What instrument should I play for band?

Question

I want to join concert band next year and I was wondering what instrument I should play. I've been thinking about the Alto Saxophone. Will I be able to be at concert level by the end of summer if I practice everyday for a bit? I'll go for lessons also. For those who play the sax, was it easy for you when you first started? Thanks!!

Answer 1

I play the clarinet and it was always easy for me, it just comes easy for some people. I know that in our school we had to play a starting instrument for a year and then we could bump up to a harder instrument the next year and people would learn, say, the oboe over summer vacation and comeback and play it perfectly. You would need lessons like you said. Our band directors wouldn't let us touch our instuments before they taught us everything we should know.

Answer 2

i played the sax for about 4 years before i moved on an d it was a very easy instument to learn...so was the the trombone and the clarinet...any of those really

Answer 3

you could learn almost any band instrument over the summer if you try. (exception maybe oboe and french horn? and even then with lessons and regular practice you could most likely).

pick based off what instrument you like the sound (or even look!) of, not what other people think is easy!

every instrument is difficult to master, but almost any can be learned up to a point with a little effort (and a teacher helps! definitely get the lessons)

pick what you like, and you'll have a blast :D band is great, and playing an instrument is really fun.  

be warned, though, once you get started, if you're anything like me, you'll want to keep going untill you've learned them all! ;-)

Answer 4

oh yeah,

it was the first intrument I learned and the hardest part is just your embochure and getting good tones out of the mouthpiece, other than that It's just learning the whole theory of notes, and all that.

=)

Answer 5

Sax is too easy to play as a beginner.  you won't learn fast technique because beginner sax parts in concert band are pretty boring.  Save the Sax for once you've become good at either the Clarinet or flute.  Then you can double on Sax in Jazz/Stage band but keep playing clarinet (or flute) in concert band.

Clarinet is a good basic beginner instrument that most students can play fairly easily at the beginning.  But you'll pay for it cuz it gets harder once you start getting over the break, probably about halfway through your first year.  

Flute is pretty tough at the beginning for most students because it is difficult to get a good sound at first.  A lot of the fingerings are relatively complicated too, compared to the clarinet or sax.  

I notice you didn't mention any brass instruments so I won't even go there!

Answer 6

saxis kind of easy and you might be concert ready but it has difficult hand positions. the easiest band instrument to play is the fkute because the hand positions are not that difficult. it is however somwhat hard to learn how to correctly blow into it but from personal experience i've found it to be quite easy.