Skip to main content

How to Play the Alto Saxophone With a Key Chart

The alto saxophone has several keys to play chromatic notes.

Knowing how to use a fingering chart will make it possible to play the saxophone effectively. The saxophone has several main keys and smaller subordinate keys that must be depressed through the use of the index, middle, ring and pinky fingers. Some notes also require the use of the palm to depress keys. Learning the basic fingering positions first will enable you to effectively play major and minor scales, and music written for the alto saxophone.

Step 1

Position your left hand on the top portion of the sax. Place the thumb on the back thumb rest. The index, middle and ring finger go on the the top three large keys. The pinky hovers over the four small buttons attached to the roller at the end and is used to play combinations of the four buttons.

Step 2

Place your right hand on the bottom of the sax. The thumb goes on the thumb rest on the bottom. The index, middle and ring finger go on the three large buttons on the bottom. The pinky hovers over the two, small, gold keys attached to a roller.

Step 3

Use your fingering chart, also known as a key chart, to identify the pitches for each note you must play. Practice playing all your major and minor scales to learn the fingerings.

Step 4

Analyze the key chart, the key chart has a series of holes that show all the keys on the sax. Simply match the chart with the keys on the saxophone. The keys that should be depressed are marked in black ink. Those that are not depressed will be hollow, with just the outline of the key showing.

Step 5

Use the pinky to play the smaller keys on the left and the right hand. You will have to roll your finger over the keys when required to depress more than one key simultaneously.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...
Post a Comment
Read more