Helpful Information for North Allegheny High School Saxophones
High School and University Audition Repertoire
Methods and Studies
Standard Study Materials
Intermediate to Advanced Level
Ferling/Mule, 48 Studies, Southern, Leduc
Mule, Original and Edited Works
Rascher, Top-Tones for the Saxophone, Fischer
Klose, Works Adapted for Saxophone
Karg-Elert, 25 Caprices Books I & II, Zimmermann
Rascher, 24 Intermezzi, Bourne
Voxman, Selected Studies for the Saxophone, Rubank
Teal, The Saxophonist’s Workbook, University Music Press
Bozza, Twelve Etudes-Caprices, Leduc
Iasilli, 33 Concert Etudes, Fischer
DeVille, Universal Method for the Saxophone, Fischer
Berbiguier/Mule, 18 Studies after Beriguier, Leduc
Snavely, Basic Technique for All Saxophones, Kendor
Gates, Odd Meter Etudes, Gornston
Sellner, Etudes, vol. 1 Elementary, vol. 2 Progressive, Editions Robert Martin
Tustin, Technical Studies, Peer International Corp.
Loyon, 32 Etudes, Billaudot
Rascher, 158 Saxophone Exercises, 2nd ed., G. Shirmer
Standard Methods
DeVille, Paul, Universal Method for the Saxophone, Fischer
Klose-Gay, Methode Complete pour Saxophone, Leduc
Iasilli, G., Modern Conservatory Method for Saxophone, 2 vols., Fischer
Mayeur, A., Method for Saxophone, Fischer, Leduc
Vereecken, B., Foundation to Saxophone Playing, Fischer
Vereecken, B., The Saxophone Virtuoso, Fischer
Additional Study Materials
There are numerous other study materials that are very highly recommended. Consult with your private saxophone teacher or band director concerning additional study materials.
Solos
Levels 3-4
Anderson, Sonata, Southern
Bach/Mule, arr., Andante and Allegro, Leduc
Bach/Mule, arr., Bouree, Leduc
Bach/Mule, arr., Gavottes, Leduc
Barat/Voxman, arr, Elegie, Rubank
Beethoven/Lefebvre, arr., Romance, C. Fischer
Benson, Cantilena, Boosey & Hawkes
Benson, Farewell, MCA
Bitsch, Villageoise, Leduc
Bozza, Aria, Leduc
Chailleaux/Voxman, arr., Andante and Allegro, Rubank
Chopin/York, arr., Nocturne, G. Schirmer
Corelli/Voxman, arr., Sarabande and Gigue, Rubank
Corelli/Felix, arr., Sonata in F Major, Editions Musicus
Couperin, Berceuse, Leduc
D’Ambrosio/Hummel, arr., Canzonetta, Rubank
Debussy, Clair de Lune, Rubank
Debussy, Reverie, Jobert
Destouches, Pastorale et Passepied, Leduc
Fricker, Aubade, G. Schirmer
Gabaye, Printemps, Leduc
Guilhaud, First Concertino (album), Rubank
Gurewich, Fantasy in F Minor, Ricordi
Handel/Mule, arr., First Sonata, Southern
Handel/Mule, arr., Fourth Sonata, Southern
Handel/Mule, arr., Pastorale, Leduc
Handel/Mule, arr., Sixth Sonata, Southern
Handel, Second Sonata, Southern
Haydn, Serenade, C. Fischer
Lane, Suite, Boosey & Hawkes
Lantier, Sicilienne, Leduc
Loeillet/Merriman, arr., Sonata, Southern
Moussorgsky/Gee, arr., The Old Castle, Marks
Ostransky, Introduction and Rondo, Rubank
Paladihe, Concertante, Rubank
Perrin, Poeme, Southern
Pessard/Buchtel, arr., Andalouse, Kjos
Pierne, Le Vol de la Mouche, Billaudot
Platti/Hervig, arr., Sonata No. 5, Rubank
Purcell/Maganini, arr., Suite in F Major, Edition Musicus
Purcell/Rascher, arr., Two Bourrees, Bourne
Rameau/Rascher, arr., Rigaudon, Chappell
Rameau/Mule, arr., Tambourin, Leduc
