35 Saxophone Lessons From Teaching 10,000 Adults

What does teaching 10,000 adults teach you about learning saxophone?

Most adult sax players get stuck on the same small set of problems. That means there’s a small set of fixes. Sort out your gear, use more air, practise a little most days, play songs and play with other people. That’s what keeps adults playing for years.

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Why do most adult sax players hit the same problems?

I’ve taught more than 10,000 adults over 12 years of running Sax School Online. Here’s what surprised me.

“10,000 people don’t have 10,000 different problems. Actually, more like about 35.”

That’s good news. A short list of problems means a short list of fixes. What follows is what I’d tell you on your first day of adult beginner saxophone lessons with me. Some of it sounds obvious. Some of it might go against what you’ve been told.

Does the brand of your saxophone matter?

Far less than you think. Condition matters much more than brand. Buy the best sax you can afford that’s in great working order. Then stop thinking about it.

A well set-up student horn will take you further than most people ever go. No leaks. No sticky pads. And nobody in an audience will ever wonder what brand you’re playing.

If you’re an adult beginner, start on alto or tenor. Pick alto if you love the sound or you’re a smaller person. Pick tenor if you love that big, warm, meaty sound. Leave soprano and bari until later. They’re really different instruments with their own challenges.

What’s the cheapest upgrade that makes the biggest difference?

Your mouthpiece. The one that comes with your sax is often the weakest link in your whole setup. A simple Yamaha 4C costs very little. But it makes a big difference, especially on your low and high notes.

Next, your reeds. Don’t rush to a harder reed. A size 2 or 2.5 is a great place to stay for a while as an adult learner. There’s no macho prize for moving up fast. You’ll just spend your time building muscle instead of playing.

Buy three or four reeds and rotate them every session. They break in and wear out at different rates. So one bad reed won’t make you feel like you’ve gone backwards overnight. For an even easier life, try synthetic reeds like Légère.

One more thing.

“Don’t buy a second saxophone to fix a first saxophone problem.”

When progress slows, it’s tempting to go shopping. But the real issue is more likely your air, your reed or your technique.

And if you struggle every time you play, see a repairer. Low notes that won’t sound and squeaks up high are often quick and cheap to fix. Get your sax checked at least once a year.

How should you set up your neck strap and posture?

Sort your neck strap out on day one. Adjust it so the mouthpiece comes straight into your mouth. You shouldn’t have to move your head to reach it. That saves you neck and posture problems later.

Watch out for sore thumbs. They’re a massive red flag. It means you’re pushing the sax away or lifting its weight with your thumb. Pain in your forearms is the same warning. Let the strap carry all the weight. Keep your hands relaxed and open.

Want to take the weight off your neck completely? Look at something like the JazzLab SaxHolder or the Hooki.

How do you get a warmer, fuller saxophone tone?

Start with your embouchure. Don’t get caught up in the lip-in, lip-out argument. Think of a nice round, supportive shape that lets the reed vibrate freely. Try a bit more mouthpiece, then a bit less. Find what works. Then do it every time you play.

Next, breath control. Use more air than you think you need. Nine times out of 10, notes that won’t start or sound thin just need more air. Breathe low, right down into your belly. Then blow right to the end of every note.

Your tongue position matters too. Think about singing. When you sing a high note, your tongue goes up. When you sing a low note, it goes down. It’s the same on sax. Raise your tongue for high notes. Lower it for low ones.

Finally, finish your notes well. Amateurs cut their notes short and lose the pitch. Pros keep the air going right to the very end. They treat the end of a note as just as important as the start.

For more on this, try these simple fixes for a better saxophone tone.

How do you stop saxophone squeaks?

Think RAFT. It’s a quick checklist to run through any time you squeak.

R is for reed. Is it sealing? Is it sitting in the right spot on the mouthpiece? A is for amount of mouthpiece. Try a bit more, then a bit less. F is for fingers. Are they all pressing down properly? Check those pesky rings that often get forgotten. T is for tongue. Up for high notes, down for low notes.

Play a high note with a low tongue and you’re almost guaranteed a squeak. Run through RAFT and most squeaks disappear. There’s more help in our guide to stopping saxophone squeaks in five easy steps.

How much should an adult beginner practise?

Consistency beats length every time. As I put it in the episode,

“that practice session you do when you’re tired on a Tuesday is always gonna beat that one mega practice that you were planning to do next weekend.”

Even 15 minutes a day leads to amazing progress. 30 minutes gets you even more. But a two-hour binge once a week will actually slow you down.

Give every session four parts. A warm-up. Some technique work. Something new. Then something fun at the end. You’re meant to be enjoying this.

Make your warm-up count, too. A good one covers six things: your mouth, air, technique, tuning, expression and rhythm. Our five-minute warm-ups inside Sax School cover all six.

What’s the smartest way to practise a tricky piece?

Practise the bar you can’t play, not the bar you can. Lots of adults always start at the top. They get great at bar one. But they’re still stuck on bar 24, where the real problem is.

