Getting started can be the hardest part of learning new things
On this page are a number of lessons to get you started with pieces of songs and other areas related to playing saxophone. There is a fingering chart here.
Once you have learned the first piece, try continuing to learn the rest by ear. Learning by ear is great training and will make you a much better musician. Start with simple music and you will be able to progress. It’s fun.
Requests
You can leave comments with requests for lessons, I’ll consider them and probably check out the music.
If you make a request, let me know if you have tried to learn it by ear and what you had trouble with.
Also, my priority is with my students in Saxophone Tribe.
Sheet Music
It’s much faster to read music, so sometimes you’ll want to write out parts or buy the arrangements that others have written. On many lessons, I’ll have links from which you can purchase sheet music.
Whether you learn by ear or read the music, there is much more to music that what you hear initially or than what is written on any sheet of music.
Many of the lessons from Sax Station are on Youtube. Youtube is great—but the videos may be connected and organized in a way that’s not ideal for you to work through. It can also be difficult to find specific lessons among so many.
So I am trying to organize the lessons here by type of lesson, instrument, style, composer, and sax player/group that originally played them or played great renditions. Possibly by difficulty level.
Most of the free video lessons are posted here, others may be only available for subscribers or students.
Let me know what you think and if you have questions and requests.
Priority will be given to sax players in my classes — Saxophone Improvisation Mastery and the sax ear training class or the Saxophone Tribe. Saxophone Tribe will get you priority access to me and some cool bonuses for much less than saxophone lessons cost.
More Videos on YouTube
- How to Play Mario Theme Song on Saxophone, by Koji Kondo, first part
- How to Play Zelda Theme by Kōji Kondō on Saxophone, first part, by ear
- How to Play Water Get No Enemy Horn Line (Fela Kuti) Part I
- Superstition (Stevie Wonder) Horn Line on Saxophone, by Ear
- How to Play ‘Nothing Gonna Change My Love for You’, first phrase on saxophone
- Talk Dirty (Jason Derulo) How to Play Sax Line, (Part of “Hermetico” by ‘Balkan Beat Box’)
- Feliz Navidad on Saxophone, Ear Training Game
- How to Play Smooth Operator (first phrase) on Saxophone
- How to Play Yakety Sax, Benny Hill Theme, First Part on Saxophone
- How to play spooky organ intro on Saxophone (JS Bach Toccata and Fugue) Tenor Sax with Alto Sax Notes below video
- How to Play Autumn Leaves on Saxophone , First Phrase
- How to Play Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka) on Saxophone , First Phrase
- “Where to place your mouth (on the saxophone)?”
- How to play Harlem Nocturne – First Phrase on Saxophone – Tenor Sax, Alto sax notes below
- How to Play Saxophone – Blues for Alice, First Phrase of A Section on Tenor Sax
- How to Play Saxophone – First Phrase of Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez, Tenor Sax (alto sax note written below)
- Softly as in a Morning Sunrsie (first phrase) on Tenor Saxophone (alto sax notes below video)
- How to Play Bye Bye Blackbird (first phrase) on Tenor Saxophone (alto sax notes below video)
- Play Careless Whisper on Alto Sax? Inspired by the Sexy Sax Man Sergio Flores
- How to Play Careless Whisper on Tenor Saxophone
- How to Play the First Piece of Take Five on Alto Sax (Paul Desmond Tune)
- How to Play Thrift Shop on Saxophone (Alto Sax) + Notes Written out for Tenor
- Fireflies on Sax – How to Play Fireflies on Alto Saxophone
- How to Play the Pink Panther Theme on Tenor Sax (First Line)
- How to Play the Pink Panther Theme on Alto Sax (First Line)
- How to Play a Piece of Batman Theme by Danny Elfman on Saxophone – Tenor Sax
- How to Play Skyfall Chorus by Adele on Tenor Saxophone (alto sax notes below video)
- How to Play First Piece of No Diggity (Blackstreet) on Tenor Saxophone
- How to Play Baker Street on Alto Sax – Saxophone Music
- How to Play Tequila on Tenor Saxophone
- How to Play Dynamite (Taio Cruz) on Alto Sax
- How to Play Star Wars Force (John Williams) on Alto Saxophone
- How to Play the Force Theme by John Williams on Tenor Saxophone
- How to Play a Latin Solo Line on Saxophone
- How to Play Star Wars Force (John Williams) on Alto Saxophone
- How to Play Game of Thrones on Alto Sax (composed by Ramin Djawadi)
- How to Play Crystalize by Lindsey Stirling on Tenor Sax
- How to Play Epic Sax Guy Line on Alto Sax
- How to Play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on Tenor Sax – Tchaikovsky
- How to Play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on Alto Sax – Tchaikovsky
- Sax and Trumpet NAMM Jam, Play along!
