I’m getting back into playing alto saxophone after about a 10-year break. I recently purchased an original Yamaha YAS-875 Custom, and so far I’m really enjoying it.
A friend mentioned that I should’ve gone with the newer YAS-875EXII instead. The shop I bought it from also has a used EXII for about $500–600 more, and I’m still within the return window, so switching is an option.

I did try both horns using the same mouthpiece and reed, and I felt like i. preferred the original 875. It felt less resistant, more responsive, and the keywork felt more natural, especially when playing chromatic scales. I also preferred its overall sound.

I know the EXII is newer and has some design improvements, but I’m curious how significant those differences really are.
Has anyone played or owned both the original YAS-875 and the EXII? Is the EXII objectively better in certain areas, or is it mostly a matter of personal preference?

My biggest worry is that I’m out of practice and that my judgement may not be as strong as before. So any help would be appreciated.

Tell the story of a deleted scene from Tchaikovsky's Nutrcracker. Arriving late to the festivities, the Sugar Plum Fairy's lesser known cousin shows up just a little inebriated. I guess they just couldn't come up with the right choreography for the Dance of the Coconut Rum Fairy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90XxM1DK1wc&list=PLO1XErYfx_Njn_qmKwLM_Bey8D3vlBbSN

Does anyone know what I can do to get the low notes to come out nice? I'm around 83 percent sure it's an embrochure issue but I have no idea how to fix it. I've watched several videos and none of them address this issue.

Hello all, at the beginning of this year, I found this really cool website that had pictures of saxophones of makes from all around the world! I’ve been trying to find it again recently, but for the life of me, I can’t find it. First identifying information, I remember that it was sorted into countries and then each country it listed each brand. It is not saxpics, though i do love that site. Lmk if anyone knows what I’m talking about! i’ve been searching for all this morning and am wondering if maybe the website doesn’t exist any more..

Hi!! I just picked up my first saxophone today (Selmer T600) and I’m ENTIRELY new to playing. I played vibraphone for years but had to sell it recently and wanted to learn something new to fill my time. I’ve been absorbing YouTube content, but I feel there’s no better place for niche tips and tricks than hearing from an experienced community! Anything ya’ll can share with me that might make my journey a little easier?

I also just wanted to come share my sax; none of my friends really care for music so I just needed some like minded folks to share my excitement with! :)

Trash or na?

Hi everyone!

I'm interested in purchasing a bamboo saxophone from Erik the Flutemaker, but I'm having a hard time deciding between the Natural Alto Sax and the Natural Tenor Sax.

I'm a female with medium-sized hands, and I have a background in playing classical piano. I've always wanted to learn jazz, but I've found it challenging on the piano since I'm more used to classical music. I thought learning jazz on a different instrument might be a fun experience, and Erik's bamboo saxophones really caught my attention because they're so unique!

I'm leaning toward the Natural Tenor Sax because I love deep, warm, and relaxing sounds. However, I watched one of Erik's videos where he recommended the alto for people with smaller hands, so now I'm unsure which one to get.

Has anyone here played either of these instruments? I'd especially love to hear from other women with medium-sized hands who have tried the Natural Tenor Sax. Is the finger spacing comfortable? Does it require a lot of breath control compared to the alto?

I'd really appreciate any recommendations or personal experiences before I make my purchase. Thank you!

https://eriktheflutemaker.com/collections/bamboo-saxophones/products/tenor-bamboo-sax?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAb21jcAU-RO5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAnNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzU2NzA2NzM0MzM1MjQyNwABp-QutPtKEJgv4vEUGrKyVYX7zUzUDE3uf65X2AOtTTLbhnKB1YpXLjzWeX2v_aem_7Ju-ZX4DuJGEvjMD9_BQiA

Ive been doing jazz all of high school and feel like a just cant improve and I just did my final jazz audition for MEA and didn't get into either of the A or B bands but a younger classmate and my close relative did . I feel like I waisted 3 years of practicing because I was aimless during all of it and struggling to motivate myself while practicing and because of that I suck at everything my tone sucks , my soloing sucks and my musicality is horrible when just a couple months ago I was playing decently I feel like Ive retained nothing that I learned and waisted my whole time and should just give up I don't know what to do so I guess I'm going to try here can any of you guys tell me what I should work on because as a musician I feel shallow

The chill in the air means it's time to get ready for the holidays. Time to revisit some of my arrangements before I reveal some new music. The music from the classic How The Grinch Stole Christmas lets out your bari player's mean, green side!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8rfrzsSaiA&list=PLO1XErYfx_Njn_qmKwLM_Bey8D3vlBbSN

Hey there, I don't know if this is the right sub for this kind of question, but a close friend of mine is taking saxophone lessons for quite the time now and is really getting into it (playing in a band and going to private gigs).

Do you have any suggestions for a practical gift he could appreciate or anything specific I should look into?

I started playing the sax recently and wanted to be able to upload any song and play any of the instruments as saxophone. I love Rocksmith for guitar and bass so that was the inspiration.

It's just some vibe coded app but it's completely free and runs in the browser so thought I'd share rather than just keeping to myself! Any feedback is welcome and will be very quickly added.

https://sax-star-score.lovable.app/

I play a Keilwerth SK90R Shadow alto with a Meyer 7 hard rubber mouthpiece. I also have a Selmer C*. I'm using Vandoren 3's, I think blue box.

The tone I'm getting now is a good tone, especially if I were playing in a big band setting, but I want something darker for solo playing. I'm mostly a tenor player too, so that might also be why I'm wanting a darker tone. I've tried different embouchures and still not really getting the sound I want, so I'm looking at mouthpieces now.

I'm looking at the JodyJazz HR* Custom Dark mouth piece, but OttoLink makes another wide baffle mouthpiece that's more affordable. I was hoping someone could give me recommendations. The nearest horn shop by me is over an hour and a half away and I have no means of transportation, so I can't go try out anything right now. I'm leaning towards saving up for the JodyJazz, but I'd love some recommendations on mouthpieces and reeds too!

https://youtu.be/g77CFw8PopA?si=lMfyO9iBOaHGKSjZ

This is part of the soundtrack of my youth - if you grew up Italian in New Jersey in the 1960's, you heard a BUNCH of Sinatra. I think it works nicely on alto. Cheers from Dallas

Cycles - alto sax

This will be one crazy tour story in the future! This was with my band Dionysus.

Link to my band's insta:

https://instagram.com/dionysus.band?exln=MXVmMnk4cTZqa3R5NA%3D%3D

I find organ music can make great source material for saxophone ensembles. Josef Rheinberger has a cycle of sonatas that move through (almost) all the major and minor keys. His first, in C minor has a lovely Andante middle section and ends with an early example of his mastery of fugal counterpoint.

Sorry for poor video quality. What saxophonists do I sound like? Also advice or suggestions are much appreciated. Please and thank you’s.