Customer Reviews

The Cambridge Companion to the Saxophone (Cambridge Companions to Music)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The title of the book makes it sound like a general reference book on the saxophone. Instead, it's more like a collection of idiosyncratic essays with a distinctly nationalistic point of view. If it was going to be a useful reference work, one thing it would need is a good index, with entries broken down better. ("Reeds," for example., gives a list of 20 page numbers without subheadings.) Loads of space is given to obscure English saxophonists and composers. Many of the articles need fleshing out, e.g. the part about mouthpieces doesn't say anything about the numerical system used to describe them. It's also topheavy with advanced stuff,e.g. a chart of altissimo fingerings and discussions of microtones, but no ordinary fingering charts or trill fingerings. Classical players had better not depend on this book as an introduction to jazz, since it doesn't discuss any of the jazz issues about tonguing or triplet feel.

This book is truly good as a reference. It is written in a scholarly manner, and it is not oriented towards performance, but rather it covers issues such as the instrument's history, its evolution and the classical repertoire. It also has several very detailed chapters covering the relationship between the saxophone and jazz.

It has certainly made me more saxophone-literate, but it has yet to improve my playing!

When I bought this book I thought it would be more of a general reference book. However, it is more essays on the history of the saxophone and the more technical aspects of playing. Recomended for teachers more than students.

Very informative book containing information on the instrument's past. Composers, technique, and styles are reviewed in very organized chapters. The style of writing is also very easy to comprehend and helped me understand the instrument a little bit more as I listened to various recordings. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in Saxophones or would like to write for this instrument. A lot of history is covered within this book.

This is not quick or easy reading, but contains a wealth of vital information. It will become a prized reference work and used regularly to resolve points. It may be best used in small applied reading sessions.

This book provides an overview to the history of the saxophone. It does not go into extreme detail but gives a brief description of many of the major figures in the history of the saxophone. The author also discusses the repertoire and the various uses of the saxophone including its use in the classical music genre and use in areas of vernacular music such as jazz and rock. It is very useful as a basic resource, however for focused or detailed information on a specific area of the saxophone this would be only a preliminary source. This book was written in the late 1990's and some things have changed since then. So it is not totally accurate. If you are useing this as a resource compare it with more current information. This however does not make the book any less useful

This book tells you all you need to know about the saxophone; from it's creation and Adolphe Sax, to techniques, players, and music. The chapters are written by different people, including Gordon Lewin, Dave Roach, Kyle Horch, Don Ashton and Richard Ingham himself; all reputable people in the saxophone business.

This is heavy academic reading, in the style of a dissertation. It has some value as a reference but with many holes, as it is written from the professor's perspective and misses the point of view of the professional player/artist.