Insane, isn't it?

Have no patience for schooling but always wanted to play the sax.

Ages ago, i craved the traverse flute. Borrowed one and it was no dice. Way too complicated.

Alto sax, wishful thinking or doable?

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Sax is hard because each note requires fine tuning of the embouchure to stay on pitch. If you have a good ear it's not too bad as the fingerings aren't that difficult.

Have you played a reed instrument before?

The fingering for the sax and flute are very close. There are a few differences, but close enough to be able to make a similar comparison for playing regarding fingering.

Being able to get a good tone is easier with flute, than it is with sax, for most people.

Reed instruments are quite finicky about correct reed type, placement on the mouthpiece where the mouthpiece is on the horn and how you place the mouthpiece in the bite angles, pressure and such.

Then building the muscle tone for armature.

Flute is more simple, to find correct placement and proper hold of the flute, then rolling your the flute off your top lip, and correct armature and blow across the top. There is a bot more, but it seems to come naturally to most.

I played clarinet for a couple of years, but centered on brass (trombone and baritone), and have played both sax and flute on occasion. Flute was very easy to pick up, sax took more effort to produce pleasant noise.

If you can get a sax, give it a whirl.

Yes, if you have musicality, you can train and play by ear, but you do need a good fingering chart, and should at least get "scales" sheet music and practice those. They will go a long way to helping you with the "ear" part.

Then get your favorite jazz, blues or whatever you want to play along with, and go for it.

Oh, and "woodshedding" is tougher than any schooling..

Lots of guys are self-taught in regards to saxophone. One example is Bobby Keyes, self taught, never could read a note of music.

I learned Sax in middle school band.

Do you have any other musical experience?

Once you learn the basic note fingering, and if you have the physical dexterity and invest the time, it is mostly muscle memory for keying of notes. The reed / mouthpiece is almost always more difficult to master than most people expect.

All the band members learned most of the different common instruments at about the same pace, plus or minus natural talent and motivation variations.

I honestly expect your sax results would be similar to the flute experience. But you never know until you try!

Yeah but he's blowing it with his mouth, by ear has got to be a lot more effort and murder on the sinuses.

I played trombone, trumpet and guitar in HS. Our rock band needed some sax on some songs so I picked up a used tenor. I found it super easy to learn and then moved to a flute. I never got very far as Uncle Sam came calling.

Go for it!

Looked pretty easy on TV




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/JCDUJUhCGvA

It took me 30 minutes but I also played the clarinet. Technique and your embouchure will need help.

Good tooting to ya Nicky!

You may want to check out a YouTube channel called HelloSaxophone. He has a lot of beginner content aimed at the self-taught.

I played from early grade school thru high school, and a little beyond. Class 1A concert and marching bands, jazz combos etc. Mostly alto, but some tenor and bari, as well. Still have grandpa's Wurlitzer American C Melody! Good luck!

Totally doable by ear. Do it for your own enjoyment!

However, as a professional musician and expert on all wind instruments myself, I must be honest to say that it takes a bit of messing with and blowing thru it before you eventually produce a nice, beautiful and true tone on the saxophone. But don't ever get discouraged. That is part of the adventure.

Always support your sound. Meaning, breath all the way down to your waist and control your lower belly. Tighten it up to manage your airstream. Don't take in any more air than you need to complete a phrase.

Recommended listening would be some Stan Getz.

Doable but I think most people underestimate the time commitment to get to a decent level. Not a pro level, just a level you could play something more than simple tunes.

By ear or with simple one note transposed piano music, you can mimic the vocals. It’s nice having a means to record some simple backing music if it’s only you playing.

I played in school and was pretty good for a school kid. Only played guitar for 25 years after and decided to buy one and play again. I can play it, but my tone is very rough. You gotta get your air built back up. I have found Id rather dedicate my limited time to guitar. Again, it takes a lot of time.

Can you rent one? Buying used can bring a ton of problems if you do not get it checked out and tuned up. You would never learn if it’s the horn that has issues.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
Yeah but he's blowing it with his mouth, by ear has got to be a lot more effort and murder on the sinuses.

I knew this would be here. Not disappointed.

at age 19 I purchased a trombone, ( for no good reason)

at age 21 1/2 I got an Apt with another kid ,
turns out he was in the Iowa Marching band , in Iowa City .

He taught me how to play the first nine bars of the Iowa fight song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyKCn7kpCYc

Go for it Nick! Just skip the "die behind the wheel" part...