The Complete Beginners Guide To Buying A Saxophone

The thought of buying a saxophone when you have no idea where to start can fill potential players with dread and lead to you deciding to put off doing something that has been a dream for many years. Here at the Saxophone Factory we have compiled a foolproof guide to help you decide which route is best for you.

Do I Buy Or Do I Rent ?

Traditionally the two options open to getting started are either renting or outright purchase.For adults who have long harboured a desire to be that cool sax player you once saw on stage probably the best option is to buy outright. The reason for this is quite simple, having spent many years thinking about starting to play, in our experience, it's unlikely to be a five minute wonder and far more likely to be something you derive a great deal of pleasure from for the rest of your life.
If you are looking to get a saxophone for a child who has never played before it may be a good idea to consider a rental scheme.This can be the best option if the child finds the saxophone is not for them as the instrument can be handed back without much cost to the parent.We consider that eight years old is a good age to start the saxophone depending on the size of the childs hands but on average this seems to be a good age.

What Saxophone Do I Need ?

Now you have decided on how to purchase your saxophone you have to consider which saxophone to play. The main saxophone types are Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone. The vast majority of beginners start on an Alto saxophone for a few important reasons.
1. For children it is relatively light and small bodied.
2. The range of sheet music available for the Alto is vast and just about any style you wish to play can be bought, often with full backing C.D's.
3. It is a nice easy blow for students.
It is worth considering that all the saxophone family use the same finger positions and so once you have learned to play one the basic technique is identical if you decide to move onto a different saxophone.

How Much Should I Spend On My First Saxophone ?

With the sudden arrival of Chinese manufactured instruments the price of many student saxophones appears to have fallen dramatically over the last two years. But as in most fields what you pay can often reflect what you end up trying to learn on and a rock bottom price can often mean poor build quality and sound. Some repairers have stopped working on some brands because the metals used are so poor that trying to make a simple repair can lead to them breaking another component.At the other end of the spectrum it is not necessary to spend thousands of pounds buying a thoroughbred top of the range instrument unless you can afford to.It is advisable to allow a budget of at least £400 to get started.

Can You Recommend A Saxophone ?

Once you have decided on a budget there are many different saxophones to choose from but even at this point it can be easy to make a mistake.If your budget extends up to £1000 you will notice a vast selection of colours to choose from for your saxophone, be careful, these are often inferior quality saxophones which could cost a lot of money for a pleasing to the eye appearance.The sound may not be quite so appealing ! .The Yamaha YAS 275 is one of the best student saxophones in the world and a fine saxophone to start out with, we highly recomend it the all conquering Steve Goodson Chateau alto too as a finely built and easy to play saxophone.If you are looking for something a little less then we would recomend the Selmer Prelude which is a very good saxophone for the price.

What Else Do I Need To Get Started ?

A sling that holds your saxophone around your neck with extra padding is a good idea and also for the children a full harnes is also a good option as they often need more help with the weight of the saxophone and is better for the back. Saxophone stands are a good idea as they enable the player to leave the saxophone in its built and ready to play state. For children this is a good idea as often the thought of getting the sax out of its case and getting it ready to play is enough to send them off to the playstation instead ! Perhaps the single most important thing to get you started is choosing the right teacher. Remember, it's you paying the teacher and there are many good teachers out there. Your lessons should be fun and you should always make sure your teacher knows what your goals are and that you are being tought towards them.