So pull out the couple of bars that trip you up. Slow them down until they’re almost boring. Then speed them up bit by bit. Once they’re solid, put them back into the whole piece. Ten minutes of this beats an hour and a half of plugging away from the top.

Finger glitches get worse as you speed up. It’s like a wobbly wheel on a bike. Slow down until your fingers are smooth. Then build speed and keep that smoothness. Remember, “speed comes from accuracy, not the other way around.”

Always practise with a pulse. Use a backing track for songs, a metronome for scales or a drum groove for technique. Good time is what makes other musicians want to play with you. Don’t wait until you know the notes. Start with rhythm.

How can you hear your own progress?

Record yourself at least once a week. Your ears lie to you while you play. You only hear what comes out of the bell. A quick phone recording catches what you’d normally miss. It also shows you how far you’ve come.

Put a mirror in your practice room as well. I use one in every session. It shows me my fingers and my posture. It even shows me whether I’m smiling. It’s one of the cheapest, best upgrades you can make.

Should you learn scales or songs first?

Songs. Nothing speeds up an adult player like working on songs. They pull everything together: your fingers, air, timing, tone and ear. The trick is picking songs that suit your level today.

Scales still matter. But don’t spend hours on them before you’ve played a single song. That’s the fastest way to quit. Learn the scale that goes with the song you’re working on. Do that enough times and you’ll end up knowing all your scales anyway.

The same goes for reading music. You don’t need it to start. Lots of our adults prefer not to read at first, and that’s fine. Just add a few minutes of reading to each session. In time, it opens up bands, play-along books and sheet music everywhere.

How do you develop your own sound and learn to improvise?

It starts with listening. Build playlists of the players you love. Listen actively in the car, while you do the dishes or when you walk the dog. You’ll start to soak up their style.

Transcribe by ear, but start embarrassingly easy. You don’t need to begin with a Coltrane solo. Try a nursery rhyme or a simple pop melody. Work one note at a time, for a few minutes a day.

Improvising isn’t a gift. It’s a bunch of learnable moves. You need clear systems for the notes you choose and the rhythms you use. Start slowly with the right systems and the confidence follows.

Try new styles too. Funk is great for rhythm. Classical is great for your fingers. Blues is great for expression. When you come back to the music you love, you’ll play it better.

What decides whether you’re still playing in five years?

Playing with other people. It’s the single biggest predictor I’ve noticed. Nearly everyone who joins a band, a workshop or a church group sticks with it. Even a virtual collaboration counts. It keeps you honest. It gives you something to get ready for. And it’s more fun than practising alone.

This is how you start playing saxophone with confidence. And you can play in public sooner than you think. Can you play the basic range and hold a steady beat? Then bands, church groups and jam sessions are looking for you.

So put a date in the diary and work backwards. A family gathering. An open mic. A recording you’ve promised to send someone. A deadline turns a vague plan into clear decisions about your practice.

How do you keep going when progress feels slow?

Stop comparing yourself to others. “Don’t compare your month three with somebody else’s year 30.

“ The players you admire online have thousands of hours behind them”

None of that shows in a two-minute video. Compare yourself to where you were three months ago.

Pick one path and stick with it for six months. Buying courses feels like progress, but it isn’t. Progress comes from sequence and repetition. One structured path you open most days beats a shelf of courses you rarely visit. If you’re wondering whether that path can work online, here’s my take on whether you can learn saxophone online.

And keep it fun. You’re an adult. There’s no exam at the end. If you’re in a rut, swap the backing track, the song or the style. The players who keep things fresh are the ones still playing in 10 years.

FAQ

Is it hard to learn saxophone as an adult?

No. Most adults run into the same few problems, and each one has a simple fix. Start with a sax in good working order, a soft reed and 15 minutes of practice a day.

What size reed should an adult beginner use?

Start on a size 2 or 2.5 reed and don’t rush to go harder. Buy three or four reeds and rotate them every session so they wear at different rates.

How long should I practise saxophone each day?

Even 15 minutes a day leads to great progress, and 30 minutes is even better. Short daily sessions beat one long session at the weekend.

Why does my saxophone squeak?

Check RAFT: your reed, the amount of mouthpiece, your fingers and your tongue position. A high note played with a low tongue position is a common cause. If it squeaks every time you play, get your sax checked by a repairer.

Can you learn saxophone online as an adult?

Yes. One structured online path that you open most days works better than dipping into lots of courses. Stick with it for six months and focus on songs that suit your level.

Your next step

You don’t need all 35 fixes today. Pick three. Try them in your next practice session. Then build from there.

If you’d like one structured path to follow, Sax School is built on everything in this post. Try it free for 14 days. Take the lessons, get help from a tutor and join a live stream. It’s free to get started.

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About Nigel: Nigel has run Sax School Online for 12 years and has taught more than 10,000 adult saxophone players in that time. He started learning saxophone himself around 30 years ago, so he knows from experience what it’s like to start as an adult. His teaching focuses on the handful of fixes that make the biggest difference for adult learners: clear routines, playing real songs and staying motivated for the long term.