Reed, Ballade, Southern
Shostakovich, Satirical Dance, Edition Musicus
Tchaikovsky/Gee, arr., Canzonetta, Southern
Walters, Episode, Southern
Levels 5-6
Bach/Mule, arr., Sonata No. 4, Leduc
Bach/Mule, arr., Sonata No. 6, Leduc
Bariller, Rapsodie Bretonne, 1950, Leduc
Barraine, Improvisation, Billaudot
Ben-Haim, Three Songs, Peters
Bonneau, Caprice en Forme de Valse (unacc.), Leduc
Bonneau, Suite, Southern
Boutry, Divertimento, 1964, Leduc
Bozza, Concertino, Leduc
Bozza, Improvisation and Caprice (unacc.), Southern
Bozza, Pulcinella, Leduc
Bozza, Scaramouche, Op. 53, No. 2, Leduc
Breard, Premier Suite, Leduc
Constant, Musique de Concert, 1954, Leduc
Creston, Concerto, G. Schirmer
Creston, Sonata, Shawnee
Damase, Concertstuck, 1950, Leduc
Dautremer, Tango et Tarantelle, 1946, Leduc
Dubois, Sonata, Leduc
Eccles/Rascher, arr., Sonata, Elkan-Vogel
Fasch, Sonata, McGinnis & Marx
Fiocco/Rascher, arr., Allegro, Bourne
Glazunov, Concerto, Southern
Gurewich, Concerto in E Minor, Rubank
Gurewich, Fantasy in F Minor, Ricordi
Handel/Gee, arr., Adagio and Allegro, Southern
Handel/Rascher, arr., Sonata No. 3, Chappell
Hartley, Duo, Presser
Heiden, Sonata, G. Schirmer
Ibert, Concertino de Camera, Southern
Ibert/Mule, arr., Histoires, Leduc
Jacob, Rhapsody, Belwin-Mills
Jacobi, Sonata, Bourne
Jolivet, Fantasy/Impromptu, Leduc
Joly, Cantilena and Dance, Leduc
Krol, Sonata, Peters
Leclair, Gigue, Leduc
Lunde, Sonata, Southern
Maurice, Tableau de Provence, Lemoine
Milhaud, Scaramouche (1st mvt.), Ricordi
Pascal, Sonatine, Leduc
Rabaud/Gee, arr., Solo de Conccours, Southern
Rueff, Chanson et Passepied, Leduc
Schmitt, Legende, Durand
Tate, Concerto, Oxford
Tcherepnin, Sonatine Sportive, Leduc
Tomasi, Concerto, 1949 (1st mvt.), Leduc
Tomasi, Introduction and Dance, Southern
Tourneur, Concerto (1st mvt.), Leduc
Vivaldi/Rascher, arr., Sonata in G Minor, McGinnis & Marx
Von Koch, Concerto, Peer
Ward, An Abstract, Southern
Whitney, Introduction and Samba, Bourne
Whitney, Rumba, Bourne
Tenor Saxophone Solos
Levels 3-4
Ariosti/Merriman, arr., Lezione IV, Pro-Art
Bach, Bouree, Leduc
Bergson, Scene and Air, C. Fischer
Blemant, Sous les Sapins, Leduc
Boni/Voxman, arr., Largo and Allegro, Rubank
Clerisse, A L’Ombre du Clocher, Leduc
Couperin/Mule, arr., Berceuse en Rondeau, Billaudot
Daily, arr., Concert Pieces (collection), Wahr
Dorsselaer, Solo de Concours, Billaudot
Gluck/Mule, arr., Gavotte, Leduc
Granados/Teal, arr., Playera, Op. 5, No. 5 (collection), G. Schirmer
Guilhaud/Voxman, arr., First Concertino, Rubank
Handel/Voxman, arr., Concerto in G Minor, Rubank
Karel, Cypress Song, Boosey & Hawkes
Koepke, Intermezzo, Rubank
Leclair/Mule, arr., Musette, Leduc
Lully/Mule, arr., Passacaille and Passepied, Leduc
Mendelssohn, Chanson de Printemps, Leduc
Mozart, Adagio and Minuetto, Rubank
Mozart/Mule, arr., Les Petits Riens, Leduc
Ostransky, Contest Caprice, Rubank
Philidor, Chant D’Eglise, Leduc
Pierne/Gee, arr., Piece In G Minor, Southern
Prokofiev/Hummel, arr., Romance and Troika, Rubank
Rameau/Mule, arr., Les Getes de l’Hymen, Leduc
Rameau, Tambourin, Leduc
Singelee, Fantaisie, Op. 49, C. Fischer
Tartini, Grave, Leduc
