4 Books Every Sax Player “Must” Study

Throughout my musical education, I have worked through countless books on how to play the saxophone. There are so many good ones out there, this list is just a few of the ones all saxophone players should be aware of. By all means, add any others you like in the comments. 

48 Studies For Oboe & Saxophone by Ferling 

When I went to college to major in saxophone performance, we were given a list of books to have ready on the first day of school. All of these were on that list and for good reason. The first one is this: 48 Studies by Ferling. I never understood why the U’s are V’s. Anyway, this book of classical etudes was originally written for oboe and published in 1840, before the saxophone even existed. Thanks to Marcel Mule, the saxophone professor at the Paris Conservatory, these etudes became a standard part of the saxophone repertoire and curriculum worldwide.

He published an edited version of Ferling’s etudes tailored to the saxophone. This collection has a slow and a fast etude in all 12 major and minor keys, that’s how we get to 48, right? In this book, you get a large collection of etudes that are going to challenge your abilities on pretty much every level. The slow ones will test your embouchure and ability to play in tune and with a consistent sound across the range. They will also challenge you when it comes to playing with dynamics, vibrato, phrasing, and your overall musicality. The fast ones are not only challenging technique-wise, but also because of the articulations and some large interval leaps. My very first lesson at music school was on the first two etudes of this book, and my teacher really made me aware of a lot of critical stuff I was not even thinking about when I was playing. 

Dix Huit Exercices ou Etudes by Marcel Mule

This collection was originally written for flute, but again, thanks to Marcel Mule, we have an adaptation for the saxophone. These are a lot of fun to play on the saxophone and flute. They’re great for developing technique, articulation, and phrasing. Back when I was in music school, that was pretty much the only way you could really learn this stuff properly. Of course, anybody can purchase these books, but without the proper guidance on a whole range of things, you’re gonna be flying blind. I got so much out of my lessons at that time, and I’ve been using a lot of what I learned as the basis for my own teaching ever since. Even though I mainly teach jazz and popular music styles, there’s a lot of overlap — the fundamentals of sound, technique, articulation, phrasing, and musicality are universal to all styles.

That’s why I’m so excited about the new Better Sax course that we created together with my college professor, Dr. Robert Faub. Bob has composed a series of etudes for the saxophone. Each one specifically addresses a problem area that students need to work through to get to the next level on their instrument and in their music.

Classical Saxophone Mastery Course

Unlike the adaptations from other instruments we know and love, these are written by a saxophonist with decades of advanced teaching experience. They also come with audio recordings, piano accompaniment, and backing tracks to practice along with. On top of that, each etude has a series of video lessons that go along with it. So you’ll be learning about compositional forms, stylistic context, and how professional concert saxophonists deal with the many challenges we come across on the instrument. Things like how to play certain notes well in tune, the best alternate fingerings to use in different scenarios, how to play very high or very low notes at soft dynamic levels.

The Classical Saxophone Mastery course is a 21st-century way to study. You get the same world-class teaching that I got at music school but at a fraction of the cost and in a package you can keep forever and study at your own convenience. This course is for any intermediate saxophone player who wants to improve their all-around playing in a really enjoyable and rewarding way.

Top Tones for Saxophone by Sigurd Raschèr

This is the next book on our list, and let me tell you, I hated this book. Everything about it is boring and an extreme test of your patience. This book is not fun. It is, however, a good introduction to working on overtones with the goal of eventually being able to play in the altissimo range.

So while I do think every saxophone player should be aware of this book at least, I would recommend Ben Wendel’s Path to Altissimo. It’s a lot more fun, does a much better job of explaining everything, the fingerings in it work for modern saxophones, and I expect students will have a much easier time learning altissimo with Ben’s method.

Daily Studies by Larry Teal

This is another great book I had on that original list. Larry Teal is considered the father of the American school of classical saxophone playing. There are some great little workouts for side B flat, bis B flat, and side C. Unfortunately, there aren’t really any instructions included in this book. I suppose these methods were made with the intention of using them while you studied with a teacher who’s going to provide you with all those necessary details. It also has some fun scale and arpeggio exercises. I remember enjoying the chord progression one. It’s a great technique-building workbook specifically designed for saxophonists.

There are many more great classical saxophone books. These are just a few of the ones I studied in college. Don’t forget to check out the new Classical Saxophone Mastery course and let me know your favorite saxophone books in the comments.

Related Articles 

Classical Saxophone Taught Me These 3 ESSENTIAL Concepts

This Book Will Make You a Better Improviser

How to Learn Tunes (Without the Real Book)