Beginners little guide

-Here's just a brief answer to a question I received from an email about learning the saxophone-

Saxophone comes in several shapes, here are a few of the popular ones; soprano, alto, tenor, baritone.

It is easier for beginners to start with an alto saxophone because of its size and ease of playing.

A soprano may be shorter in length than an alto, but it is more complex to learn its keys and produce a good tone.

Whereas a tenor is larger than an alto, therefore requiring more strength to support it and needs more air to blow it.

And baritone is larger than a tenor, so no need to mention much there.

Several popular brands include Yamaha, Selmer, Yanagisawa, Keilwerth, Jupiter. In Malaysia, mostly you'll see Yamaha, Jupiter and Selmer. All these brands have student models (~RM2-5k) up to professional (>RM15k). It is recommended to own a saxophone because of convenience in practicing and getting used to its structure. I don't think there's many places that rent them.

Searching around for 2nd hand units are also economical and easy, like from online sites (ebay, lelong, etc.), classifieds, friends recommendation, etc. But do be careful in its condition because you may need to invest a little in getting it fixed, do some tuning, replace the springs/pads, etc.

If you intend to buy a new student unit, a Yamaha YAS23/YAS275 is around RM5k, Selmer USA is around RM3k, Jupiter is around RM2k. You can find them in some of the local music stores in Klang Valley; Chambers Music (Sungei Wang 3rd floor), Bentley Music (opposite The Curve), Yamaha Music (Kelana Jaya HQ); to name a few.

In terms of classes, you could start with either going to a school (like Yamaha, music colleges) or find a private tutor (teach in their house or your house). Generally classes are about 30 minutes long, although some tutors will teach 45/60 minutes weekly or twice a month. Prices vary according to tutors' experience, skill, reputation. I'm taking mine now in Yamaha Music School, Subang Parade, because I prefer learning in a 'musical' environment and (somewhat) structured course.

In summary, the overall learning of saxophone (or any other musical instrument) is that it has to be FUN for you so that you will continously make the conscious effort to practice as much as possible (I try about an hour every day).

And then keep wanting to get better and better everyday. Having some goals in sight, as to what you want out of the whole experience, does help give you some perspective and focus.

Doing some online research and you may be able to find some good 2nd hand deals if you look hard enough.