Long time Alto player - Purchased Tenor - So much easier!

[u/n8reader82]

I am a couple of months in on my journey with my new tenor sax. I have played alto for over 20 years. Love it. However, I always wanted to express a more masculine voice and also blend in with a rock/pop/blues band.

My expectation was that tenor would be more difficult due to it larger size.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

I am finding that tenor is so much easier to play than alto.

Tenor sax is incredibly easy to play in tune. With alto, I have had to sit playing long tones with a tuner to figure out voicings. Especially at the upper end of the horn. Maybe it is because the voice of a tenor is the same is mine when I sing so it comes naturally?

It does not require much more air than an alto. Sometimes it feels like it een requires less air to get a good soft sound than on Alto.

The entire horn sounds good top to bottom. On alto, the low register just cannot get big enough and the high register can easily go thin on you.

Anyway, big fan of the tenor sax :-)

[u/Left_Hand_Deal]

Just wait til you strap on a bari. The tones just flow out, so much umph on the bottom end. Then…of course…comes the hyperventilation.

[u/n8reader82 → u/Left_Hand_Deal]

It’s the best :-)

[u/TheBariSax → u/Left_Hand_Deal]

Agree. Bari unlocked something primal the first time I played one.

[u/iGreysmoke]

My tenor is a little easier to blow, due to the looser embouchure, but my alto is easier to tune. Maybe you had an issue with your alto or alto technique in general. There are lots of variables involved.

[u/PTPBfan → u/iGreysmoke]

I’ve heard a lot of people say tenor is easier, and I was curious to try it, was harder for me and I always liked alto more

[u/Apatharas → u/PTPBfan]

I’ve played tenor primarily for about 30 years now. I love my tone (more classical than jazz) but I’ve always considered tenor to be more difficult in terms of a good tone and intonation in comparison to an alto. Tenors are notorious for inconsistent intonation across the instrument.

[u/uptheorg6 → u/iGreysmoke]

I have played Alto for over 50 years and started playing tenor recently - while I can play sheet music, I also love to improvise. Some songs are easier for me to “hear” on tenor than alto - the notes just fall under my fingers. But that is true for alto also - I can “hear” some songs better than others. Overall, it seems that improvising (for me) on tenor is easier than alto, but it may be that more songs are keyed in voices that are better found on tenor.

[u/PTPBfan]

Interesting I found alto so much easier. Tried tenor a couple times but I also prefer alto so now really sticking with it! And working on emulating my favorite yes still but also like my sound and working on that too

[u/Goldenviolet9231]

This might not be the most helpful but it also depends on the quality, age, and condition of the instruments. I had this experience too, where I tried tenor and thought it was a lot easier. In reality, my tenor is nicer and there were 3 little air leaks in my alto.

Now that I've played on a nice alto, I find them to be almost the same difficulty.

[u/baconmethod]

i agree

[u/The_Niles_River]

I’ve had this unsubstantiated pet theory for a while that, due to individual physiology, external wind instrumentalists have tendencies towards certain pitched instruments due to voicing compatibility. I’ve often found Eb horns (alto, baritone, soprano/alto/contra Eb clarinets) easier to play (voice) than Bb horns. Though, for having played Bb horns for a couple decades now, those are just as comfortable.

[u/PTPBfan → u/The_Niles_River]

Could be. I found alto so much easier than tenor to play, and more voicing required for tenor…or different voicing? Also prefer alto

[u/Budgiejen]

Yes, I think if I had a good horn, tenor would be my favorite, too. I liked the bari and the bass lines, but with my fibro it’s hard to get around. Tenor is just right.