ALTO SAXOPHONE BOOK 1

Instrument Sidekick
 Opening the Case

Uh oh! It will probably fall off

On a flat Lifting the Mr. Archie’s lap. It’s NOT a flat
surface. latch. surface.
Handle is
underneath the
opening.
 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
Put it slowly on
your tongue.

Take the reed out of the “reed guard”.

Be careful!! They break easily.

Hold it with your lips, NOT your teeth.

4
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.

Angle the neck

towards your
mouth, and
tighten the
screw.

Make sure these 2 keys do

SHORT twists back and forth!
not bang against each other.
 Putting the Instrument Together-5
This is the
LIGATURE!!!
This is VERY
important…..
and breakable.

Take off the ligature and put it down

Mouthpiece. Take off mouthpiece Loosen (do NOT unscrew) both somewhere close.
cover (if you have one.) screws of the ligature.

Careful putting the ligature on!

Hold the neck while Put the flat end of the reed on
you screw on the the mouthpiece. Hold in place Make sure the
mouthpiece. with your thumb. ligature is past the
indent, and the reed
is snug. Tighten the
screws.

7
 Left Hand
This is the Octave Key represented with an ‘O’.
When you see ‘O’ for a fingering, press this key.
O
Thumb goes on this circle in the back.

Do not press these keys. X

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

Thumb goes here on the back. Rest the saxophone on

your right leg.
4
When you see fingerings with the 5
numbers 4, 5 and/or 6, press the
fingers as represented here. 6
 Embouchure (Lip Muscles)
Upper teeth DO
touch the
mouthpiece.

Roll lower lip over lower teeth to protect the reed.

Cover the rest to keep air from escaping.

 First Notes
B A G
Middle line of staff. 2nd space from the bottom. 2nd line from the bottom.
1 1
1
2 2 X
3 1
START EVERY NOTE: X
Hot Cross Buns 23
B-A-G-------- Touching the tip of your tongue to the tip of
B-A-G-------- the reed in your mouth. It’s like saying, “Thoo.”
GGGG-AAAA
B-A-G--------

After you get it down, see if you can do the higher 4

version by adding the octave key! 5
6

Also ‘B’. Just add octave key. ‘A’ with octave key. ‘G’ with octave key.
 Reed Maintenance Be careful as you put the thin end
of the reed in it’s protective case.

Hold reed with thumb while you loosen the ligature screws.

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

Grab the smaller swab, and pull it through the mouthpiece.

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

Loosen neck screw.

Swab out the neck with the small swab.

Put the swab and neck

back in the case.
 Putting the Instrument Away-3
Get all of the string
through the sax.

Grab the larger swab.

Put the weight in the top.

Hold forward and upside down to get

Pull through.
the weight to fall out of the bell.
 Putting the Instrument Away-4
Unlatch.

Put the End Plug

back on.

Don’t forget to latch the

case closed!!!

Take off the strap.

Remember to hold the BELL!

 More BAG Songs
Mary Had A Little Lamb

B-A-G-A-B-B-B----
A-A-A----- B 1
Squeaking?
B-B-B----- Check: A 2
B-A-G-A-B-B-B-B -The reed position. 3
A-A-B-A-G-------- G
-The reed’s condition.
-Ligature placement.
Au Claire de la Lune (French) -That you’re pressing the
keys all the way down.
-Embouchure.
G-G-G-A-B----A----- -Posture. (How you sit.)
G-B-A-A-G-------- -That your leg isn’t
G-G-G-A-B----A----- bumping other keys.
G-B-A-A-G---------

Can you play all of the songs in both octaves?

17
 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 O=Octave
X (Do NOT press the 1st key.) O-1 Key
For D: Right next to
2 only!! 2 your left
Press the
3 thumb.
octave key
For C: Press down the 2nd finger, but 4
with your
keep all of your other fingers up, 5
thumb,
including your 1st finger! 6
and all 6 of
your
fingers.

