Saxophone Forum


by HelpChoose
(1 post)
19 years ago

Help a brother out

My 12 year old brother is playing in a school band. We had to choose an instrument about a year ago. I had a guitar, but appareatly it's not allowed. We went with a flute. I've never liked it, because I think that learning to play flute is useless (as compared to guitar, piano or sax) But my folks went with some cheap white flute made in china. 200 bucks. Today, my dream came true :) My bro sat on the flute after he finished playing :) :) :) :) :D The middle part with all the levers is bent at 120 degrees! HAHA! This gives me a good excuse to get him a saxophone. What kind of sax should I get? Should I get a cheap one or something semi-decent? I could spend up to... 1000-1150 USD with taxes. What do you recommend? Also there are "alto" saxophones and "tenor" ones... what are they? Thank you very much for your help. :)

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  1. by johnsonfromwisconsin
    (767 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Help a brother out

    I don't think flute is useless by a long ways. It's a very usefull instrument to know and double on if you happen to be a sax player and it has a very large repetior in "legit" genres of music. Perhaps your poor opinion of the flute was a product of how poor an instrument your brother played? if so, don't make the same mistake on saxophone.

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    1. by karebear1012
      (395 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Help a brother out

      Oh - alto sax is slightly smaller than the tenor, and it's in the key of Eb. The tenor is in the key of Bb. It's all based on opinion when you're choosing alto or tenor - do you like a higher pitch (alto), or a lower pitch (tenor)? As for buying a new horn, look into Yamaha, Yanigasawa, Keilwerth, and Selmer. Those are the top brands today. If you arent sure someone is going to be playing the sax for a long time, maybe you should start off by renting one from the local music store for a few weeks. If you order a sax over the internet, make sure there is a return policy ...

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  2. by connsaxman_jim
    (2336 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: Help a brother out

    apparently you've never heard of The Moody Blues or Jethro Tull....but in any case, a flute is not the coolest instrument out there...by far. The difference between a tenor and an alto: An alto is smaller, keyed to Eb, and higher in pitch than the tenor, which is 5 steps lower in pitch (Bb) and a larger instrument. Both have their place in many different types of mudic including rock, jazz, blues, and funk. I would look for a used horn and plan on putting some money into it to get it in tip top shape. My preference would be a Conn 6M alto or 10M tenor. I've seen a few later 10M's sell for less than $1000, and if you shop around, you should be able to find a nice 6M for under $750. The Conn director model horns are a good deal also as long as you buy one made in 1968 or BEFORE. The later horns are made in Mexico and the quality is not very good. Often you can pick these models up very cheap! You can find a list of Conn serial numbers at www.drrick.com/conn.html I would also look at Buescher, Martin, King, and Selmer although many of the old Selmer horns bring top $$$ Good luck

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