Customer Reviews

The Art of Saxophone Playing

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This book is the widely acknowledged prime source for saxophone information. Every sax player should have it! It brings together a wealth of information about many aspects of saxophone playing that is not available in any other single source. It explains the embouchure (lip) needed to play and even has exercises for helping to develop it. It has a fingering chart including alternate fingerings. It also has a very useful chart of pitch alteration fingerings - if your instrument has a few notes that are flat or sharp (very common), then these fingerings can be used to bring them back in tune with the rest of the horn. The essentials of breathing for saxophone are also discussed, again including exercises for developing breath control. The various aspects of tone control are discussed thoroughly. Also the legato and staccatto techniques and how to properly tongue a note are explained very clearly. Mouthpiece terminology and design considerations are shown. Advanced exercises are also given for "mastering the technique". This involves learning to keep the fingers in contact with the keys, proper hand positioning, etc. Doubling (i.e., playing a second instrument, like a clariniet) is often required of the saxophonist and this is discussed. Altissimo fingerings are also shown, although only the advanced students will be interested in them.

Everyone who wants to make a real art of his saxophone playing should have this book. The author first describes the technical matters of the instrument itself: what you should look at if you buy a new saxophone, mouthpiece (with detailed explanations of its parts) or reed (with hints how to adjust it). Then he wants to train the physical conditions of the player, i. e. posture when playing, breathing and embouchure (both with several exercises that can be done without the instrument, just in order to control and strengthen the concernded muscles). He also tells a lot about tone quality, how to produce a vibrato, how to make dynamics correctly and how to pitch notes that are not OK on the instrument. A trill chart is also included in the book. For more advanced players, Teal includes fingerings for the very high register of the saxophone and some information about double tonguing and doubling (playing another woodwind instrument).

The author doesn't want to teach the player improvisation and such things, although they are widely required. His aim is "craftsmanship", and his background when he wrote the book was to make the saxophone more common to "classical music". Teal's idea is that the saxophone player only can be an artist if he masters the technical matters of his instrument, and then he can proceed to playing what he likes. His book is a very good help for every player to learn everything what is necessary for a good playing skill.

Hello there fellow saxophone players. I hold degrees in classical and jazz saxophone. I've been playing for 16 years and teaching for 10. This book is a good read, and provides much of the supplementary information that can help you on your way. However, there is no substitute for a great teacher. Any teacher worth their salt will lend their copy of this book to you, by the way. A comment about the information on the emboucher. There are generally two ways of forming the emboucher, this is more tense of the two. So that poor guy from China that changed his emboucher to a closed position (as opposed to lip out) no doubt that was a lot of work. A beautiful sound is the goal, whichever emboucher you choose. You may email me at funk347@excite.com if you have more questions about saxophone playing. I'd recommend everyone buy this book for an interesting and informative read. If you're learning the saxophone on your own, you need a book with music! I'd suggest Rubank Elementary Method for Saxophone

at least all the teachers I met through the 14 years of amusing myself by publicly pretending that I know how to play the instrument. No wonder that it seemed so hard, for nobody ever told me my embouchure was too tight (taken from clarinet), my posture was wrong, my fingers did a lot of excessive movements... Altissimo register? Alternative fingerings? Double-tonguing? All I could get was but fuzzy fragments of information.

Now I got it. It's all there, clear, all terms defined, even some useful physical background revealed. It'll probably take another 14 years to get rid of all them bad habits, but many things I FELT before, I KNOW now (example: I used to feel uncomfortable about some things recommended in another method book, unfortunately the only one available in Czech language - just the same things are named in Art of... as beginners mistakes), so I'm convinced I'm on the right path. This is probably the most important point - the book is in accordance with what my ears, mouth, lungs etc. "think", and I can feel the improvements every day. Very satisfying. My teachers can now learn from me. So - if there's no chance for you to get a good teacher, buy this book. Period.

I don't care if you play jazz, classical, fusion, or pop you must buy this book if you're a saxophonist. No book even comes close to the sheer amount of information on the saxophone in this book by the greatest sax pedagogue, Larry Teal. You will learn about sax mutes, reeds, articulation, fingerings, altissimo, technique, history, and tons more. Great for beginners and college students looking for some info on their instrument. Wonderful teaching aid. Highly recommended.

If you play the saxophone, you must have this book. Especially if you are a begginer, and you don't have a teacher, this book can explain just about everything you need to know. This book focuses really on the art of playing. You feel like you are reading a conservatory book as you read. Along with this and some practice, you could be playing pro in months! Even if you are like me, playing for years, this book has value. Although sometimes a little begginer talk is included, the book goes in depth on reeds, embouchure, vibrato, fingerings, trills, tounging, solos, volume, etc. The altissimo section shows you fingerings to F, the F an octave above the normal range! And while for a begginer, this range is impossible, it shows that this book will last you a LONG time. Explains how to fix every reed problem you could have, talks all about mouthpieces, and materials. 111 pages of material. You WILL learn something from this book, there is no reason not to purchase it. Learn from the master, Larry Teal, and learn the art of the saxophone.

If you are looking for a book full of practice scales and drills then forget this one. But if you are looking for a book that will tell you HOW to play the sax and WHY it works this way, then this is your book. This book presumes a fundamental knowledge of music and so devotes all of its time to the basics of actually playing and learning the instrument. This is the gold standard in beginning sax books in my opinion.

The Art of Saxophone Playing is one of the first if not THE first scholastic book ever written on the saxophone. It is well done and well documented. Although the saxophone has been in existence for about 150 years, saxophone pedagogy is still in its baby-shoes. There is some information in Larry Teal's book that either no longer holds true, and others that ignore basic laws of physics. The book is worth having, but it should NOT be treated as the "Bible" of saxopone playing.

I have been playing sax for 4 years, now.. This book still had some things that I was not aware of or just recently learned. If I had this when I 1st started I would be a much better player, now. Bottom line: IF YOU WANT TO PLAY THE SAXAPHONE, THEN GET THIS BOOK. period.

If you are serious about learning to play the saxophone WELL, this book is indispensible. The sax has a reputation as being easy to play, but to become a true virtuoso, nothing is further from the truth. The Art of Saxophone Playing covers, in great detail, everything you need to know and practice to become a proficient player. Body position, selection and care of reeds, choosing a mouthpiece, embouchure, tone quality, intonation, technique and every other aspect of playing are covered in depth. Mr. Teal includes exercises away from the instrument for breathing and building your embouchure. If you do them faithfully, your development will be greatly increased. He also covers selecting and buying a quality instrument, as well as doubling on other woodwinds. I can't recommend this book enough. Beginning and intermediate players will benefit tremendously. If you are going to spend the money on a horn, and put in the time to learn to play, learn to do it corectly, and this is the book to start with.