These are a few of the books that have stood the test of time for me. After more than twenty years I still use these exercises.
The Saxophonist’s Workbook: A Handbook of Basic Fundamentals
by Larry Teal
Feels strange to put this one first because sadly it’s out of print. But it was my first important saxophone practice book. My first saxophone teacher used this with me and it’s gold. My love of fundamentals began with this concise gem. I’m still amazed at how much brilliance is packed into such a small book. Hopefully, it gets printed again.
Daily Studies for the Improvement of the Saxophone Technique
by Larry Teal
This one’s in print and a great follow-up to the (out of print) Saxophonist’s Workbook. You could couple it with Teal’s The Art of Saxophone Playing for a solid foundation.
25 Daily Exercises for Saxophone
by H. Klosé
I love the etudes in the book because they focus on evenness. Each etude stays with one primary rhythm and focuses on weaving in and out of major and minor keys with an emphasis on sticky spots on the saxophone. Great for working on smooth dexterity and alternate fingerings. I shed them all legato to focus on finger accuracy. It’s like the saxophone equivalent of the Hanon warm-ups for piano. Also, I heard a story about Michael Brecker locking himself in a practice room to shed this book. True or not, it inspired me to shed.
158 Saxophone Exercises
by Sigurd M. Rascher
A few years after I began playing saxophone I read a John Coltrane biography that mentioned ‘Trane shedding from this book. That’s what inspired me to get it. I like these exercises because they (like the Klosé book) focus on evenness by eliminating rhythmic variety. (There aren’t even barlines!) They get you playing diminished, augmented, dominant, and half-diminished chords in all inversions, keys, and ranges of the saxophone.
Beginning Studies in the Altissimo Register for Saxophone
by Rosemary Lang
This got me started with altissimo, but it’s out of print. Go for “Top Tones” instead.
Top-Tones for the Saxophone: Four-Octave Range
by Sigurd M. Rascher
While I didn’t start out addressing the altissimo range with this book, I wish I had. It’s SOOO on-point for what you need to do BEFORE you start trying to hit those notes way up top. I can sum up the importance of this book in two words…two words that could change your musical life: tone imagination. Pro tip: focus 90% of your attention and practice time on the first 12 pages.
More to come…
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If you’re an intermediate or advanced player, check out my Virtual Studio for guided instruction on everything related to playing the saxophone and improvising.
*Full disclosure: some of these links are Amazon affiliate links. It won’t change the price on your end but it might add up to a cup of coffee for me. 🙂