ALTO SAXOPHONE BOOK 1

Instrument Sidekick

Opening the Case

Lifting the latch.

Handle is underneath the opening.

On a flat surface.

Uh oh! It will probably fall off Mr. Archie’s lap. It’s NOT a flat surface.

Putting the Instrument Together-1

Put the strap on first. The weight of the entire saxophone is ALWAYS on the back of the neck.

Suggestions: -Put extra padding under the strap. -Wear a sweatshirt with a hood, and keep the hood underneath. -Always sit up straight, so the weight is shared with your shoulders and body.

Putting the Instrument Together-2

4

Take the reed out of the “reed guard”. Be careful!! They break easily.

Put it slowly on your tongue.

Hold it with your lips, NOT your teeth.

Putting the Instrument Together-3 ALWAYS grab from the bell, NOT the areas with keys!

Hook the strap to the back.

Putting the Instrument Together-4

Loosen screw and remove End Plug. This is the neck, and the “Octave Key” is VERY breakable!! Hold it carefully.

SHORT twists back and forth! Make sure these 2 keys do not bang against each other.

Angle the neck towards your mouth, and tighten the screw.

Putting the Instrument Together-5

7

Mouthpiece. Take off mouthpiece cover (if you have one.)

This is the LIGATURE!!! This is VERY important….. and breakable.

Loosen (do NOT unscrew) both screws of the ligature.

Take off the ligature and put it down somewhere close.

Hold the neck while you screw on the mouthpiece.

Put the flat end of the reed on the mouthpiece. Hold in place with your thumb.

Careful putting the ligature on!

Make sure the ligature is past the indent, and the reed is snug. Tighten the screws.

Left Hand

Thumb goes on this circle in the back.

This is the Octave Key represented with an ‘O’. When you see ‘O’ for a fingering, press this key.

O

Do not press these keys.

When you see fingerings with the numbers 1, 2 and/or 3, press the fingers as represented here.

X

X

1

2

3

Right Hand

Thumb goes here on the back.

When you see fingerings with the numbers 4, 5 and/or 6, press the fingers as represented here.

4

5

6

Rest the saxophone on your right leg.

Embouchure (Lip Muscles)

Roll lower lip over lower teeth to protect the reed.

Upper teeth DO touch the mouthpiece.

Cover the rest to keep air from escaping.

First Notes B A G

Middle line of staff.

1

2nd space from the bottom. 1 2

2nd line from the bottom. 1 2 3

Also ‘B’. Just add octave key. ‘A’ with octave key. ‘G’ with octave key.

1

2 3

4

5

6

X

X Hot Cross Buns B-A-G-------- B-A-G-------- GGGG-AAAA B-A-G--------

START EVERY NOTE:

Touching the tip of your tongue to the tip of the reed in your mouth. It’s like saying, “Thoo.”

After you get it down, see if you can do the higher version by adding the octave key!

Reed Maintenance

Hold reed with thumb while you loosen the ligature screws.

Be careful as you put the thin end of the reed in it’s protective case.

Leave a little bit sticking out so you can grab when you play next.

ALWAYS HAVE EXTRAS!!!! THEY BREAK EASILY! THE MORE THE BETTER!!

Putting the Instrument Away-1

Hold the neck while you take off the mouthpiece. Grab the smaller swab, and pull it through the mouthpiece.

Swabbing is important. If you do not swab after you play, then the sax might start to smell.

Put the ligature and mouthpiece cover (if you have one) back on the mouthpiece and put it in the case.

Putting the Instrument Away-2

Loosen neck screw.

SHORT twists back and forth. Be careful pulling off the neck. Remember that the ‘Octave Key’ is very breakable.

Swab out the neck with the small swab.

Put the swab and neck back in the case.

Putting the Instrument Away-3

Grab the larger swab.

Put the weight in the top.

Get all of the string through the sax.

Hold forward and upside down to get the weight to fall out of the bell.

Pull through.

Putting the Instrument Away-4

Put the End Plug back on.

Unlatch.

Remember to hold the BELL!

Take off the strap.

Don’t forget to latch the case closed!!!

More BAG Songs

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1

2 3

Mary Had A Little Lamb

B-A-G-A-B-B-B---- A-A-A----- B-B-B----- B-A-G-A-B-B-B-B A-A-B-A-G--------

Au Claire de la Lune (French)

G-G-G-A-B----A----- G-B-A-A-G-------- G-G-G-A-B----A----- G-B-A-A-G---------

Squeaking? Check: -The reed position. -The reed’s condition. -Ligature placement. -That you’re pressing the keys all the way down. -Embouchure. -Posture. (How you sit.) -That your leg isn’t bumping other keys.

