time comes you'll need to repair your saxophone.
Here are the best brands for saxophone accessories worth considering. Popular brands are D'Addario Woodwinds, Legere, Rico, and Vandoren for reeds. For student saxophone mouthpieces, brands such as Selmer Paris, Vandoren, and Yamaha are great choices. For cases for your instrument, consider brands that include Gard, GL Cases, and Protec.
Buying Your First Saxophone Or The Student Saxophone: Conclusion
Ultimately deciding to play the saxophone is one of the best choices you'll ever make in your life. However, choosing the right instrument for first time playing is crucial, so give this some serious thinking. You may seek advice from professionals and research before you make the purchase, so when you're ready to begin playing the saxophone, such as the well-recommended alto saxophones, you'll be able to create great music to the fullest.