- How to Play Mr. Saxobeat Tutorial (Alexandra Stan) – Alto Saxophone
- How to Play Für Elise on Alto Sax!
- How to Play the Tetris Theme on Saxophone – Korobeyniki – Tenor Sax
- Sax Lesson – How to Play ‘Jamaica Farewell’ on Tenor Saxophone
- Tenor Saxophone Video Lesson – Jackson 5 Bass Line
Sax Lines
- Blues Saxophone Line – Alto Sax — A simple blues line for alto sax.
- Want to Learn a Blues Saxophone Line? – Tenor Sax — The blues line for tenor.
- How to Play a Stanley Turrentine Line Over D-7 Chord on Saxophone — Stanley Turrentine line, you can read this and play it on alto sax too.
- How to Play a Charlie Parker Line on Tenor Saxophone – Bird Line #1 Tenor Sax — Line from Celerity solo, played on tenor, you could play it on alto sax too, it’s just in a different key. Works over a major chord.
- How to Play ‘The Lick’ on Alto Sax – Saxophone Video Lesson — Played in the key of C, again, you could play it on another saxophone, it just changes the key.
- How to Play a ‘Digital Lick’ on Saxophone 1 2 3 5 – Tenor Sax
- How to Play a Simple Bebop Line from Sonny Rollins Tenor Madness Solo
On Playing Saxophone and Dimensions of Music
- How to Play Your First Notes on Saxophone – The Mid Range – on Alto Sax
- Sax Lesson (video) – How Much Fingers Affect Your Tone on Saxophone?
- What is Saxophone Schmutz?
- Cleaning the Saxophone – by Neal — Somewhat surprising, but true.
- Saxophone Lesson – Latin Shakers and Timing on Sax? — Horn players tend to be late…. a little bit more about that.
- How to Get Started with Saxophone Overtones and Harmonics – Video Sax Lesson — Overtones and harmonics will help you develop your tone and work up to altissimo on sax.
- Saxophone Transcription Can be a Beast — Transcription will make you a much better sax player, but it’s not easy.
Ear Training
- Saxophone Ear Training – It Don’t Mean a Thing – by Duke Ellington — Great swing tune by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills. Easy to pick up on sax.
- Saxophone Ear Training – Simpson Theme Riff — Lisa Simpson played saxophone, now you can play the Simpsons theme.
- Saxophone Ear Training – Godfather Theme — Italian mafia + saxophone.
- In the Hall of the Mountain King — A melody you might have heard before, a bit more challenging.
- Saxophone Ear Training – Take Me Out to the Ball Game — For the baseball fans out there.
- Struggling with Playing by Ear on Saxophone? — Want to work more on ear training?
Saxophone Foundations
Want to play saxophone, but feeling lost and not sure how to get started?
In this online/downloadable class you will see methodical lessons in a sequence and you can get feedback and ask questions at any point.
Learn more
Saxophone Tribe
Want to take your playing to the next level?
You’ll learn fundamental saxophone skills, building past the basics. Master rhythms. Learn about phrasing, tone, and more. Here you will get feedback which is crucial to developing good habits.
Learn more