B

A

G

Can you play all of the songs in both octaves?

2 More Notes White Belt Test Page (From MEMORY during you NEXT lesson)

• Ready for a challenge: Do ya like CD’s?

C D

3rd Space Up 4th Line Up

X (Do NOT press the 1st key.) 2 only!!

O-1 2 3 4 5 6

For C: Press down the 2nd finger, but keep all of your other fingers up, including your 1st finger!

For D: Press the octave key with your thumb, and all 6 of your fingers.

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O=Octave Key Right next to your left thumb.

Time For Practice!!

• How fast can you go back and forth between ‘C’ and ‘D’? Want to get faster?

• The trick is to do it over and over, as many times as you can.

• The 2nd trick is to do it at least a little bit EVERY DAY!! If you forget to do it for a day, you might get slower.

• When you can do it fast for Mr. Archie, he’ll check the box off at the top right. (Or maybe put a Star Wars stamp)

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New Goal!!!!

• Speed tests!!

• C to B to C

• C to A to C

• C to G to C

• D to B to D

• D to A to D

• D to G to D

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It’s Holiday Time!! Yellow Belt Test Page

• Play these Holiday Tunes!

Jingle Bells

B-B-B---- B-B-B----- B-D-G-A-B---------- C-C-C-C-C-B-B----- B-A-A-B-A----- D----- B-B-B---- B-B-B----- B-D-G-A-B--------- C-C-C-C-C-B-B----- D-D-C-A-G---------

Good King Wenceslas

C-C-C-D- C-C-G------- A-G-A-B-C-----C------ C-C-C-D- C-C-G-------- A-G-A-B-C-----C------

Dreydle Dreydle

D-B-D-B-D-B-----------B- D-D-C-B-A----------A- C-A-C-A-C-A--------A- D-C-B-A-G--------------- (Repeat)

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2 Ways to Write Them F#

Bottom Space with a Sharp.

#

Accidental

1 2 3 5

No 4th Finger.

=An accidental that raises the pitch, called a ‘Sharp’. It can be in front of the note, or they can put it in the front of the staff (called a key signature).

Still F#, because the sharp is in the key signature.

=A symbol that changes the pitch of a note. Sharps, Naturals, and Flats are accidentals.

It’s Time To Learn To Read Music!

• What is this called?

• ______________________ How about this one? ____________________

And this one? ______________________________________

What does it mean? _________________

What is a beat? _______________________ How do we keep track of beats? _______________________

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Count To 4 (But In Your Head)

• On any note practice: Eighth notes. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and

These are the beats! Tap them each with your foot.

These are the upbeats! So your foot must be UP!

Count the numbers in your head!

Think a number when you step down.

Think “and” when your foot goes up.

BAR LINES DIVIDE THE MEASURES!!!!

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A Little Easier….

Just count to 4 and tap your feet for each note.

Foot Stompin’ Test!!! 1

2

3

Quarter Notes

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First Time ‘Reading’ A Song Bile Them Cabbage Down Traditional

Title

Composer

Double Bar means you ended the song.

Can you read the rhythm? Look back to the earlier pages in the book if you forgot how to read the notes. Never write them in!!

Bile Them Cabbage Down

Traditional

This is a ‘repeat sign’. Go back to the beginning and play 1 more time.

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This is the test page for Orange Belt!

Longer and Longer Rhythms

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Half Notes Get 2 Beats

Whole Notes Get 4 Beats!!

Rhythm And Foot Test!!!

thoooooo thooooo

thoooooooooooooo

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Old Songs, But How They Really Look!

Good King Wenceslas John M. Neale Remember, do NOT write in the names of the notes!

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Jingle Bells Traditional

New Songs: Can Ya Figure Them Out?

London Bridge English Folk Song

Old Macdonald Traditional Folk Song

A dotted half note is 3 beats!

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O-1 2 3 4 5

E

How Do We Know When NOT To Play?

and and and and and and and and 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

NOTES RESTS What’s Their Name?

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

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The ‘Rest’ of the Songs You Already Know What are the names of

the songs?

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

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___________________

___________________

High F# (in key signature). It’s just like low F#, but add the octave key.

