{"id":40844,"date":"2014-03-07T11:13:21","date_gmt":"2014-03-07T19:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=40844"},"modified":"2024-06-12T09:41:01","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T16:41:01","slug":"getting-right-sax-university-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2014\/getting-right-sax-university-study\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting The Right Saxophone For University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting the right saxophone for university isn’t as easy as picking one out on eBay or Craigslist. It takes some time, careful planning, research, and yes, in the end, money. I’m hoping this article will provide some help for both students and parents alike, before some costly mistakes are made.<\/p>\n

The Backstory<\/h2>\n

A little over a month ago I started playing baritone in a new symphonic band that formed about a year ago. One of the members of that group is our young lead alto player\u2014a grade 11 student\u2014who has plans to continue studying music in university. He is currently in the process of picking out what school to attend for his music degree.<\/p>\n

Last week Dave (not his real name) started up a conversation with me during our break, and told me a bit about himself. He explained that he is a tenor player first, and that the alto he is using actually belongs to a friend of his. He was hoping to get my input into what kind of alto saxophone he should buy.<\/p>\n

The first question that I asked him is what kind of tenor he has. It turns out that he\u2019s got a late 1940s Buescher. Vintage Bueschers are great horns, but was it the right saxophone for university? So I asked him: What university are you planning on attending? He told me which one, and why. I found his choice interesting, because I didn\u2019t even know that the school had a music program.<\/p>\n

My next question was this: Have you contacted the saxophone professor at the school to find out what saxophone brand(s) are acceptable, or if it matters to them? Some schools\/profs are brand-specific in their requirements, and don\u2019t like\/accept anything other than brand X in their programs.<\/p>\n

\"Silver<\/a><\/p>\n

King Silver Sonic, Serial # ? Source: Randy Cole on eBay.com<\/span><\/p>\n

I gave him an example of a personal experience that I had when I first attended university. I didn\u2019t check with the prof before going there, and soon found that my King Super 20 was not welcome in the classically oriented performance program. It was most definitely not the right saxophone for university. Only a Selmer Mark VI would do. Not even the Selmer Mark VII, or the Super Action 80 (Series I) were acceptable.<\/p>\n

I strongly suggested to Dave that before he buys an alto sax, he check with the saxophone prof at the university, and see if he\/she has a preference or requirement in the brand department. This simple step can avoid nasty surprises down the road, and ultimately save quite a bit of money.<\/p>\n

What’s the best way to get the right saxophone for university?<\/h2>\n

When I was actively teaching, I had lots of students who wanted to pursue music in university. Speak to the prof before deciding on what horn to buy<\/i>, was always the first thing I said before helping my students decide on what model of professional saxophone to upgrade to.<\/p>\n

Last summer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, Dr. Bret Pimentel\u2014an Assistant Professor of Music at Delta State University<\/a>\u2014wrote a very good article about just this topic for his website, Bret Pimentel Woodwinds<\/i>. In Buying a new instrument for college-level study<\/a>, Bret explains the reasons why discussing the purchase with your would-be prof ahead of time is so important. Included in his reasons are the following:<\/p>\n