The Art of Saxophone Playing

The author doesn't want to teach the player improvisation and such things, although they are widely required. His aim is "craftsmanship", and his background when he wrote the book was to make the saxophone more common to "classical music". Teal's idea is that the saxophone player only can be an artist if he masters the technical matters of his instrument, and then he can proceed to playing what he likes. His book is a very good help for every player to learn everything what is necessary for a good playing skill.


A professional's opinion   April 10, 2001
private (Canada)
44 out of 49 found this review helpful

Hello there fellow saxophone players. I hold degrees in classical and jazz saxophone. I've been playing for 16 years and teaching for 10. This book is a good read, and provides much of the supplementary information that can help you on your way. However, there is no substitute for a great teacher. Any teacher worth their salt will lend their copy of this book to you, by the way. A comment about the information on the emboucher. There are generally two ways of forming the emboucher, this is more tense of the two. So that poor guy from China that changed his emboucher to a closed position (as opposed to lip out) no doubt that was a lot of work. A beautiful sound is the goal, whichever emboucher you choose. You may email me at funk347@excite.com if you have more questions about saxophone playing. I'd recommend everyone buy this book for an interesting and informative read. If you're learning the saxophone on your own, you need a book with music! I'd suggest Rubank Elementary Method for Saxophone


Seems that everybody's got it wrong in Czech Republic...   October 14, 2001
Leo Hanus (Zlin, Czech Republic)
24 out of 25 found this review helpful

at least all the teachers I met through the 14 years of amusing myself by publicly pretending that I know how to play the instrument. No wonder that it seemed so hard, for nobody ever told me my embouchure was too tight (taken from clarinet), my posture was wrong, my fingers did a lot of excessive movements... Altissimo register? Alternative fingerings? Double-tonguing? All I could get was but fuzzy fragments of information.

Now I got it. It's all there, clear, all terms defined, even some useful physical background revealed. It'll probably take another 14 years to get rid of all them bad habits, but many things I FELT before, I KNOW now (example: I used to feel uncomfortable about some things recommended in another method book, unfortunately the only one available in Czech language - just the same things are named in Art of... as beginners mistakes), so I'm convinced I'm on the right path. This is probably the most important point - the book is in accordance with what my ears, mouth, lungs etc. "think", and I can feel the improvements every day. Very satisfying. My teachers can now learn from me. So - if there's no chance for you to get a good teacher, buy this book. Period.


A Must for Every Saxophonist   February 24, 2003
Daniel Graser (Wappingers Falls, New York United States)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I don't care if you play jazz, classical, fusion, or pop you must buy this book if you're a saxophonist. No book even comes close to the sheer amount of information on the saxophone in this book by the greatest sax pedagogue, Larry Teal. You will learn about sax mutes, reeds, articulation, fingerings, altissimo, technique, history, and tons more. Great for beginners and college students looking for some info on their instrument. Wonderful teaching aid. Highly recommended.