A mouthpiece, if one doesn’t already come with the instrument. Don’t buy the cheapest one available, but don’t splurge on a professional one yet, especially if you may not even stick with an instrument. You’ll probably want one made of plastic or hard rubber. A ligature, if not included with the horn. A metal one is fine, or you can spend a little extra for a leather one, which is more durable and produces a better sound. Reeds: As a beginner, you’ll want to start with strength 1. 5 to 3 reeds and experiment to find a strength that produces the best effect with the least amount of effort. [2] X Research source Good brands to start with are Rico and Vandoren. Neck strap: Tenor saxophones are heavy, and impossible to play without additional support. You can purchase a relatively cheap and comfy neck strap at almost any music store. Swab: Something as big as a tenor sax collects a lot of moisture when played. A swab is a piece of fabric (often silk) on a long string with a weight on the end that is pulled through the instrument to clean it. Fingering chart: A fingering chart shows how to play all the notes in the range of the instrument, and you’ll want to have one when learning to play. Method book(s): While not required by any means, if you’re learning on your own or would like some extra help, they are an excellent investment.
Press the second mother of pearl key down with your left middle finger, leaving the others uncovered. This produces a C (concert Bb). Press the first mother of pearl key down with your left index finger. This produces a B (concert A). Press down the first and second mother of pearl keys. This produces an A (concert G). Continue covering more holes, going down the scale. Three covered is a G, four is an F, five is an E, and six is a D (concert pitch F, Eb, D, and C, in order). You may have a little trouble with the lower notes at first, but it’ll improve with practice. Also, when playing the lower notes, drop your jaw, and your sound will improve significantly. Add the octave key (the metal key above your left thumb) to any of these fingerings to produce the same note, but an octave higher. With the help of a fingering chart, move on to altissimo (really high) and really low notes in the range, as well as flat and sharp notes. In time, you will be able to play every note your saxophone can reach.