Telemann/Voxman, arr., Sonata in C Minor, Rubank
Templeton, Elegy, Leeds
Walters, Tarantelle, Ludwig
Weber, Valse, Leduc
Whitney, Melancholy, Spratt
Levels 5-6
Bach/Gee, arr., Sonata No. 4, Southern
Bennett, Concerto in G Minor, C. Fischer
Galliard, Sonata, McGinnis & Marx
Lacome, Rigaudon, Southern
Ostransky, Ballet Impressions, Rubank
Singelee, Solo de Concert, Rubank
Stein, Sonata, Southern
Vivaldi/Rascher, arr., Sonata in G Minor, McGinnis & Marx
Walters, Tarantelle, Ludwig
Special Studies in the Jazz Idiom
Aebersold, Jamey, A New Approach to Jazz Improvisation, Jamey Aebersold (In over 100 non-progressive volumes, the author recommends the following order of study: Volume 24, Major and Minor, Volume 1, A New Approach to Jazz Improvisation, Volume 21, Getting’ it Together, Volume 2, Nothin’ but Blues, and Volume 3, The II/IV 7/I Progression
Baker, Jazz Improvisation, Frangipani Press
Baker, Advanced Improvisation, 2 vols., Frangipani Press
Baker, How to Play Bebop, 3 vols., Frangipani Press
Baker, Techniques of Improvisation, 3 vols., Frangipani Press
Coker, A Complete Method for Jazz Improvisation, Studio P/R
Coker, Improvising Jazz, Prentice-Hall
Coker, The Jazz Idiom, Prentice-Hall
Coker, Patterns for Jazz, Prentice-Hall
Coker, Listening to Jazz, Prentice-Hall
DeFranco, Buddy DeFranco on Jazz Improvisation, Creative Jazz Composers, Inc.
Giuffre, Jazz Phrasing and Interpretation, Eb or Bb Books, Associated Music Publishers
Harris, Intervalistic Concepts for All Single-Line Wind Instruments, Wardo Enterprises
Jaffe, Jazz Theory, Wm. C. Brown
Kynaston, Circular Breathing, Studio P/R
Laporta, A Guide to Improvisation, Berklee Press
Laporta, Tonal Organization of Improvisational Techniques, Kendor
McGhee, Improvisation for Saxophone: The Scale/Mode Approach, Berkley Press
Miedema, Jazz Styles and Analysis: Alto Saxophone, Maher Publications
Nelson, Jazz Patterns for Saxophone
Niehaus, Jazz Improvisation for Saxophone, Try Publishing
Niehaus, Basic Jazz Conception, 2 vols., Professional Drum Shop
Niehaus, Intermediate Jazz Conception, Professional Drum Shop
Niehaus, Advanced Jazz Conception, Professional Drum Shop
Ricker, New Concepts in Linear Improvisation, Studio P/R
Ricker, Technique Development in Fourths for Jazz Improvisation, Studio P/R
Ricker, Pentatonic Scales for Jazz Improvisations, Studio P/R
Russell, The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, Concept Publishing
Viola, Technique of the Saxophone, 3 vols., Berkley Press
Viola, Developing Sight-Reading Skills in the Jazz Idiom, Berkley Press
Selecting a Step-Up Saxophone
Selecting any step-up instrument should be a personal and hands-on process. The same instrument will feel and play differently for musicians. Try a number of instruments out before you purchase one. Often instrument makers will allow you to order instruments on consignment so that you can try them out before you buy. I know a lot of musicians that actually go to the factory to try out and purchase their instruments. Below is a guide to buying intermediate and professional model instruments, it is in no way a complete list and only a few recommendations to get you started.
