Art of Saxophone Playing
Author: Larry Teal
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Sax BibleNo doubt about it, this is the most in depth book I’ve ever read about the Saxophone. It covers the whole family from its birth to present day incarnations. It covers how to start playing, how to hold, where to put the reed right through to why the sound comes out like it does.
It’s technical and dumb in all the right places.
Must have book for all sax players, beginner through to expert.
Recommended reading
Teals book deals with the saxophone as a classical instrument and covers essentially everything you’ll ever need to know to play competantly. The sections on embouchure and tonal quality are partcicularly informative also this is standard recommended reading for those considering a teaching diploma with the associated board of the royal school of music. Although dated in parts the material is still very practical and relevant. The doubling section looks at recommended second instruments and the adaptions needed. Personally i think this book works well in conjunction with Arbans famous trumpet method. Conclusion, i bought it and i liked it!
Will always be the autjoritative classic on saxophone.
Frequently considered only one side of the two schools of saxophone playing in the U.S., this one is wonderful in print form.
April 2nd, 2006
Absolute Beginners: Alto Saxophone (Absolute Beginners S.)
Author: Wise Publications
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A great beginners bookThis book is a must for anyone who is starting out on the Saxophone. It has very clear instruction and lessons with interesting melodies to practise. The CD is a great help an I have found learning so far to be very enjoyable. I have progressed very quickly and think this book is a very good place to start.
A clear, intuitive intro for absolute beginners to alto sax
I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent guide. I’ve learned how to sight read, and to play simple alto sax melodies, far more easily than I expected.
The book follows the common theme of a gradual introduction to each of the notes and fingering on your sax, with simple notes and patterns, progressing to simple melodies (some of which require a challenging fleetness of finger!). For each of these stages, the CD (included) demonstrates the saxophone part, complete with other instruments for your “backing group”, and is then followed by just the backing for you to play along with. I found this method worked very well, and of course the tonal quality of the CD won’t deteriorate or get “out of tune” over time as a cassette is likely to do.
The author shows us the absolute basics - from the components of the sax, through setting it up and the correct posture, to breathing technique and tounging. There are plenty of helpful photos, and many handy hints throughout the book. All the natural notes, covering two octaves, plus rests, key signatures, rhythm and the accidentals are introduced smoothly. A sax fingering guide is included for checking up on the more “advanced” notes. The author understands how to communicate the basics very clearly. It’s fair to say though that no book can totally replace a real-life teacher - someone ought to check up on you occasionally to make sure you’ve interpreted the book right!
The format is slightly bigger than A4 in each dimension, and conveniently opens and remains flat when you’re playing your sax, despite its staple-only binding. The disk can be used as a CD-ROM in your computer (but it’s not compulsory!), and has links to a couple of Internet suppliers of purchasable sheet music. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t a site provided by either the publisher or the author from which to download some more musical scores for free (as a service to their book-purchasing customers). This, however, is a minor niggle. There’s a “further reading” section at the end of the book.
Overall, I think this book succeeds brilliantly as an “absolute beginners” guide. I found the combination of clarity, intuitiveness and the backing tracks made me want to press on, engage with the music, and experiment; it’s been quite inspirational. It has been my springboard to more complex music, yet I still refer to it now for reminders and clarification. This guide is an excellent place to kick off your saxophony!
April 2nd, 2006
Learn as You Play: Saxophone
Author: Peter Wastall
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Best Saxophone starter bookI bought five starter books when I started to try and teach myself (at the age of 50+) and this one is by far the best. It takes you through very sound progression up to around grade III, and you will be comfortable playing along with the music on the CD available (extra) to go with this. I had only a little music knowledge before starting and this sets out the different notes, timings, keys etc in a progressive way, which I found only made me want to learn more, rather than being daunting. I felt that this was the only book that I bought which was giving me a sound basic education rather than just quickly learning to play a couple of tunes. Very very highly recommended.
Still relevant after twenty years!
I had an alto saxophone as my Christmas present and this book is just great! It may have been around for twenty years but it is still relevant to today’s pupils.
This tutor book is broken down into units. Each unit introduces an idea and then there are exercises and some music to try out the new note, fingering, rhythm or whatever.
I have been able to move fairly quickly through the units without any other help - I haven’t arranged any lessons with a music teacher yet. I’ll just see how far I can get with Peter Wastall.
April 2nd, 2006