Play your first notes and your first tune.
Rent or borrow an alto sax, put it together without bending a key, find your embouchure and first sound, then play B, A and G, low notes with the octave key, and your first two tunes.
Saxophone Lesson - Beginner Saxophone - First Notes
A teacher in a Sax School t-shirt picks up an alto sax and walks a brand-new player through their first notes on the saxophone. Press play and see why it hooks people.
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Space neededA chair, a stand and a closed doorFirst projectThree notes and a simple tuneSkill levelBeginner, no music reading neededGood forTeens and adults, any age to start
From your first look to your first finished project.
- 01Know your saxophone
- 02Care and safety
- 03What to buy or rent
- 04Set up your corner
- 05Put it together
- 06Posture and holding
- 07The embouchure
- 08Breathing and long tones
- 09Project 1: your first notes
- 10Low notes and the octave key
- 11Read simple music
- 12Project 2: your first tunes
- 13Tonguing
- 14Your 20-minute practice
- 15Fix common problems
- 1610 beginner mistakes
- 17Where to go next
- AWords to know
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't. Most of it comes with a rented or used alto sax.
Starter kit
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Biting the mouthpieceSqueezing with your jaw pinches the reed and makes squeaks. Let your lips cushion the reed, like saying a soft 'V'.
- 2Holding the sax by the keysKeys and rods bend easily. Lift and carry the sax by the body or the bell, never by the keys or the neck's octave key.
- 3Using a dry or chipped reedA dry reed won't vibrate well and a chipped one squeaks. Wet it before you play and swap out damaged reeds.
Play your first notes and your first tune.
Rent or borrow an alto sax, put it together without bending a key, find your embouchure and first sound, then play B, A and G, low notes with the octave key, and your first two tunes.
