Saxophone Buyers Guide
A Saxophone is one of the most recognisable instruments in the world.
Its famous shape and sound not only make it one of the world's coolest instruments but also one of the most timeless.
The appeal of the saxophone means we sell a considerable number not only to schools but often they're bought as presents fulfilling a life long dream for someone. If you're buying as a gift or are new to the saxophone we don't expect you to know everything straight away so we've laid out below some tips and answers to our most popular questions.
Different kinds of saxophone
The saxophone is part of the woodwind family, which also includes clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon and others. There are a number of different kinds of saxophone.
Starting with the largest: Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, and Soprano Saxophone.
The Alto Saxophone is by far the most popular. It is nearly always a person’s first saxophone, its size means it is manageable and the level of "puff" required to blow it is attainable by most people.
The joy of the saxophone is that once you have mastered the keys you can relatively easily take up one of the others - however many people will always stick with the alto saxophone.
Can anyone play an alto saxophone?
As long as you think you can cope with blowing the instrument there shouldn't be any problems.
A saxophone’s sound comes from you blowing a reed which is attached to a mouthpiece by a metal ligature. Reeds come in different strengths, the lower the number the softer they are and therefore the easier to blow, as you become more proficient you can move to higher reed numbers. The usual beginner reed strength is 1 ½.
We regularly sell saxophones to people of all ages.
Is it easy to play?
The saxophone has one of the least complicated key works in the woodwind family. With the help of an initial instructional DVD, Book or Teacher you can be playing your first simple tune within the day!
Regular lessons and practice are of course necessary to progress and like with all instruments to play at the highest level you'll have to work hard. It is an excellent entry level instrument, easier to pick up than the clarinet or flute.
What comes with a saxophone?
A normal saxophone will come with a hard case. And the saxophone itself which will sit in the case in three pieces. When transporting a saxophone you slide off the mouthpiece and the crook (the curved piece of metal c. 8” to which the mouthpiece attaches) and then set these three piece into the case. A saxophone can be taken apart and put together in under a minute and is very straight forward.
What else do I need?
Most saxophones do not come with various accessories this means the customer can select them for themselves.
Required:
Box of Reeds, if you're a beginner we would advise 1 1/2 strength.
Saxophone Sling, we recommend the neotech or Faxx soft sax strap, this will make the sax feel up to 40% lighter!
Cleaning Pull through, every time you finish playing your sax you need to run a pull through cloth through the body to stop moisture lingering on the pads.
Recommended:
Saxophone care kit, instead of buying just a pull through if you go for a care kit you'll get lots of other handy maintenance accessories.
HW Pad Saver, Body, Bell Brush, Neck Saver & Mouthpiece Mouth - these handy cleaning devices sit inside your saxophone when not in, soaking up all the moisture and warding of expensive repairs which may appear after a few years.
Saxophone stand - display your saxophone when not in use, handy for setting down in during practice, excellent for gigs.
Saxophone Starter DVD - All those first lesson tips over 60 minutes.
Saxophone Book - A good book with some easy tunes and a ingering chart is a must.
Sheet Music / Music Book Stand - Without one of these you won't be able to read your music.
*Saxophone Mega Pack*
The karacha Saxophone Mega Pack comes with a box 10 reeds 1/2 strength, faxx soft sax strap, elite care kit, Pad Saver, First lesson DVD, Saxophone stand, Learn to Play Saxophone Book 1, Music Stand - this handy kit saves you thinking about the various accessories and gets you everything necessary at the discounted price of £69.99 or if buying with our best selling saxophone get everything for just £249.
Saxophone of the Month
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