Choosing an Alto Saxophone

Series Summary

Down through the ages, both classical and jazz music have featured an instrument that has been popularized in our day by Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and yes, Kenny G. In case you haven’t guessed, I'm talking about the saxophone. The sax is a woodwind instrument, despite its brassy appearance. It was introduced to the world circa 1840 by a Belgian-born man named Adolphe Sax, perhaps borrowing elements from the clarinet and oboe in its creation.

In these free sax video lessons, our expert will show you how to get started playing the alto saxophone, one of the four most commonly used types of sax since 1930, and the most preferred saxophone for classical music. From choosing and installing a saxophone reed to basic fingering and playing techniques, here's everything you need to get started on alto sax. Get tips on whether buying or renting a saxophone is the best thing for a new student, and learn what items you need to maintain your saxophone.

Learn how to play alto saxophone: it’s an easy lesson for absolute beginners.

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is Leslie Burnick and I’m speaking on behalf of Expertvillage.com. Today I’m going to talk about how to get started with playing the alto saxophone. First of all, you’ll obviously need to get one and the best thing to do as a beginner is to rent one. Most music stores do have a rental plan, it is usually a rental purchase plan, the price is usually is for a like a 3-4 months period that you would pay a fee and then you would monthly after that. If you wish to purchase a saxophone, a beginner sax, generally it ranges anywhere from about $400-$800, just for a beginner to possibly intermediate unit. They are a little bit more expensive than some of the other instruments. Some other things you’ll need when you go to get your saxophone is a swab and this will help dry out the instrument when you done playing. You going to need some reeds. Generally size two and a half is good for a beginner and you’ll need some cork reeds. Generally this will come with your instrument and then you will also need a method book. A beginner book, just make sure it’s for alto saxophone and it’s a book 1 and then the case itself will come with everything you need all the parts of the saxophone. You’ll also need to get a folding music stand, so you’ll be able to use it for practicing. "