Introduction
This page collects selected performance and practice materials available at MPAL! For suggestions to help you do some searching on your own for related material, refer to the call number and subject heading recommendations at the bottom of the page. As always, if you have any trouble finding material in the Library or navigating the catalog, don't hesitate to ask at the service desk!
Materials Available at MPAL and Online
Below are a few examples of the saxophone bibliographies and repertoire guides available in MPAL or by request through the online catalog.
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The Jazz Standards: a guide to the repertoire
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Call Number: ML128.J3 G56 2012This resource is a comprehensive guide to more than 250 key jazz songs and includes a listening guide to over 2,000 recordings. The author outlines the history and significance of these compositions and tells how they have been performed by different generations of jazz artists. -
Londeix Guide to the Saxophone Repertoire 1844-2012
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Call Number: ML128.S247 L66 2012A comprehensive listing of music for saxophone, including solo pieces, pieces with piano, pieces with orchestra or band, pieces for multiple saxophones, saxophone in chamber groups, and more. -
The New Real Book: jazz classics, choice standards, pop-fusion classics
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Call Number: M1366 .N465ev.1 1988The new standard in jazz fake books since 1988. Endorsed by McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, Dave Liebman, and many more. Evenly divided between standards, jazz classics and pop-fusion hits, this is the all-purpose book for jazz gigs, weddings, jam sessions, etc. -
The Real Book (Bb)
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Call Number: M1366 .R435bv.1 2004This specific version of The Real Book contains lead sheets and melody lines for popular jazz compositions and standards in the key of Bb for performers. -
The Real Book (Eb)
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Call Number: M1366 .R435ev.1 2004The Real Books are a series of published compilations of lead sheets and melody lines for popular jazz compositions and standards. This specific item is in the key of Eb for performers. -
Saxophone Soloists and their Music, 1844-1985: An Annotated Bibliography
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Call Number: ML128.S247 G44This resource is an annotated bibliography of saxophone soloists and music written for them from the years 1844 to 1985, with each chapter focusing on a specific location, time period, or style of music for each soloist. Each entry is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the soloist and includes a brief summary of their life and career.
The following are some examples of materials on saxophone instruction and study that can be found in MPAL and online.
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The Saxophone, How It Works
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Call Number: ML975 .P26 2024This book provides students and music teachers with a comprehensive overview of the saxophone from its origin to its use and important facts not covered in traditional method books. It can be used concurrently with any method book, expanding the learning experience beyond "learning how to play" to include all topics relevant to the saxophone. -
How to Play Saxophone
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Call Number: MT502B76 H6Anyone who plays saxophone--from session players to intermediate students and absolute beginners--will find a wealth of instruction and inspiration in this comprehensive and easy-to-use guide. Using exercises, musical excerpts, scales, and clear explanations, veteran saxophone instructor, John Robert Brown covers the topics every sax player should learn. -
John Coltrane Solos
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Call Number: M109 C64J6This collection of 26 tenor sax transcriptions features some of John Coltane's most important solos, including Blue Train, Central Part West, Giant Steps, Impressions, Lazy Bird, Moment's Notice, My Favorite Things, 'Round Midnight, and many more. This resource also includes a biography, notation guide, alternate fingerings, and discography with historical notes on the recordings. -
Saxophone Secrets: 60 performance strategies for the advanced saxophonist
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Call Number: MT500 .H43S2 2013 & OnlineModeled on the approach first formulated by the professor of music and clarinetist Michele Gingras in her Clarinet Secrets and More Clarinet Secrets (both available from Scarecrow Press), Tracy Heavner s Saxophone Secrets provides advanced saxophonists with 60 performance secrets that will assist in their musical development. -
Charlie Parker Omnibook: Transposed for B-Flat Instruments; Transcribed Exactly from his Recorded Solos (Tenor and Soprano Sax, Trumpet, and Clarinet)
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Call Number: M106P27 C4A collection of over 50 songs by Charlie "Bird" Parker, including transcriptions of his improvised solos as heard on standard recordings of each song. -
Jazz Conception: 21 Solo Etudes for Jazz Phrasing, Interpretation, and Improvisation: Alto & Baritone Saxophone
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Call Number: MT505 .S65J31This resource is another compilation of etudes based on jazz standards and blues meant for alto and baritone saxophone players. This resource also has an accompanying CD that includes two tracks for each etude, one with the soloist playing with the rhythm section and the other without the soloist. -
Jazz Conception: 21 Solo Etudes for Jazz Phrasing, Interpretation, and Improvisation: Tenor Saxophone
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Call Number: MT505 .S65J32This resource is a compilation of etudes based on jazz standards and blues meant to teach tenor saxophone players about the language of jazz. There is an accompanying CD to this resource that includes two tracks for each etude, one with the soloist playing with the rhythm section and the other without the soloist. -
Teacher's Guide to the Saxophone
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Call Number: MT502H45 T4This resource is a guide designed for instrumental teachers on the fundamentals of playing the saxophone. The guide covers such topics as selecting equipment, care and maintenance, and various performance techniques like vibrato and breathing.
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Taming the SaxophoneTaming the Saxophone is a free online resource created by the professional session player Pete Thomas that provides information about playing the saxophone. The website includes resources for both beginners and more advanced saxophone players, ranging from fingering exercises and basic theory information to exercises for extension of technique and information on improvisation, arrangement, and composition.