Which Saxophone is the Easiest to Play?

If you’ve thought about picking up the saxophone, you might be interested in finding out which one is going to be the easiest to learn. I remember having the same question when I first decided that I wanted to learn the saxophone, so I took some time to do some research to provide the most thorough answer possible.

So, which saxophone is the easiest to play? The alto saxophone and tenor saxophone are the easiest to learn. These instruments are easier compared to the soprano and baritone saxophones because they allow for easier control of tone and intonation, requiring less expertise to make them sound good.

You should keep in mind that the saxophone which you will find easiest is going to be the one which you are most motivated to play. If you really love the baritone or soprano sax, then you will be more motivated to practice it and will ultimately find it easier.

That being said, let’s discuss what exactly makes the alto saxophone the easiest. I’ll then get into why I think the tenor saxophone is just slightly more challenging, and why I think the soprano sax and baritone sax are the most difficult for beginners.

Why the alto and tenor saxophones are easier

The first thing to keep in mind is that both the larger saxophones and the smaller saxophones are going to be difficult for different reasons. So, the easiest saxophones to play are probably going to be the ones of medium size.

When we are concerned with how easy or difficult an instrument is, we generally care about:

How easy it is to produce a good sound (or any sound, for that matter)
How easy it is to play the instrument in tune
How easy the technique and fingerings are (in other words, how many times are you going to have to run through your scales before your muscle memory figures out how to play a pitch exactly when you need to)

If you are specifically interested in picking up the saxophone, the third point is no problem. All saxophones have the same fingerings, so you don’t need to worry that having good finger dexterity will be more important on one specific kind of saxophone than on any other.

The first and second points, however, can vary greatly by the type of saxophone that you play.

Easier to adjust intonation

The alto and tenor saxophones often have reasonably stable intonation. The soprano saxophone on the other hand is known to be notoriously out of tune, especially for the high notes.

The reason for this is that the instrument is so small that even the slightest adjustment to one’s embouchure or the position of the mouthpiece can drastically change the pitch and the tone of the instrument. When such small adjustments make such a big difference, it tends to take more skill to maintain an even sound. Beginners might make unintentional adjustments without realizing it.

Yet, at the other end of the spectrum, the baritone saxophone can end up having similar problems for the opposite reason. The bari sax is so large that even if you want to change your pitch, you might not be able to do so because it takes extremely large adjustments to make a noticeable difference.

In some ways, this can actually make the bari sax easier. The tone tends to be more stable, and the larger mouthpiece naturally encourages the musician to have a more relaxed embouchure.

However, tuning still may be a difficulty. If you are playing the bari sax and one pitch happens to be out of tune, you might have a really hard time getting it back in tune since it probably won’t budge. Yet if a pitch is out of tune on the soprano sax and you try to adjust it, you might completely overshoot.

The alto and tenor saxophones have fewer difficulties when it comes to being able to manipulate one’s tone and intonation. You’ll be able to make deliberate adjustments in your mouth while playing and notice a difference without always overshooting or undershooting. In this respect, the alto and tenor saxophones tend to be the “happy medium.”

Alto and tenor saxophone players can “get away” with less air support

Another component of how easy or difficult an instrument is to play is how much effort it takes to produce a sound. In this case, I’m equating “effort” with air support.

The bari saxophone is so large that you might find yourself running out of steam quickly. If you aren’t using enough air support, then your sound won’t be any good no matter how refined your embouchure might be.

I said earlier that the larger mouthpiece of the bari sax can actually make the instrument easier to play since it encourages a more relaxed embouchure. The fact that you need to have lungs of steel to play such a large instrument is a key drawback.

In general, it is always a good idea to play a wind instrument with plenty of air support. If you are still working on supporting your sound with full, deep breaths, however, then you will probably struggle less with the alto and tenor saxophones than you will the bari sax.

This is one area that soprano saxophonists might have it easier. Even a small amount of air support can produce a sound on the soprano saxophone (though again, keep in mind that the best saxophonists will always precede playing with a full breath in through the diaphragm). Of course, the turbulent intonation and tone of the soprano sax mentioned earlier can still make it difficult for many beginners.

A smaller factor – reed difficulties

I will admit that this particular point does not necessarily relate to how difficult the instruments themselves are to play, but rather to how easy or difficult it is to maintain the reeds of the saxophone.

In general, I have found that on larger saxophones, the reeds are more difficult to maintain. On larger saxophones, the reeds are also larger, and hence tend to wear and warp more quickly.

This is one area where the alto saxophone might be slightly easier than the tenor saxophone. The tenor sax has rather large reeds which tend to warp quickly, and the reeds for the bari sax have the same problem.

The reeds become practically useless once they warp, since they will produce an ugly sound and perhaps even cause us to squeak. This problem can be eliminated by using a plastic reed, but keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to run away from cane reeds forever since they produce a richer sound.

The reeds on the alto saxophone are a little bit more durable. They won’t warp quite as quickly (plus you get more of them per box), so you might find them easier to work with as you are growing accustomed to using reeds.

Alto versus tenor – which one is easier?

Given that I recommend both of these instruments as being the easiest, you might wonder if one is ultimately easier than the other. I would say that it comes down to personal preference; the alto sax is easier in some ways, while the tenor sax easier in others.

The alto saxophone is a smaller instrument with a smaller mouthpiece, which means it will be a little bit more difficult to control and produce a good sound on.

However, the tenor sax is going to require a bit more air support, and as such the low notes might be more difficult to get out. Also beware the reed issue I mentioned earlier; if you are a complete beginner, a high-quality plastic reed might be a good investment.

Otherwise, it is difficult to pick one of the two as being easier than the other. Pick the one that you like better and feel more inclined to practice, and that will be the one which you will find easier.

Another factor – size

In general, smaller saxophones are more suitable for children than the larger instruments. If someone is trying to learn the saxophone, they need to both be able to handle the weight of it and to reach the various keys with their hands. If they can’t do both of these things, then they probably need a smaller instrument.

Although the alto and tenor saxophones tend to be easier anyway, this is doubly so for children who can’t yet hold the larger bari sax. There are enough difficulties associated with trying to learn a new instrument already that they don’t need the additional burden of struggling to hold it.

Which Saxophone is the Easiest to Play?