Hi everyone,

Seeing as the tenor and alto are in different keys and pitch, is it possible for the alto to play tenor lines? I don`t mean using the alto to read tenor sheet music.

For example two songs I like are played by tenor sax players:

1. Tears In Heaven - Joshua Redman w/ Pat Metheny, from Redman`s CD `Wish`.

2. Fred`s Life - Charlie Hunter Trio, with Dave Ellis on tenor sax, from the CD `Charlie Hunter Trio`.

So, is it possible, say, to take the tenor out and replace it with an alto, everything else stays the same (ie. all other instruments playing the same chords in the same key as previously).

Would the alto be playing lines that are out of its range? Or would the alto be able to handle the tenor lines/key quite capably without sounding out of place?

Would the songs have to be transposed to a more suitable key for the alto sax?

just transpose the tenor lines to alto lines. that is, from B flat to E flat. then you`re set.

You may already know this but Tenor sounds a major 9th higher than concert pitch, Alto a Major 6th, ie: Concert Bb, Tenor Plays a C (Major 2nd plus an octive), Alto plays a G. Therefore an Alto plays a 5th higher than tenor, written notation not concert pitch. It would be possible to play the music on alto but you will more than likely be at a lower range than your alto can play, So you will probably have to transpose the whole tune up a fifth, to fit your alto, even though it will sound higher than written (I hope this makes sense to you). I like to play solos as written, by other saxophonists not by pitch. I play out of an Eb Charlie Parker Omnibook with both alto and tenor. I would rather have the rhythm section section transpose than me, not because I don`t want to, it is to make sure that the song doesn`t go out of the range of my horn. Take a look at the Bb Charlie Parker Omnibook, you will see that some tunes are too low for saxs to play.
Good luck I hope this gives you some insight, I am a big Metheny and Redman fan myself.

Keep Playing
CJ

hi roman and cjbass thanks for your replies.

cjbass that was exactly what I was looking for. I was asking these questions because I`m trying to decide which sax to pick up. I have had years of experience on the piano and more recently on the double bass and electric bass so music in that sense is not entirely new to me.

I`ve always liked the sound of the tenor and the soprano and recently I had a chance to try out a tenor, a soprano and an alto. I found the alto much easier to handle so I`m considering starting with that first and then graduating to the tenor later. What I liked about the alto was that I could start playing it right away (albeit sounding like a beginner), the smaller size, and the smaller cost.

The other alternative I was considering was starting off with the tenor right away but I just haven`t been able to get a decent sound out of it other than screeching honks, it`s bigger and heavier and costs a bit more than an alto. So my impression is that it`ll take me much longer to get anywhere with the tenor. My only concern is that I may not be able to play my fav tenor tunes without transposing everything up into alto range first.

I actually started on tenor and did not start playing alto until college. I will admit that alto is easier to handle than tenor. I found changing to alto was very easy. I don`t know why but I found that most tenor players don`t mind playing all the saxophones, but most alto players I meet do not like playing tenor. While this is obviously not true in all cases, its just something I have become aware of.

I don`t really think it will matter what sax that you start on, being an adult, it is usually better to go from alto to tenor as a younger student. This is mainly, I think, due to size, I could barely carry my tenor home, so I never practiced as a youngster.
Go with what you like.

Good luck
CJ