Intermediate Saxophones
Alto Saxophones Tenor Saxophones
Yamaha 52 Yamaha YTS475
Yamaha 62
Selmer AS230
Conn 25 M
Professional Saxophones
Alto Saxophones Tenor Saxophones
Selmer SA-80 Selmer Paris 54 Super Action Series II
Selmer Paris 62 Series III Keilwerth SX90R
Keilwerth SX90R Yamaha YTS82Z
Yamaha YAS82Z Yanagisawa T991
Yanagisawa A991
Selecting a Mouthpiece
The mouthpiece, reed, and embouchure help to shape the tone and intonation of the saxophone, however of these three elements, the mouthpiece is the only constant. Reeds become worn and need to be replaced and individual embouchures vary from player to player, for this reason a mouthpiece must be selected carefully so that the player can produce the desired tone and perform with superior intonation. Although there are many mouthpieces in production and selecting a mouthpiece is a personal choice, there are a few objective criteria that define a quality saxophone mouthpiece. A quality mouthpiece will:
1. Produce a superior tone
2. Play in tune at all registers
3. Allow the easy production of all types of articulations
4. Play at a wide dynamic range keeping the tone quality constant
5. Not require too much or too little mouthpiece in the mouth
6. Not be too demanding on the reeds
Recommended Mouthpieces
It is VERY important to remember that a mouthpiece is a very personal choice and the student should try a variety of mouthpieces out before purchasing one. Most saxophonists find that playing on a mouthpiece with a medium facing and a medium tip opening give them the most control and flexibility in their playing. A majority of the quality mouthpieces are made out of machined rod-rubber or metal, although few players rarely prefer crystal glass. Most often inferior mouthpieces are made of poor grade rubber or molded plastic, although with today’s production methods, it is possible to produce a higher quality plastic mouthpiece, the only way to be sure what you need is to try out a variety of mouthpiece sizes and brands. Saxophonists should also be conciseness of the sound that they are trying to produce. Classical mouthpieces offer a much different sound than jazz mouthpieces do
Alto Saxophone-Classical Tenor Saxophone-Classical
Selmer C* Selmer D
Rousseau R3 Selmer E
Rousseau R4 Rosseau R4
Vandoren A25 Rosseau R5
Vandoren A27 Selmer Paris S80
Selmer Paris S80
Alto Saxophone-Jazz Tenor Saxophone-Jazz
Otto Link 7 Otto Link 6
Otto Link 8 Otto Link 7
Meyer 5 Otto Link 8
Meyer 6 Vandoren V-16
Meyer 7 Berg-Larsen 80/2
Rousseau JDX Berg-Larsen 105/2
Dukoff 6-8 M or LD
Recommended Ligatures Brands
Vandoren
Bonde
Bay
BG
Rovner
Gigliotti
Rico Royal
Mitchell Lurie
Reeds
As with mouthpieces, reeds are a very personal thing. Reeds are manufactured in varying degrees of strength. Reeds are numbered in strength 1-5 with 1 being the softest and 5 being the hardest. Some brands will use the terms: soft, medium-soft, medium, medium-hard, and hard. A problem exists in that different manufacturers use different numbering systems so company #1’s number 3 reed will be different from another brands number 3 reed. There are, however, certain criteria that a good reed will have.
