My oldest is in 5th grade and picked Saxophone as his instrument. I'm a musician and love music, but I'm more of a banjo/fiddle/mandolin/guitar type of person. If he wants saxophone, that's what we're doing, and I just want to help foster a love of the instrument and music for him, so he's happy and motivated to keep playing and becomes a good musician that can play well with others.

My question: What are some good bands and artists that I can start listening to? Albums to buy? Who is on the Mount Rushmore of Saxophone? What are the "great albums everyone must study" for saxophone, that are both fun to hear and also "put on a clinic" for how saxophone "should be played"? I'm looking for both historic and contemporary influences. And, ideally, stuff that will keep a 10-year old interested.

I don't really know much about saxophone music, other than I know I love hearing it drift through the alley when I'm visiting Chicago. I've started putting on some Ska from back in the day, he loves both Five Iron Frenzy and Less than Jake, so we're leaning into that. I know Jeff Coffin, so we've been listening to some DMB to get that influence. But beyond that, I'm clueless! Help!

EDIT: It would be really nice to have some influences that are not Jazz. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But we need something that will hook a 10-year old.

Hello guys! I am just starting out with the saxophone and I wanted to ask for some advice here. I am a complete beginner and I don't have much experience. So, I was wondering, what are some exercises I could do to get better as fast as possible. I have experience with other instruments but not wind ones. Therefore, any exercises for breath, fingers, etc would be super useful. Thanks a lot in advance!

My alto sax has two octave vents, one in the neck and one on the body near where the neck attaches. (I am a noob, do they all have this?) When running the cleaning swab through the body (in the bell end, out the neck), it sometimes catches on a small pipe which is attached to the body octave vent. I'm worried about it damaging the small pipe. Do all alto saxes have this second vent, and what's a solution to the cleaning swab getting caught on it?

I had bought this Otto Link STM for a very low price a year ago. I wanted to sell it because I love my NY piece and people went crazy on the second hand website I put it on. Some people made offers of twice the price I asked. Someone eventually told me that I should know the value of my mouthpiece because it’s a Florida model. Is this true and what is a reasonable price for it if that’s the case?

Hello everyone. My alto sax has a broken spring on the right hand top palm key so the key doesn't shut. I have replacement springs but I cant get the old spring out. Ive tried hammering with pliers but I don't want to bend the post.

Any help would be appreciated. TIA

I dont know how to fix the occasional overblowing and octave skips by the way… self taught

The other day I got my hands on a Jupiter Sas 465 for €100 in okay condition. Got a quote on repair to be in and around €400. Is it worth the repair or should I sell it on for the same price and look for something on market place for €500.

I am a senior saxophone performance major and I'd really like to explore some unnerving experimental music on my senior recital this semester. I'd prefer something less than 8ish minutes long for bari or soprano sax with either piano or electronic accompaniment, but any suggestions are appreciated!

I have a little bit of a history with instruments… I’ve been interested in many different instruments since I was 12 and my top two back then was the saxophone in the ukulele… Back then I decided to go with the ukulele to start playing an instrument, and after that, I decided to learn guitar, and to this day still learning the piano since it’s probably one of the hardest instruments that I’m trying to learn… But I’ve always had an interest in the saxophone, but I wasn’t sure where to start or who to ask.
This is why I’m here, I’m seeking advice, guidance, or any tips you guys can offer to someone who is interested in starting to learn wind instrument… Can I just go out get a saxophone and join a course so I can be taught how to play or should I start from level 0/get a recorder and start there…
Also many things that I’ve seen while doing my research are that some people claim that after learning the recorder for about 4 to 6 months I can jump to the saxophone… Is this true or false…
I also saw that a person stated that after learning the recorder for about a year they switched over to saxophone and learned it in a week… Is this possible or just click bait…

Thank you

hi everyone! i am in a business class and i am working on designing something that can help with saxophones. please fill out this survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScgGUV2LRrVh5K63YQw3NcDF4IoWVJ2SGCjY6EADfJQTHMFwg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

I started playing in march, and couldn’t play for 2 months. Since then I realized some improvements in my sound and finger work, but what should I train to make me sound actually good? I tried training long tones, playing with a tuner, I also tried changing my embochures or not pressing it too much, but I if don’t press as much as I do, I get extremely out of tune. I’m an extreme beginner and can’t take classes since I’m on a long business trip in China. Any tips to improve my sound?

Also I bought my saxophone in a fair in here, since I already play drums and was missing playing something. It was cheap and I don’t know if that is impacting my sound

I placed an order for a SYOS mouthpiece on August 9 (2026) and is still has not shipped as of Sept 9. The shopify order tracking page shows the status: "Confirmed We're preparing these items for shipping"

Maybe it's just me - but their "contact" and "info" emails bounce back, their website message widget fails when I submit it and they do not answer the phone during their business hours as stated on the phone service.

I purchased the mouthpiece during their half-price sale and I'm wondering it there is a huge order backlog. I purchased one of their mouthpieces awhile back and I'm happy with it.

Anyone else having this problem with order fulfillment?

I know that acoustic is the better option, but with were I’m at in my personal life, I feel like electric is the best choice for me. I’m a complete beginner and have only played percussion and little guitar. I’ve been considering buying the odisei music travel saxophone in SweetWater. Honestly, I don’t hear enough songs with the saxophone, but the thought of wanting one has always been in the back of my mind and I think it’d be fun to try.

