Question:

How do i play without being flat? when i play with a backing track in D (made for guitar) and use the D blues scale to improvise, every note is a whole step flat. is my sax out of tune?

-Jordan

My Response:

You are probably not a whole step flat.

Try playing the E blues scale when you play with the track in D. The tenor sax is in the key of Bb so every nite is shifted by a whole step. The shifting of the notes is called ‘transposition’.

If you don’t account for that, you would be in the wrong key if you try to read music written for piano, guitar, flute, etc. Those instruments are in ‘concert pitch’. The saxophones are not (except the somewhat uncommon C melody).

The alto saxophone is a minor third away from the note displayed on the tuner. If you play ‘C’ on alto sax, it will display ‘D#’ or ‘Eb’ etc on the tuner.

Question:

Hi. I am in the sixth grade. b day band. my teacher says i am a good player but needs to improve on some things. He said I need to learn what a overtone is. What is a overtone?

-Marissa

My Response:

Thanks

-Neal

Question:

What is the proper way to safely grip the tenor sax when playing C#?  Where and how does one grip the instrument?

-Grey

My Response:

(I think you’re talking about C# in the middle of the staff)

Your thumbs go in the usual spots. Right thumb under the thumb rest. Left thumb on the spot near the octave key.

The rest of your fingers should be in contact with the keys as if you were playing a low Bb, but they should not be pressing the keys down.

That should be the way you want to play all the time, without your fingers leaving the buttons as much as possible. For a few notes with the palm keys they may need to leave the keys slightly, but not much.

Your press the keys when you should for the different notes, but the fingers are always in contact with the keys. The fingers shouldn’t fly all over the place. Some sax players do that, but it’s not something that helps how you sound. The way you want your fingers to move is like how Charlie Parker played the saxophone.

Thanks

-Neal

“What scales do I actually need to practice?

I practice major, minor, blues, wholenote, and chromatic in all the keys, but do I need to practice major and minor augmented scales, octatonic scales, the modes of minor and major, and the modes of pentatonic scales? I practice a lot, so it’s no problem how many scales I have to practice, I just don’t want to waste my valuable practice time.”

-Ben

(has been playing for one year,

My Response:

Thanks

-Neal

Question:

Hi, I just started playing saxo two months back. and I think I am getting it.

But I do not know how to read saxo music notes, can you please explain?

(has been playing alto sax for almost two months, used to play guitar)

-Rohan Dhammapala (Sri Lanka)

My Response:

This video could be good for you to check out now:

https://saxstation.com/how-to-play-your-first-notes-on-saxophone-the-mid-range-on-alto-sax.htm

After that, check out the fingering chart on this site. It will take a little work to link up the fingerings to knowing what notes they create. But you can get it, just work on a few at a time.

You can get a free sample of my beginning saxophone class at https://saxstation.com/saxophone-foundations

And you can purchase the rest if you would like more.

Thanks

-Neal

Question:

“So I started to play alto sax in my beginning band class and i want to impress my teacher any easy songs you can recommend to me that have no sharps or flats… Thank you in advance.”

-Christopher

My Response:

If you go to and get a free sample of ‘Saxophone Foundations’ there is a song without sharps or flats as well as another song with one flat and one more song with one sharp. https://saxstation.com/saxophone-foundations‘

-Neal

Question:

Is the major scale important for me to learn saxophone?

If so, would you send me the scales that I need to know so that I can learn my instrument.

My mom keeps telling me that’s it’s important.

Can you also send me a fingering chart along with a scale sheet.

-Dave

My Response:

You should get a book to work on. You can purchase my program Saxophone Tribe if you want all of the scales and to work with me and get feedback.

Thanks

-Neal

Question:

How do I effectively make using of the full range of the sax in soloing instead of just staying in the middle or sounding like I’m jumping from high to low?

-Anneline

Has been playing on and off for 5 years last two been more off than on, but starting again. Has been asked to join a friends band, he’s a DJ and want sax and violin in his mixes.

Has only learned a little music by ear, most is written.

My response:

Thanks

-Neal