Tuned In - Alto Saxophone: Alto Saxophone Method Book

Balmages and Herrings have created a method book that treats intonation as a teachable, systematic skill rather than something mysterious. The inclusion of free downloadable drones in every key means directors can implement this resource immediately, whether they're working with a single chair or a full section, without purchasing expensive software.

Methodical and grounded. The studies feel like honest work, no flash, just clear exercises in every key with harmonic anchors built in through the chorales. There's an immediate payoff when students realize they can actually hear and fix their own intonation.

Band directors who want a structured, no-frills approach to intonation training without institutional budgets for expensive tuning apps. Alto saxophonists at any level benefit from systematic key-by-key studies and the independence that comes from learning to listen critically to their own pitch.

• Assign drones to a designated player or small group while others work through the studies; rotate roles so everyone develops the habit of tuning against a fixed pitch center.
• Start each rehearsal with a two-minute chorale study before diving into repertoire; the block chord voicings make intonation problems immediately visible and easier to correct.
• Use the major and minor key studies strategically in the weeks before concert repertoire that sits in those same keys, so students are already primed to hear and adjust the pitches they'll perform.
• Layer the chorales as a sectional warm-up tool; have altos play the written line while another section doubles the block chords to reinforce harmonic awareness.

Integrate one chorale per rehearsal as your opening tuning ritual; this keeps intonation work consistent without eating into concert prep time. The key studies serve as preparation weeks before you program music in major or minor keys, giving your section confidence and familiarity with the pitch landscape they'll encounter.

• Intonation matching and adjustment across all major and minor keys
• Harmonic awareness through block chord analysis
• Independent listening and self-correction habits
• Pitch stability when playing without external reference tones