E

And What’s This? Test page for Green Belt.

What’s a Time Signature do again? ____________________________________

What’s the name of this song? _______________________________________

What are the names of the different notes and rests? Did you keep the beat with your foot the whole time?

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Where’s the ligature, bell, octave key?

Nearly All Notes (Octave Key Power)

B

A

G

F

E

D

C

F#

Just add the octave key! As you add fingers:

X

X

Just fingering ‘2’

Fingering: 123-5-

Take special note of the difference between ‘F’ and ‘F#’!

1

2 3

4

5

6

Unfamiliar Songs Test Page for Blue Belt.

La La Allen T. Archie

Duet Allen T. Archie

Use previous pages and a little ‘Common Sense’ to figure these out.

Slurs and Ties (and new ‘Key’)

Here Comes The Principal (or Romulans) Allen T. Archie

C#: NO KEYS!!!!

Slurs: Blow through without ‘Tonguing’. Just change the fingers exactly at the right times.

The Fellowship Howard Shore

This ‘Key Signature’ means that ALL F’s AND C’s are #!

Make sure the you move to the next ‘system’, and not just to the next line.

‘Ties’ look like slurs, but connect the SAME pitches to make them last longer, usually across barlines. Physically you play them like you do the slurs, just don’t change fingers.

“Fermata”=Hold

Major Scale: G AND ‘Concert Bb’

Dotted 8th – 16th Dotted Quarter Note and 8th

1 2 3 4 and

Remember downbeats and upbeats?

What song does this end with? ________________________

This is the test page for Purple Belt. It must be done from memory during the next lesson.

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Mapping-1

Zim Michael Tavera

See next page to learn this note.

Saxophone Is Really Heavy Allen T. Archie

This is so you don’t go all the way back to the beginning.

Pick Up Notes: Count the missing beats first.

The Elusive Bb The high and low Bb’s (octave key for high) have THREE different fingerings!

You need only learn 2 for now.

1 and 1: This Bb is your first finger from each hand. Or 1 and 4.

Side Key (SK for short): Finger ‘A’ (12) and press the lowest side key next to your right hand.

Always use what’s easiest. For example: D to Bb: Use 1 and 1. A to Bb: Use SK.

Mapping-2

Angry Flying Creatures Ari Pulkkinen

Battle of the Heroes John Williams

D.S. and D.C. al Fine or Coda are usually used for larger distances in the music. D.S. goes to the weird looking ‘S’ sign (called segno). D.C. goes to the beginning.

Volume = Dynamics

• Dynamics actually refer to ‘intensity’. BUT…… how intense you play affects the ‘loudness’ of your sound.

• The following is a good beginning:

– F = Forte = strong

– P=Piano = flat, level

– Crescendo = = Cresc. = growing

– Diminuendo = = dim. = decresc. = diminish

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Examples

Baby Bumblebee Traditional

Also Sprach Zarathustra Richard Strauss

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The Sorceror’s Apprentice Paul Dukas

This key signature make all B’s flat.

2 New Scales This page is the test for Red Belt.

(It must be done from memory during your next lesson.)

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D Major Scale (Concert F)

F Scale (Concert Ab)

Can you play “Joy to the World” with these scales?

B is flat.

C is sharp.

Italian: The Language of Music

• Largo: Broad, wide. (Really slow)

• Andante: To go, walk. (Kind of slow)

• Moderato: Moderate. (Medium speed)

• Allegro: Cheerful, bright. (Kind of fast)

• Vivace: Lively, vivid. (Pretty fast)

• Presto: Quickly, quick. (Extremely fast)

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Brown and Black Belts

• Mr Archie will give you blank staff paper (called manuscript paper) to compose a song with. There will be a rough draft. Mr. Archie will make suggestions. Re-write to a final draft. If Mr. Archie can play it as it should sound, then you pass for Brown Belt.

• Mr. Archie will give you a full page solo that needs to be learned and performed in lessons for Black Belt.

Is there more?

• Black Belt – 1st degree (2 BB’s tied together): Having attended NYSSMA.

• Black Belt – 2nd degree (3 BB’s tied together): Achieving a score high enough to be asked to a U-E Recital called the Crawford Stahl Recital.

• Black Belt – 3rd degree (4 BB’s tied together): Achieving the top score at the Crawford Stahl Recital.

• Book II: Mr. Archie is in the process of writing this book. If one exists for your instrument, you can begin the work towards “Twisty Belts”!