Free sax resources and cheat sheets
Download all these free saxophone resources…
Saxophone Fingering Charts
Four free PDF downloads of charts showing all the fingering for tenor and alto saxophones:
Saxophone Transposition (cheat sheet)
Chart showing the relationship between instruments such as the piano and guitar – instruments tuned to ‘Concert pitch’ (C) – and the tenor sax (an instrument tuned to Bb) and alto sax (an instrument tuned to Eb).
For example, a ‘C’ played on a piano would have the same pitch as an ‘A’ played on an alto sax or a ‘D’ played on a tenor sax.
Likewise, a ‘C’ played on a tenor sax would have the same pitch as a ‘G’ played on the alto sax or a ‘Bb’ played on the piano.
+ Why are saxophones in a different key? All will be explained…
Cycle of 5ths (cheat sheet)
Diagram showing the ‘Cycle of 5ths’
The ‘Cycle of 5ths’ is a circular diagram that shows the notes in a sequence of perfect fifths (and their corresponding keys) when rotated in a clockwise direction.
If you go in an anti-clockwise direction, it can be viewed as as a ‘Cycle of 4ths’.
+ Understanding the ‘Cycle of 5ths’ video…
Scales Workout!
Click on this Cycle of Fifths interactive and selecting any scale’s letter name, you can access comprehensive information, including all scale names and their chord tones – the root, third, fifth, and seventh – presented in both letter notation and standard manuscript.
Additionally, all scales are available in both fourths and fifths configurations for your convenience.
(opens in a new tab)
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Robert Kovacs, a valued friend and client, for creating this exceptional resource.
+ Watch all 12 videos on major scales in this easy-to-follow series…
The 12 major keys
Detailed information for each of the 12 major keys…
Alto sax – major scale in thirds
In this video we look how to improvise on the sax using a really easy to understand major scale pattern called ‘Thirds’.
Practicing licks in all 12 keys is a cornerstone of becoming a well-rounded saxophone player. In this video, we’ll explore a really cool blues lick tailored for both alto and tenor saxophone. Free backing tracks and pdf included…
Free backing track for this tutorial – download here.
Here is a 2-5-1 (II-V-I) backing track that I made using Logic Pro. You can use this to practice chord tones, scales, licks and patterns. I really hope that you like it! It’s in Concert C (D for tenor and A for alto).