At What Age To Start Learning Saxophone

A lot of new students (particularly adults) recall twice about starting a new instrument before finally taking the plunge.

"Will I have the fourth dimension to commit to practice?"
"Will I bask information technology?"
"Will my shiny new instrument just end upward sitting in a corner gathering grit?"

A lot of these concerns stem from one uncomplicated question: How easy the saxophone piece of cake to acquire?

Well, in this short commodity we'll wait at some of things you might non accept known about the saxophone and why it's actually a very beginner friendly instrument.

Prefer to picket instead? Check out our handy YouTube video beneath!

A modern instrument.

Although we might not realize it, in the grand scheme of things the saxophone is actually quite modernistic. Designed in 1846, the saxophone is over 500 years younger than the primeval trumpets and guitars.

Thanks to it'due south clever, modern design, the saxophone is actually one of the easiest instruments to commencement on.

Let'southward offset by considering the keys. If you lot take a shut look at the saxophone, y'all'll detect they're spaced apart in a precise way to friction match the shape of the human hand.

This makes a huge difference when playing the saxophone, as we don't take to bend or stretch our fingers to achieve the keys.

alto saxophone

Discover that the white keys are beginning? This small item ensures that the saxophone keys are easy to reach, fifty-fifty for those with smaller hands.

1 central to rule them all.

Also, dissimilar many other air current instruments the saxophone also features an octave key.

What exactly is an octave key I hear you say?

Well, the octave fundamental instantly takes our note from the lower annals to the upper register, meaning nosotros just need to acquire one set of fingerings across two octaves of the saxophone's range.

Even improve, the octave key is conveniently located right higher up the lefthand thumb rest, meaning irresolute registers is just a pocket-sized printing of the button.

saxophone octave key

The octave key sits conveniently above the left manus thumb rest (the large circle in the center of the image).

No need to squeeze.

We've all seen the pictures of trumpet players squeezing their lips together to reach high notes - information technology looks like hard work, because it is!

It'southward important to think that the saxophone is singled-out from the trumpet, in that that we employ a reed (a slice of cane) on our mouthpiece to create a sound, instead of the buzzing created by our lips.

That is why the saxophone is a member of the woodwind family of instruments, rather than the brass family (like the trumpet and trombone).

Dizzy Gillespie

saxophone reed and mouthpiece

Pictured (left): The tardily, cracking jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
Pictured (right): The saxophone mouthpiece, with reed attached.

In comparison to brass instruments, woodwind instruments (like the saxophone) crave a lot less muscle forcefulness in the lips to create a reliable tone, making them a beginner friendly choice.