Page 31 - 2018-BMR-April

ALTO SAXOPHONE—
TO THE SIDE OR
BETWEEN THE LEGS? Are you
L
H by Neal Postma a teacher?

onestly, this is one of the more debated questions in the
saxophone pedagogy world. This is more debated than brands of
saxophone to start on, what reed strengths to play on, mouthpiece
choices, etc. And it draws some very passionate arguments. Here is my
take and the reasons I have to support them.
Let’s start with alto sax, the others will be discussed later. More
important than where you put the saxophone to play is what it does
with your body as a result. You want the mouthpiece to enter the
mouth without having to bend your neck to the side, up or down.
At the same time, your wrists should not be obstructed or resting on JOIN THE D’ADDARIO
the leg. Beginner players are generally smaller, so if they put the horn
between their legs, the lower stack of keys will be too low. As a result, EDUCATION
the student will cock their wrist to reach the keys because their leg is
in the way. For these COLLECTIVE
students, I have them
put their horn to
the side of their leg. Get access to educational
As a student grows, resources, promotions, product
their legs get bigger, testing opportunities, a dynamic
so if they keep the
saxophone to the profile page and more. Win gear
side, the angle gets and other exclusive prizes!
bigger and bigger.
Eventually, it will be Visit: www.daddario.com/dec
the point that they
will need to turn or cock their head to reach the saxophone. At this JOIN TODAY
point, they are likely tall enough that they can place it between their
legs without obstructing the wrist.
So, in short, I believe that both are used depending on the size of the
student. Tenor and baritone, however, always to the side! This is not
disputed like alto. These horns are far too big to put between the legs.

Saxophonist and pedagogue NEAL POSTMA holds degrees from the University
of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (MM) and the University of Colorado
(BM) and is a currently a DMA Candidate at the University of South Carolina
where he serves as an Instructor of Music Appreciation. He is also on the faculty of
Claflin University teaching applied lessons on saxophone. As a concert saxophonist
Neal has performed across the United States, Europe and Asia. He has given recitals
at universities and various regional, national and international conferences.

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