Absolute Beginners: Alto Saxophone (Absolute Beginners)

The book follows the common theme of a gradual introduction to each of the notes and fingering on your sax, with simple notes and patterns, progressing to simple melodies (some of which require a challenging fleetness of finger!). For each of these stages, the CD (included) demonstrates the saxophone part, complete with other instruments for your "backing group", and is then followed by just the backing for you to play along with. I found this method worked very well, and of course the tonal quality of the CD won't deteriorate or get "out of tune" over time as a cassette is likely to do.

The author shows us the absolute basics - from the components of the sax, through setting it up and the correct posture, to breathing technique and tounging. There are plenty of helpful photos, and many handy hints throughout the book. All the natural notes, covering two octaves, plus rests, key signatures, rhythm and the accidentals are introduced smoothly. A sax fingering guide is included for checking up on the more "advanced" notes. The author understands how to communicate the basics very clearly. It's fair to say though that no book can totally replace a real-life teacher - someone ought to check up on you occasionally to make sure you've interpreted the book right!

The format is slightly bigger than A4 in each dimension, and conveniently opens and remains flat when you're playing your sax, despite its staple-only binding. The disk can be used as a CD-ROM in your computer (but it's not compulsory!), and has links to a couple of Internet suppliers of purchasable sheet music. I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't a site provided by either the publisher or the author from which to download some more musical scores for free (as a service to their book-purchasing customers). This, however, is a minor niggle. There's a "further reading" section at the end of the book.

Overall, I think this book succeeds brilliantly as an "absolute beginners" guide. I found the combination of clarity, intuitiveness and the backing tracks made me want to press on, engage with the music, and experiment; it's been quite inspirational. It has been my springboard to more complex music, yet I still refer to it now for reminders and clarification. This guide is an excellent place to kick off your saxophony!