18
 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 Good King Wenceslas Dreydle Dreydle

B-B-B---- B-B-B----- C-C-C-D- D-B-D-B-D-B-----------B-

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

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 2 Ways to Write Them
F# Still F#,
because the
sharp is in
the key
Bottom Space with a Sharp. signature.
1
2 # =An accidental that raises the pitch, called a ‘Sharp’.
It can be in front of the note, or they can put it in
3 No 4th Finger. the front of the staff (called a key signature).

Accidental =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?
• ______________________
What is a beat?
_______________________
How about this one? How do we keep track of
beats?
____________________ _______________________

And this one? What does it mean?

___________________ _________________
___________________

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 Count To 4 (But In Your Head)
• On any note practice: Eighth notes.

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

Count the numbers in your head!

These are
the beats! These are Think a number when
Tap them the upbeats! you step down.
each with So your foot
your foot. must be UP!

BAR LINES DIVIDE THE

MEASURES!!!!
Think “and” when
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your foot goes up.
 A Little Easier….
Quarter Notes

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

Foot Stompin’ Test!!!

1

25
 Composer

First Time ‘Reading’ A Song

Bile Them Cabbage Down Traditional

Title 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!!

This is the test page for Orange Belt!

Bile Them Cabbage Down Traditional

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

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more time.
 Longer and Longer Rhythms
Half Notes Get 2 Beats

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
thoooooo thooooo
Whole Notes Get 4 Beats!!

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
thoooooooooooooo
Rhythm And Foot Test!!!

27
 Old Songs, But How They Really Look!
Remember, do NOT write in the names of the notes!

Good King Wenceslas John M. Neale

Jingle Bells Traditional

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 New Songs: Can Ya Figure Them Out?
E London Bridge English Folk Song
O-1
2
3
4
5

A dotted half note is 3 beats!

Old Macdonald Traditional Folk Song

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How Do We Know When NOT To Play?
NOTES RESTS What’s Their Name?

___________________
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 and
2 and
3 and
4 and
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
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The ‘Rest’ of the Songs You Already
Know What are the names of
the songs?

___________________

___________________

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

E ___________________

___________________

___________________
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 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?

Where’s the ligature, bell, octave key?

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Nearly All Notes (Octave Key Power)
As you add fingers:
Just add the octave key!
X B
1
X
2 C
3 A
Just fingering ‘2’

G F#

Fingering: 123-5-

Take special note of the

4
E difference between ‘F’ and ‘F#’!
5
6
D
 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’)
Slurs: Blow through without ‘Tonguing’. Just
change the fingers exactly at the right times.
Here Comes The Principal (or Romulans) Allen T. Archie

C#: NO KEYS!!!!
The Fellowship Make sure the you
Howard Shore move to the next
‘system’, and not
This ‘Key
just to the next
Signature’ means
line.
that ALL F’s AND
C’s are #!

‘Ties’ look like slurs,

but connect the SAME
“Fermata”=Hold pitches to make them
last longer, usually
across barlines.
Physically you play
them like you do the
slurs, just don’t change
fingers.
 Major Scale: G AND ‘Concert Bb’

Dotted 8th – 16th

Dotted Quarter Note
and 8th
What song does this end with?
________________________ 1 2 3 4 and

Remember downbeats and upbeats?

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

36
 Mapping-1
Allen T. Archie
Saxophone Is Really Heavy

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

Pick Up Notes: Count the missing beats first.

See next page to learn this note.

 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
Battle of the Heroes John Williams

Angry Flying Creatures Ari Pulkkinen

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
Traditional
Baby Bumblebee

Also Sprach Zarathustra Richard Strauss

The Sorceror’s Apprentice Paul Dukas

This key
signature
make all B’s
flat.

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 2 New Scales
This page is the test for Red Belt.
(It must be done from memory during your next lesson.)
D Major Scale (Concert F)

C is sharp.

F Scale (Concert Ab)

B is flat.

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

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 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”!