How do you get sheet music for a pre-teen sax student online without it costing a fortune?

Question

Would like to have some music for my son to play during summer break to keep his sax skills sharp. I think the cost of sheet music for simple songs are expensive.
I ordered 'Yakety Sax' for him and he said I overlooked that it was not for alto sax. So there goes $5 down the drain. Ugg!
Help is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Well, online is never the best place to go for sheet music because you spend nearly the cost of the music just to get it to you. Even though the piece you have is not written for saxophone, he can still play it. As long as it has a treble clef melody, he can play it. The issue of it not sounding right will only happen if he is playing with a group of instruments that are not alto or baritone saxophones. Here are some good recommendations.
1. If your student isn't taking saxophone lessons yet, get him some. I know I am partial being a saxophone teacher, but as somone that took lessons a that age, and then stopped as a teenager, I can tell you that the biggest benefit to his improvement will be to have a professional teacher showing him how to play correctly, and to help him go forward into the next level of music without being frustrated.
2. Buy music from your local music store. They are a great haven for musicians such as your son to find music, and they usually have it at a good price. They also have the ability to order more music that they don't have, and it still costs the same to you, no worry of shipping cost since they get it at a lower price.
3. Have him listen to professional saxophonists, both classical and jazz. The local libraries usually have tons of CDs of contemporary jazz artists, and occasionally you can find a classical saxophone CD. These help him learn the proper tone, and will show him what is out there. Unfortunately the majority of sax players at that age hear two things, the music they play in band which is usually not much fun for a saxophonist, or they hear of Charlie Parker. Charlie Parker was a phenomenal sax player, but his level is so far above even what most current professional players do, that it is like looking at Lance Armstrong when you are riding a tricycle. I put a bunch of names of pro sax players out there right now on the bottom and this is just a small list.
4. This is much more optional, but it would never hurt for him to learn how to transpose music into the correct key for his instrument. I learned around the age of 13 or 14 to do this, and it is a skill that I have used so many times I've lost count. It isn't real hard, but it does take work to learn. There are books out there that can help. I learned by reading the music other instruments played and discovering at what interval they play at to be able to change what they play into the correct key for my saxophone.

I hope this helps. If in my area and looking for a student, go to Miller Music in Longmont, CO and ask for Shawn. I'd be glad to help your son continue his love of playing and hopefully give him a lifelong love with the saxophone.

Branford Marsalis
Charles McPherson
Charlie Parker
Dave Brubeck
Dave Koz
David McMurray
David Sanborn
Gerald Albright
Jeff Kashiwa
Joshua Redman
Kieth Anderson
Pete Christlieb
Quintin Gerard W.

Answer 2

try using key words in your search like "free" and "printable". It worked for me when I wanted to find practice sheets for my daughter. Maybe even try abcteach.com. I think they have a music section. Good Luck : )

Answer 3

well, if your son likes videogames, this will be even better---

http://gh.ffshrine.org/sheet-music.php

if that doesn't work, take off the /sheet-music.php part and look for it on the right of the webpage

Answer 4

don't buy it online....