Tipbook - Saxophone: The Best Guide to Your Instrument [Paperback]

Hugo Pinksterboer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tipbook | Publication Date: June 1, 2002

The Tipbook Series books are handy, accessible, thorough and convenient guides for players who want to get the most out of their instrument. They are written in collaboration with and proofread by musicians, teachers, technicians and other experts - for beginners, students and advanced players. Features include: lessons, teachers and practicing * all jargon explained * basic background information * price indications * the history and the family of the instrument * and more. The sax book teaches you how to select an instrument and provides helpful tips on buying mouthpieces, necks, reeds and more. "For good, sound, well-written advice that is free of equipment or stylistic politics, this Tipbook is well worth its bargain price. Recommended for saxophone teachers and students, regardless of level." (David Demsey, The Saxophone Journal) "Excellent for either quick reference, trouble-shooting or top-up information for the most hardened saxophone devotee ... Very informative." (Winds) "This book is a really delightful surprise ... Even advanced players may find some interesting tidbits, and the beginner and intermediate player will certainly profit from this book and its associate website, as well as band directors and teachers." (Harri Rautiainen, Sax on the Web) "Very comprehensive, detailed and yet accessible; valuable for both teachers and players." (Australian Music Teacher Magazine)

Product Details

• Paperback: 134 pages
• Publisher: The Tipbook Company (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9076192332
• ISBN-13: 978-9076192338
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slightly disappointing, March 30, 2002

By 

Christian James "Reluctant Shopper" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Saxophone Tipbook, 1st Edition (Rough Guide Tipbooks) (Paperback)

If you're looking for a short, concise saxophone primer that's suitable for the novice, this is it. The book is very concise and looks like a brochure (long and narrow). It covers the absolute basics -- buying, assembling, playing, disassembling and cleaning your horn.

It's nothing an advanced player needs to buy. I'm an intermediate player, and there were only a few tidbits (on buying saxophones and sax parts) that I hadn't heard before.

Bottom line: If you're a novice, buy it. If you're not, look elsewhere for additional material.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Beginners+, September 26, 2004

By 

Harri Rautiainen (Espoo Finland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tipbook - Saxophone: The Best Guide to Your Instrument (Paperback)

The size of this book may puzzle you first; it resembles an airline timetable or a travel guide. However the 132 pages promise a lot of content. This book is a really delightful surprise. Besides the fact that the print quality and typography is superb, the subject is thoroughly covered and illustrations are well rendered and informative.

The author Hugo Pinksterboer has utilized well-known European and American experts. I find myself going back to various sections again and again. They briefly cover the history and development of the saxophone, playing tips for beginners and practical tips for maintenance and even for traveling with the sax. What is really useful is the saxophone selecting and buying advice with price indications in U.S. dollars.

The web site, www.tipbook.com ties closely to this book. The book contains a total of 29 numbered "tipcodes" referring to the respective codes on the web site. This is an excellent way to refer to sound samples of various pitch saxophones, video clips on attaching and adjusting reeds, etc.

Who should buy this book? This should definitely be the first book to land in the hands of a newcomer to the saxophone world. All the necessary information is there. A more experienced player planning to replace his/her rental instrument or inherited sax will also find the instrument core sections valuable. There are also some interesting "exotic" tid bits, e.g. an alternative for the neck strap for supporting a saxophone (page 94). To top it off there is as an excellent combined Glossary and Index and reference section including magazines, books, organizations and saxophone web sites.

I own several saxophone instruction books and have reviewed a fair amount of them. The Tipbook: Saxophone stands out in its practical approach, covering various aspects of buying, owning and using the saxophone. As mentioned above, even it's size is practical. The book will travel in a tenor saxophone accessory box or inside the bell of an alto sax, if you want to bend it. Even advanced players may find some interesting tidbits; the beginner and intermediate player will certainly profit from this book and its associate web site as well as band directors and teachers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginners... this is your startpoint, December 8, 2002

By 

Marcelo A. Soto Quiroga (Maracay, Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Saxophone Tipbook, 1st Edition (Rough Guide Tipbooks) (Paperback)

Even in the unlike case that you've never even hold a sax in your hands and wants to learn to play, this book will guide you from scratch. It deals with every aspect of the instrument, from its history to a synopsis of each of todays renowned brands. You will learn the nuts and bolts in choosing a new or used instrument, how to care and mantain it and which accessories to pick. Advice: it does not cover musical issues, just the very basic fingering, so you'll need some other book also if you want to learn tunes.