A good reed will:
1. Respond freely and easily over the entire range of the instrument
2. Play all octaves of the instrument relatively in tune without major adjustments in embouchure and/or lip pressure
3. Exhibit control in all dynamic ranges of the instrument
4. Produce the correct resistance to breath pressure
5. Allow the complete scope of articulations
It is recommended that saxophone players always have three or more reeds ready to go and broken in. It is not recommended that saxophonists play on one reed until it wears out and then switch to a new one. When a player only uses one reed, the reed deteriorates and the embouchure will slightly adjust to the weakening reed, which in turn will make a more difficult embouchure adjustment when a new reed is finally used.
Some popular reed brands include, but are certainly not limited to:
Rico
Rico Royal
Rico Select Jazz
Vandoren Classical
Vandoren V-16
Vandoren Java
LaVoz
The Saxophone Family
Bb Soprano Saxophone
Eb Alto Saxophone
Bb Tenor Saxophone
Eb Baritone Saxophone
Bb Bass Saxophone
Private Lessons and Practice Suggestions
What can my lesson be?
A chance to share your enthusiasm for the instruments and for music, and an opportunity for that enthusiasm to grow.
A chance to correct basic technical problems and to learn new and better ways to solve challenges that the instruments and music present.
A chance to learn new repertoire and to learn about repertoire yet to be studied.
A chance to be a part of a community of players on your instruments; to learn and grow with them. Many other students studying your instruments will have the same problems to work on; maybe even the same solos and etudes.
Ultimately, lessons give you the chance to increase your prospects for better music making at North Allegheny and beyond. As your performing ability improves, so does your satisfaction with music making.
Practicing – Be regular in your routine; this will help you to measure progress and pinpoint problems. You cannot “cram” for a lesson or performance; it does not work. Put in the time each and everyday. It shows when you get on stage. There is no substitute for the confident attitude and technical accomplishments arrived at through hours of practice time. Most stage fright and tension problems are a result of poor/irregular preparation. Here is a basic list of practice goals:
a. Determine your semester goals. Then determine your weekly goals.
b. Decide what you must do today (today’s goals) to realize the weekly goal. Be very specific.
c. Warm-up. This can and should consist of a wide variety of techniques and styles. Feel free to vary you warm-up from day to day.
d. Practice individual patterns or sections of the music that need the most attention.
e. Take a brief rest. Walk away from the instrument to get something to drink and to refresh your mind. This should be brief so as to not lose your focus.
f. Upon returning do a run through (or two) as if you were in a lesson, audition, recital, or professional performing situation.
g. Review problem spots from the run-through.
h. Review previous etudes or repertoire.
i. Do some sight-reading. The best way to learn to read is with another player. This can be either duets or playing the same thing together. Sight-reading alone is not nearly as beneficial.
j. Decide on tomorrow’s goals.
k. Now its all behind you; you’ve set very specific goals, worked hard to achieve them, and tested yourself with a run-through. If you’ve done this and succeeded you have something to show for it and should feel a great sense of accomplishment.
l. Think about the following quotes everyday:
o Nothing happens but unless first a dream
o Go for it! Life is not a dress rehearsal
o All gave some, but some give all. Which am I?
Duets – Find another musician to play with. You can also play solos and etudes together.
This is one of the best ways to improve sight-reading, and it’s a good time.
Listening – Find recordings of professionals that play your instrument and other Instruments. Go and hear as many live performances as you can!
Join Your Professional Association – Make an effort to purchase a membership to your applied professional association, The International Saxophone Home Page www.saxophone.org. They will often supply you with journals, performance dates, articles, and related materials to help you in the study of your instrument.
Buying Your Own Music – You should buy and own as much music for your instrument as you can afford. Often in auditions, contests, or competitions copies are not permitted and can get you disqualified.