Why Learning Saxophone? Reason and challenges

The saxophone is for whoever wants a sound with a personality: it slips, whispers, cheers or shouts, and that's why it looks so much like a voice. Learning it will open up jazz, soul, funk, Colombian tropical orchestras and symphonic gangs and come up with an early improvisation.

It also has a particular initial curve: to get the first sound's usually faster than other winds, but to sound tuned and with a pretty tone takes his time. Here we tell you both.

To sum up

The saxophone has a very flexible and expressive sound with a frambling that often compares with the human voice.
It fits in jazz, soul, funk, rock, pop, tropical music, meringue and symphony bands.
The first sounds come relatively quickly and tuning, serious registration and a round tone demand patience.
He invites us to improvise from an initial level, something very encouraging for teens and adults.
His challenges are at home volume, and his spending on rods and his neck's hung weight.

A sound that looks like a voice

The saxophone produces the sound with a cane that vibrates against the nozzle, and the saxophone's mouth controls that vibration very directly. That's why you can do things that other instruments don't so easily allow:

Slide to a note or fall from it, as a singer does.
To move from an airy and whispering sound to a bright and powerful sound.
To use vibration, crescends and small breakages to give character to every sentence.
Imitate, with time, the frambling of your favorite saxophonists or singers.

That flexibility is his great attractiveness and also the reason why two saxophonists never sound the same. Finding your own sound is part of the way, and not an extra.

Jazz, tropical music and more

The saxophone appears in quite different genres and each of them teaches you something different:

That's where the saxophone sounds and what you learn in every style
Estilo	The paper of the saxe	What do you learn?
Jazz	Melodia and solo improvises, with combo or with big band.	Swing, harmony and improvisation.
Colombian Tropical Music	The saxes sections are part of the sound of orchestrated pits and cubees.	Play Section with tuning and attacks together.
Merengue and dance music	Rapid and repeated figures that push the dancers.	Fingerability and endurance.
Salsa	He appears in some orchestras with trumpets and thrombones.	Mambas, moñas and reading of arrangements.
Soul, funk and pop	Section and single and short and cangible Riffs.	Groove, joint and sound with character.
Symphony and school gangs	High Saxos, tenor and baritone inside the woods.	Reading, group tuning and varied repertoire.

In Bogotá there's jazz scene at bars, universities and festivals such as Jazz to the Park and throughout the country dance orchestras for weddings and parties require challenges that read and play with energy. If you call to play with a band, look [how to start with wind bands]](/blog/bandas-de-viento-en-colombia-como-empezar).

Improvise from early

One of the reasons so many teens and adults fall in love with the saxo is that improvisation soon enters class. With the pentatonic or blues scale and an accompanying track, a beginner can already come up with his or her own phrases.

That changes the relationship with the instrument: practice ceases to be just repeating exercises and becomes a space to create. Improvising also trains the ear, because it forces you to listen to harmony and to respond to it in real time.

The initial curve: what's easy and what costs

The saxophone has an easy name, and that's only partially true. That's how his learning curve looks, with honesty:

That's relatively fast.

Take out a first sound, generally before at the naughty flute or the oboe.
The basic digitations, quite logical and about equal in all Saxums.
Play simple melodies at the middleregister.

That's what's about patience

Filling: The mouth sets every note and at first the saxo tends to sound high or low.
Serious registration: The lower notes are usually cut or with noise until the purple is relaxed.
A round tone: passing from a squeaky sound to a pretty one takes months of long notes.
Resistance: The muscles of the mouth get tired quickly in the first few weeks.

If you want an idea how often it takes every stage, read how long it takes to learn saxophoneAnd if you come from [clarinet]](/clases/clarinete), with an advantage: share the simple cane and several digitations.

To whom does his saxophone usually suit?

Whoever hears jazz, soul, funk or tropical music and wants to play it.
Those who are attracted to create their own phrases rather than always following a score.
Teenage people who want to get into the high school band or put together a group.
To adults who seek an instrument with a presence and a repertoire that they already know with an ear.
To those who enjoy playing with others: the saxo shines as a group.

For young children, size and weight are usually a limit and many start with sweet flute before passing to saxo. If you doubt between models, at high saxophone or tenor We help you decide.

Practical challenges before deciding

Volume. The saxo sounds strong and there's no satico that's completely quiet. It's best to have an apartment with its neighbours or get a place to practice.
Rods. They are worn and have to be put back into place and at first they are used soft rods and then they get up with toughness.
Weight and posture. The high holds his neck and his tenor weighs more and a good strap or harness makes a difference.
Maintenance. To dry them inside after playing and revising slippers and springs is part of the routine and we explain how to how to clear a saxophone.
Transposition. The high one's at my bemol and the tenor's at bemol's, so you read one note and sound another. It's quickly understood but confusing at first when you play with piano or guitar.

A teacher helps you choose nozzle and rods, to build an embocture without tension and to avoid remaining at "sound but out of tune." saxophone classesat home in Bogotá or virtual.

Frequently asked questions

Is saxophone easy to learn?

It's from the most gentle winds to start with, because the first sound comes up soon and the digitations are logical. The demand comes after them: tuning well, monitoring serious registration and building a tone of his own.

Do we have to have good lungs to play saxophone?

A special capacity isn't necessary. More than the amount of air matters how you use it: a constant and well supported air column. That's trained in class with long notes and breathing exercises.

Can you learn adult saxophone?

A lot of adults come to the saxo with jazz, soul or tropical music and advance well with regular practice. The purport and endurance are built at any age.

Saxophone or clarinet: which opens more doors?

It depends on music. The clarinet is central to the symphonic orchestra and to the porre bands. The saxophone, in jazz, popular music and dance orchestras. Both are held in the symphonic bands and passing from one to another is relatively natural.