The Saxophone is actually a pretty easy instrument to learn. It will be quite hard to explain over the computer with typing but I will try my best.
There are seven major holes on the saxophone. The six buttons where your fingers would commonly rest, then there is your octave key. This is the button where your thumb rests. When you have all of your fingers down, except for the octave key, you are playing a low D. When you lift your right ring finger you change to a low E. When your right middle finger is raised you will sound a low F. Then when you raise your right pointer finger a low G is heard. Once you raise your left ring finger an A is being played. When you raise your left middle finger you are playing a B. Then when you raise your pointer finger and put down your left middle finger you are playing a C. From there you start over by putting all of your fingers down again, only this time you hold down the octave key with your thumb.
Please get a fingering chart from a local music store.
Fingerings for the notes on a Tenor Saxophone are the same as the fingerings on an Alto Saxophone, and a Baritone Saxophone. Here is a link to a good picture of a saxophone fingering chart. http://www.amromusic.com/images/band_instruments/saxophonefingering_chart_saxophone_printable.gif
Basic Note Fingerings:
A: first two fingers on the left hand
B: first finger on the left hand
C: second finger on the left hand
D: first three fingers on the left and right hand
E: first three fingers on the left hand and first two fingers on right hand
F: first three fingers on the left hand and first finger on the right hand
G: first three fingers on the left hand
To raise these notes by an octave simply press the register key (not a full circle button, more of a half-circle) which is located beside the left thumb-rest.
Hope this helped :)
There is a link below to a sheet of music with all the notes in the written range of a Bb Trumpet. It includes note names and fingerings.
Note for non-Bb trumpets:
The fingerings for the written notes will stay the same, however the pitches (and names of the notes) will be different.
The note A sharp is also B flat.
A Sharp/B Flat can be played on the tenor by putting both index fingers down as in pushing down the first key at the top of your sax and your pushing down the first key at the bottom of the sax.
It can also be played by pushing down the first key at the top and the much smaller key directly underneath it.
Because they are all different sizes, but the inventor wanted the fingering to be the same for every size. The only way to do that when the natural length of one size makes its lowest note a fourth lower than the smaller size, is to have the music written in different keys - transposed. When an alto sax plays the fingering for a C, the sound that comes out has a concert pitch of E-flat. When a tenor sax uses the same fingering, and it's still called a C, the note that comes out has a concert pitch of B-flat. To make them sound the same concert pitch, the different sizes have to be written as different notes. If a composer wants an alto sax to play a concert C, he or she will write the part as an A. If a composer wants a tenor sax to play a concert C, he or she will write the part as a D. By making the fingering the same for different sizes, and putting the burden of transposing on the composer/writer and publisher, even a relative amateur player can switch from one size of saxophone to another fairly easily. This allows many students to learn on the alto sax, which is small enough for 6th graders to play, and then switch to the larger saxophones when the player has gotten bigger, such as in high school, without having to learn all new fingering. The clarinet family has the same system, by the way - the regular clarinet is a B-flat instrument, the alto clarinet is an E-flat, the bass clarinet is a B-flat.
The alto sax is generally not known as "an E flat sax", as a baritone saxophone is also in E flat.
They both play in treble clef. Alto plays in the key of E flat, and tenor plays in the key of B flat.
A B-Flat soprano sax is in the same key as a trumpet, clarinet, tenor sax, etc.. This is the most common soprano sax. If you were in band you'd probably be playing one of those parts as most band arrangements don't have a soprano sax part. An E-flat soprano sax is in the same key as an alto sax, or a bari sax. Sopranos in this key are less common & if you played this one in band they'd probably stick you with a alto sax part. My opinion is to get a b-flat as that is the most popular key for soprano & has more opportunities just in case the band actually does need a soprano, you'd be able to play the part.
On a standard Bb trumpet, the fingering for a bottom-line Eb is 12 and the fingering for all higher Ebs is 2.
The tenor sax is in the key b flat and the alto sax is in the key e flat.
Because they are all different sizes, but the inventor wanted the fingering to be the same for every size. The only way to do that when the natural length of one size makes its lowest note a fourth lower than the smaller size, is to have the music written in different keys - transposed. When an alto sax plays the fingering for a C, the sound that comes out has a concert pitch of E-flat. When a tenor sax uses the same fingering, and it's still called a C, the note that comes out has a concert pitch of B-flat. To make them sound the same concert pitch, the different sizes have to be written as different notes. If a composer wants an alto sax to play a concert C, he or she will write the part as an A. If a composer wants a tenor sax to play a concert C, he or she will write the part as a D. By making the fingering the same for different sizes, and putting the burden of transposing on the composer/writer and publisher, even a relative amateur player can switch from one size of saxophone to another fairly easily. This allows many students to learn on the alto sax, which is small enough for 6th graders to play, and then switch to the larger saxophones when the player has gotten bigger, such as in high school, without having to learn all new fingering. The clarinet family has the same system, by the way - the regular clarinet is a B-flat instrument, the alto clarinet is an E-flat, the bass clarinet is a B-flat.
The alto sax is generally not known as "an E flat sax", as a baritone saxophone is also in E flat.
They both play in treble clef. Alto plays in the key of E flat, and tenor plays in the key of B flat.
g# a b c g# a b c f e a c e c flat d c a g a that is all that know
A B-Flat soprano sax is in the same key as a trumpet, clarinet, tenor sax, etc.. This is the most common soprano sax. If you were in band you'd probably be playing one of those parts as most band arrangements don't have a soprano sax part. An E-flat soprano sax is in the same key as an alto sax, or a bari sax. Sopranos in this key are less common & if you played this one in band they'd probably stick you with a alto sax part. My opinion is to get a b-flat as that is the most popular key for soprano & has more opportunities just in case the band actually does need a soprano, you'd be able to play the part.
On a standard Bb trumpet, the fingering for a bottom-line Eb is 12 and the fingering for all higher Ebs is 2.
C, C, A, G, E, G, A, G, E, D, C, D, Eb, E, G, A, G, C
Yes it does take more air to play tenor sax because it is bigger. I play tenor and i started on alto and tenor sax needs more air. It's somewhat like transitioning from a tenor sax to a barry. it takes a crapload of air for a whole note. By the way, should the sax family be: sopranino, soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, bass, contrabass in that order? I would also think that the amount of air goes up as you go from alto to tenor because it is larger in size. I can play a high D (tenor) for two bars. == ==
There are different types of saxophone there are the: E flat sopranimo, F sopranimo, B flat soprano, C soprano, E flat alto, F alto, B flat tenor, C tenor, E flat baritone, F baritone, B flat bass, C bass, E flat contrabass, and F contrabass They are mainly know as Alto, soprano, baritone and tenor.
1&2,2,2&3,1&2,2,0,1,0 that is one octave ascending
Play an E.