Is the alto sax fingering similar to the clarinet?

Question

i can play a little clarinet, but i want to learn sax. is it similar?

Answer 1

yes,

I play both including baritone sax

Answer 2

its more similar to the flute though

Answer 3

same or very similar fingering i know plenty of people who have switched

Answer 4

Kind of... the sax is built on octaves (8 notes til you repeat the fingering) and clarinet is built on registers (12 notes til you repeat the fingering).

So sax fingerings are the same as for the clarinet's 2nd FULL octave.

*The low "C" (one ledger line below the staff) on *ANY sax- sopranno, alto, tenor, and bari*- is fingered the same way as you would finger the middle of the staff "C" on clarinet.  *ALL saxes have the same fingerings!*

Sax is actually a lot easier, as the pattern just repeats (til you get into the altissimo range), and you have less to worry about with your pinkies.  If you have clarinet experience, sax is a breeze to pick up.

Also, the embochure is similar, though the air is directed slightly more straight (if that makes any sense, lol).  You'll see what I mean if you switch.  You may have a problem of playing too sharp at first, so remember to relax.

Good luck,have fun, and happy playing! :)

Answer 5

Sax is a lot easier than clarinet. As you know, the clarinet over-blows by 12 tones. Because the sax has a conical bore (it gets bigger as it goes away from your mouth), it overblows by an octave. So the fingering for, say, G, is the same in either register. Also the embouchure for sax is easier than clarinet. (Although you may need a little while to adjust yourself to it).

Alto is E-flat, as a mere tenor player, I _think_ the top register on the clarinet should line up with the alto. (On the B-flat saxes, the fingering lines up with the lower register of the clarinet).

Apart from that, the basic fingering is the same, but the extension keys, especially the ones for your little fingers, differ from the clarinet. The main difference is that you don't get little finger keys duplicated for left and right hands, as on the clarinet. The best thing would be to get a fingering chart.

Happy jamming. Sax is heaps of fun.

*** Um, yeah. I realised that I got the registers mixed up just afterwards. You can probably tell that I haven't played in a while. Too long.

Answer 6

if you know how to play a clarinet the reed is similar, but the fingering is a little more complex, more like a flute. If you know how to play both of these you shoud get along fine, but if you don't then I suggest go to a music store and get a beginners book here is my favorite and the one I learned with on clarinet, just print it out and take it with you if you need to http://dnrmusicstore.com/graphics/Accent...

Best of luck ^_^

Answer 7

The alto sax is also really close fingering to Flute if you were thinking about switching !!!