[Saxophone] Recommended practice songs for saxophone beginners: Famous tunes you’ll want to try playing
When it comes to star instruments that shine across genres from jazz and classical to pop, the saxophone surely comes to mind.
Whether it’s the tenor sax or the alto sax, many people have been inspired by the sight of someone masterfully playing sax in a band or ensemble and thought, “I want to give it a try too.” Some may first encounter the instrument after joining a school wind band.
In this article, we introduce recommended practice pieces for brand-new saxophonists who are ready to start working on songs, regardless of genre.
These are all famous tunes with plenty of beginner-friendly sheet music available, and if you can perform even a bit of a melody everyone knows, you’re sure to bring down the house with applause! Take a look.
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[Saxophone] Recommended practice pieces for saxophone beginners. Famous songs you’ll want to try playing (1–10)
Please give me wingsNEW!Murai Kunihiko
This is “Tsubasa o Kudasai” by Akai Tori, which is also included in music textbooks.
When looking for practice pieces, the easiest ones to practice are, after all, songs you already know.
If it’s a familiar song, the lyrics and rhythm are often already in your head, and practice tends to go well because you can learn to read the sheet music and work on matching your fingerings with the melody you know.
“Tsubasa o Kudasai” isn’t fast in tempo, it’s easy to follow the notation slowly, and the notes often move stepwise without big leaps, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.
The best outcome is to be able to read the score and play it, but at first it’s good to recall how you sing it, realize that when the familiar melody is written out it takes this kind of rhythm, memorize that, and then play it on your instrument as is.
Look up at the stars in the nightNEW!izumi taku
If you’re just starting on the saxophone, a famous song you might want to try is Kyu Sakamoto’s classic “Ue o Muite Arukou” (Sukiyaki) / “Look Up at the Stars at Night” (Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o).
Melodic instruments pair exceptionally well with vocals, and the saxophone in particular often carries the melody in school bands and community wind ensembles.
If you’re thinking of joining an ensemble, being able to play vocal-based melodies you’ve practiced will make you a valuable member, even as a beginner with some experience.
When practicing well-known songs, the key is to align the sung melody you hear with the rhythm on the score and your fingerings.
Start by carefully learning the written rhythms and fingerings so you can phrase it as the original vocal does.
Simply being able to play it accurately without mistakes is already great progress.
And if you can add dynamics and expression so it doesn’t sound monotonous, that’s even better!
The Do-Re-Mi SongNEW!Richard Rodgers
The song “Do-Re-Mi” often appears as a recommendation for beginners who’ve just started playing various instruments, begun strumming, or started studying singing.
In the original, from The Sound of Music, it’s sung in the scene where the heroine, Maria Rainer, teaches the von Trapp children the names of the notes.
Because you can casually sing it while learning note names, it’s frequently suggested as a practice piece for many who are just starting to play an instrument.
The melody also ascends by scale degrees, and the key gradually develops and rises, making it a perfect piece for learning scales and beginning to play melodies.
However, the saxophone is a transposing instrument: for alto and baritone sax, the written “Do” sounds as E-flat, and for soprano and tenor sax, the written “Do” sounds as B-flat.
This means the notes on the page do not match concert pitch.
Please be careful not to memorize the song’s solfège syllables as if they match the saxophone’s sounding pitches directly—you’ll have trouble when playing with other instruments.
[Saxophone] Recommended Practice Pieces for Sax Beginners: Famous Songs You’ll Want to Try Playing (11–20)
My favoriteNEW!Richard Rodgers
“My Favorite Things” from the classic masterpiece The Sound of Music.
When it comes to The Sound of Music, “Do-Re-Mi” is famous, but “My Favorite Things” is also a song from The Sound of Music.
Many of the videos introduced are in 4/4 time, but this piece is in 3/4, a waltz.
Be careful—the measures progress differently from the other videos.
Count the beats firmly—one, two, three—so you don’t fall behind and keep with the rhythm.
It’s fine to start slowly; just make sure not to hesitate between beats as you get used to the 3/4 meter.
Green SleevesNEW!Inguranndo min’yō
One piece that often appears in collections of beloved tunes you’ll want to play is the English folk song Greensleeves.
For beginners, 4/4 time may feel more straightforward, but this piece is written in 6/8.
Seeing music progress with six eighth notes per measure can be confusing at first, but remember that pieces can use a variety of time signatures.
Since three eighth notes make one beat, be careful not to count a single beat just because you see a quarter note—doing so will throw off the measure’s progression.
Also watch out for rhythms that combine a dotted quarter note, sixteenth notes, and eighth notes.
Listen carefully to the original rhythm and practice so that your sense of rhythm and the flow of the beats line up.
In the demo video, the piece is arranged with a jazzy flavor.
Once you get used to it, give it a try.
strollNEW!Hisaishi Joe
This is “Sanpo,” the theme song from the feature-length animation My Neighbor Totoro, a hallmark of Studio Ghibli.
You can hear Azumi Inoue’s bright and lively singing.
Studio Ghibli’s fame has reached overseas, but many Japanese people can probably sing “Sanpo.” As a famous song, it has been arranged in many ways and introduced even for those touching an instrument for the first time.
The demo video is for alto sax, but tenor and soprano sax players should look for B-flat sheet music to practice.
It’s best if you can play it as cheerfully and brightly as the song itself!
My Neighbor TotoroNEW!Hisaishi Joe
My Neighbor Totoro, a feature-length animated film produced by Studio Ghibli, is one of its signature works.
Like “Sanpo,” this piece was composed by Joe Hisaishi with lyrics by director Hayao Miyazaki, created as a duo.
Because it’s an animated film that both children and adults can enjoy, the theme song is characterized by being easy to understand and sing—and of course, easy to play on instruments as well.
Since it’s a song everyone knows, practicing it and learning to play it is a step toward delivering performances that delight others.
There are no difficult phrases, so let’s aim to play it with a beautiful sound!