Really Easy Jazzin' About: Fun Pieces for Alto Saxophone: Saxophone Book

Wedgwood captures something that rarely happens in beginner saxophone books: she writes grooves that actually groove. The syncopation feels natural rather than imposed, and the piece selection respects jazz language while keeping technical demands realistic for first-year players.

Playing these pieces feels like discovering that your saxophone has a voice beyond concert B-flat scales. The grooves are accessible enough to execute cleanly, but stylish enough that you'll sound like you belong in a jazz combo.

Alto saxophonists in their first year who are ready to sound like musicians rather than technicians. These pieces work equally well for private studio teaching and ensemble introductions to jazz vocabulary.

• Lean into the rhythmic feel rather than playing metronomically. These pieces live in their syncopation, so let that syncopation breathe and settle in your body before worrying about perfection.
• Listen to recordings of the styles referenced (blues, rock, jazz standards). Your phrasing will transform once your ear knows where the music naturally sits.
• Treat riffs as conversational. In jazz, repeated figures are hooks and gestures, not mere repetition. Give them personality each time they return.

Use individual pieces as warm-up material that doubles as genuine musicmaking; their brevity and variety make them perfect for holding student attention during longer rehearsals. They also serve as a natural on-ramp for saxophone students curious about jazz before they're ready for standard tune books.

• Reading and internalizing syncopated rhythms in simple meters
• Phrasing and articulation in jazz styles
• Basic jazz groove recognition and feel
• Call-and-response patterns in blues and rock contexts
• Dynamic control across contrasting contemporary idioms