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

nd nd Middle line of staff. 2 space from the bottom. 2 line from the bottom. 1 1 1 2 2 X 3 1 START EVERY NOTE: X Hot Cross Buns 2 3 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

Hold the neck while you take off the mouthpiece. Grab the smaller swab, and pull it through 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---- B 1 A-A-A----- Squeaking? B-B-B----- Check: A 2 B-A-G-A-B-B-B-B 3 -The reed position. G A-A-B-A-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

st O-1 Key X (Do NOT press the 1 key.) For D: 2 Right next to 2 only!! Press the your left 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)

19 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

20 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------

21 2 Ways to Write Them

F# Still F#, because the sharp is in the key Bottom Space with a Sharp. signature. 1 =An accidental that raises the pitch, called a ‘Sharp’. 2 # 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).

5

=A symbol that changes the pitch of a note. Accidental 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?

______

23 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 24 your foot goes up. A Little Easier…. Quarter Notes

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

Foot Stompin’ Test!!! 1

2

3

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 26 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

28 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

29 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 30 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 ______

______

______31 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?

32 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- F

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

40 Examples

Traditional Baby Bumblebee

Also Sprach Zarathustra Richard Strauss

The Sorceror’s Apprentice Paul Dukas

This key signature make all B’s flat.

41 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?

42 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)

43 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”!