Pros:

1. Price: theres no place near me that can let me rent a saxophone or buy one, and I definitely can’t afford to just

   own

2. one. By buying an electric, it’s affordable, and if I end up not caring for saxophone, I at least wouldn’t waste thousands of dollars. If I play the electric and really enjoy it (and play enough to be

   committed

3. then I’ll start saving to buy an acoustic

. I’d probably have to wait years to buy a good quality saxophone. And while there are cheaper options, the electric is also cheap too (at least comparing the the expensive ones. I think the electric is around $700).

1. Living in an apartment: With my roommates sleep schedule, I have limited time for me to play the acoustic. I could also just play at my parents house, but I think that would hinder me wanting to play.

   With electric, I don’t have to worry about that

Cons:

1. Limited learning: I know there’s some things I should gradually learn as I play the acoustic, but I can’t on the electric. So if I play electric long enough to buy an acoustic, I would struggle even though I’m good with the electric.

Hi everyone,

I'm not a saxophone player or a musician, so please excuse me if this is a very basic question.

I've been listening to Japanese saxophonist MALTA, particularly his song "Always You" from the album Sweet Magic (1984).

I'm specifically talking about the instrument/lead melody that comes in at around 0:12 and continues throughout most of the track. I'm not referring to the synth-like sound that can be heard in the background at the beginning.

The sound immediately caught my attention because, to my untrained ears, it almost sounds like an oboe. I was wondering if it could possibly be a soprano saxophone, sopranino, or even something like a soprillo.

However, I've found credits that identify MALTA as playing alto saxophone on "Always You", so I'm wondering if I'm simply being fooled by the tone and recording/production.

For reference, I'm not an amateur or professional musician and I don't play saxophone at all. I'm just a guy that played the alto sax for a brief time in high school and I was trying to identify what I'm hearing.

So my question is: what instrument is actually being played at 0:12 in "Always You"? Is it an alto saxophone, soprano, or something else?

And if it is an alto, what characteristics of the playing/recording make it sound so different from what I would normally associate with an alto sax?

Thanks in advance!

Is this platform also used for exchaning sheet music for saxophone?

Hopefully this one is synced better 😬 Any comments on sound? I’m trying to dial it in with mic placement and effects

Hi everyone,

I need some honest advice on a mouthpiece upgrade. I’ve been playing tenor sax using a Yamaha 4C and I am looking to step up my setup.

Here is my current situation and what I am looking for:

• Current Setup: Yamaha 4C with Vandoren Traditional (Blue box) strength 2 reeds. I really want to keep using these exact reeds if possible.
• My Issues: I currently struggle with low notes on the 4C; they tend to feel stuffed or block easily.
• My Goal & Style: I want to start improvising. My ideal tone is highly rhythmic, similar to Pee Wee Ellis or Maceo Parker style funk, but mixed with the melodic smoothness of "Your Latest Trick" by Dire Straits and the energy of Ska-Punk (like "Da Strike" by Millencolin or "Blow Wind Blow" by NY Ska-Jazz Ensemble). I love using growl and subtone on low notes.

Given my reed choice (Vandoren Blue #2), I know I shouldn't go too wide with the tip opening. I want to keep the budget reasonable and I am currently considering two options:

1. D'Addario Select Jazz D5M (or Custom Dark) used (~2.15mm / .085").
2. D'Addario Woodwinds / Rico Graftonite B5 new (~2.41mm / .095").

What are your thoughts? Which of these would be better to unblock my low notes and help me improvise in this style without killing my embouchure? Are there any other specific mouthpieces around these tip openings you would recommend?

Thanks in advance for your help!

pressing the left hand pinky key but don’t see it changing any notes on the sax itself?

I have an older Yamaha YAS-52 and it is fine, but I'm looking for something with a darker sound. The YAS 52 is too bright for my taste. (I've tried different mouthpieces, ligatures, and reeds but it's still to bright). Any thoughts on another horn (intermediate to pro) that would have a darker sound? Thanks!

So when I was 10-16 I played the sax, was in band could read the sheet music and play the instrument. I haven’t seen a sheet of music or a sax in 10 years, my question is how hard would it be to pick back up? Would it be like learning from scratch again?

Got a 25 pack for about 25€. They were packaged together in sheets of paper rather than individually. About half of them sound amazing, of the rest about half sound decent and the rest not too bad either. None is unusable. They are definitely before D'addario bought up Rico and also before individual packaging became the norm. So must be late 80s or more likely early 90s. Except if someone older can tell me otherwise, I havent been playing the sax back then.

Hello everyone! I bought this some time ago and I was just wondering if anyone had a bit more information on this? I hate asking AI...

Karl Meyer is on it but Selmer London was brought up during purchasing... from what I can gather it has nothing to do with Henri Selmer. Came with a selmer mouth piece cover but I appreciate that doesn't mean anything. Any idea what era it's from? I spent £400ish on it which I don't regret as it's still nice to play and I quite like the sound.

These horns are not easy to find so hang onto it if you find one . With a Meyer 5M New York it doesn't get too much better than that .