Q&A for How to Play the Tenor Saxophone

Start with songs that only use a few notes, like "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Ode to Joy," and "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie." Then, you can play "Jingle Bells" with the same notes, but a quicker tempo and more complicated rhythms.

You can purchase ligatures at almost any music store for a low price. A lost ligature changes the sound a lot, and you'll have to change your embouchure. Just take a little time out of your day to get a new ligature.

Yes, you can, but it may be difficult to adjust at first.

Yes, because you don't really use your teeth when you are playing saxophone.

Yes, I play the alto saxophone and I have a overbite. It doesn't change anything or make it any more difficult in the slightest.

Breathe in more air before playing.

A Yamaha student model will work beautifully, and it's cheaper than a professional model.

The size of a person doesn't particularly matter when playing instruments and if you really want to play, practice, as hard work makes perfect. Size doesn't matter but make sure you can lift and play your instrument. Also, just remember that even really big people can't play big instruments sometimes.

Possibly. Since the cello is a string instrument, you will most likely be unfamiliar with wind instruments. But you will know how to read music, giving you an advantage. In the end, have perseverance and patience and you can definitely learn to play the tenor sax.

Not necessarily. However, it would be good to practice finger stretching activities to loosen up your fingers so that they move more freely when playing music.

It'll be easier than starting saxophone without the prior playing of any instrument, but there will still be a learning curve.

A great advanced saxophone song is "Careless Whisperer." Not only is it a great song for sax, but you'll enjoy playing it too.

No, clarinets don't have an octave key, so each note is different; the keys have holes, so you have to use your fingers to cover them, unlike with the tenor.

I played flute for about a year, then I decided to play something different. I chose the tenor myself and it was very, very easy. You just have to get used to playing in a lower octave more often.

No alto sax and baritone sax are both Eb instruments, while a tenor is in the key of Bb.

There isn't very much relation. Tenor saxophone is pitched in a different key than a recorder.

YouTube is a great place, but just try playing one. Get a method book and try to learn how to play the sounds and you'll hear them easily.

Yes, but the transition will be harder as the embouchure is different.

Practice time is proportional to how good you want to be. Try to practice 1-2 hours per day and study theory and note reading another 1-2 hours per day. Some days you can miss it altogether because life gets in the way but overall doing this, you'll see much progress. Progress encourages still more practice. Someone once said that if you're not learning something new then you're just maintaining. Maintaining is not advancing.

It's might be a problem with your embouchure. I'd recommend trying to cover your lower teeth more with your lip, because if your teeth touch (even a little), the sax will squeak. It could also be a problem with the instrument itself. Try blowing more direct air into it on the higher notes (assuming that's where it's squeaking). Also, sax's can just be squeaky.

Change your reed immediately! Playing on a broken or chipped on can greatly reduce your saxophone’s sound quality.

It should not be any problem at all. The alto is smaller therefore lighter and somewhat easier to handle. The breath control you learned on your alto should be some help but your tenor may require a bit more, not a lot, but a bit. Remember, long tones and scales are one of the keys to playing any instrument well. If you really want to have fun, try a baritone sax!

The embouchures for bass clarinet and tenor sax are quite similar. I have given both a go in the past and didn't find it too difficult adjusting. It depends on the player, but it shouldn't be too difficult.

The good news is that it's perfectly fine to play an instrument while undergoing bite correction. However, instruments like the trombone, trumpet, French horn, tuba, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, etc. may be a bit more challenging to play, as the mouth positions required may cause some lip irritation.