The Tango Saxophone Book: Saxophone Book & CD

This is the rare method book that doesn't just teach tango as a genre but as a complete musical and cultural system. Monk gives saxophonists concrete tools for developing the specific tone quality, phrasing, and rhythmic flexibility tango demands, then moves naturally into improvisation and arranging so students understand how to function within ensemble contexts rather than simply play written notes.

Tango saxophone playing is intimate and conversational; it requires a lighter, more focused tone than the symphonic sound many classically trained saxophonists develop. This book helps you find that voice, showing you how to shape phrases with the breathing room and rhythmic lift that makes tango compelling rather than stiff.

Intermediate saxophonists ready to move beyond standard classical repertoire into a living tradition with its own technical and stylistic demands. This book serves ensemble directors looking to build a tango program, as well as individual students or private teachers seeking comprehensive training in the genre.

• Record yourself playing the studies and listen back without the backing track. You'll catch rhythmic anticipations and timing adjustments that separate tango saxophone from straight classical playing.
• Work backward from the full performances on the CD. Isolate a phrase you admire, slow it down if needed, and identify the specific articulation choices and vibrato decisions the saxophonist made.
• Practice the rhythmic studies without the accompaniment first. Tango rhythms sit in particular places relative to the beat that won't feel natural if you're always following harmonic support.
• Use the technical studies to build the flexibility required for quick position shifts and the rapid ornamental figures common in tango melody writing.

Add a tango-focused concert or chamber ensemble project to your winter or spring programming, using this method as the foundation for 4-6 weeks of sectional work. You might also recommend it to advanced students as an elective study alongside their standard method book, especially if you have students interested in world music or jazz crossover.

• Tango-specific tone production and vibrato control
• Bandoneon-influenced rhythmic phrasing
• Improvisation within harmonic frameworks common to tango standards
• Arranging melodies for solo saxophone with appropriate accompaniment
• Ensemble integration and call-and-response patterns in tango groups
• Reading and performing characteristic tango rhythmic figures (habanera patterns, syncopations)