Treasury of Scales for Band and Orchestra: 1st E-flat Alto Saxophone Book

Smith built this collection around a principle that separates excellent ensembles from good ones: intonation and blend are learned through harmonized scales, not isolated drills. Because alto saxophones share their lines with other instruments throughout the book, students develop accountability to the ensemble while building confidence in their own pitch center. This is the kind of resource that pays dividends all year long.

Systematically working through these 96 harmonized scales creates a quiet confidence. There's nothing showy about them; they ask for clean tone, steady air support, and precise listening. Day after day, they build a shared language of intonation across your section and ensemble.

First alto saxophone players in concert bands and orchestras at the high school level and beyond. This book works equally well in mixed ensembles where saxophones share the stand with clarinets or other woodwinds, since so many instruments carry identical lines.

• Focus on dynamic control across the full range of each scale. Smith's harmonizations require sustained phrase work, which reveals register transitions and embouchure consistency that single-line scales mask.
• Use the tempo markings as a rehearsal variable, not a fixed target. Slower tempos early in the year prioritize tone quality and intonation; increase tempo incrementally as the ensemble stabilizes.
• Listen actively to the harmony underneath your line. The SATB textures mean alto saxophones are hearing root, third, fifth, or seventh at different moments; tracking your harmonic function sharpens pitch awareness.

Reserve the first five minutes of every rehearsal for one or two scales from the Treasury. Rotate through the book across the season, using major and minor scales to warm up the ensemble while reinforcing the specific keys you're working in your main repertoire. Many directors program entire scales into sectional time as well, giving alto saxophones focused time on balance and tone production.

• Major and minor scale fingering fluency across the full range of the instrument
• Pitch matching and intonation within harmonized textures
• Sustained tone production under varying tempo and dynamic conditions
• Harmonic listening and awareness of chord function
• Section blend and balance in ensemble settings