This Sax lesson covers how to play G on Alto Saxophone. The G note can actually be played in two octaves on your saxophone and you'll learn both fingerings here.
The G note on sax is usually one of the first notes a saxophone beginner will learn and it's a great place to start as the G fingering is part of the saxophone fingering foundation that you need to learn in order to play songs on your sax. So, let's get down to business and get you started on Saxophone G right now.
Playing the G note on Alto Saxophone
Instructions: The basic fingering for G only requires three fingers on your left hand. However, I do recommend that you keep your right hand in the correct “supporting” position with the right thumb under the lower thumb grip on the saxophone and your right hand fingers palmed around the saxophone like a lego hand. Make sure you do not press down any keys in your right hand.
Play G on Alto Saxophone
You play the G note on saxophone with your left hand pushing down the index finger, middle finger and ring finger on the front of your saxophone. That's the B, A, G keys on saxophone.
Notes from the saxophone teacher: If you find it hard to play the G note on your saxophone it could be a few different things. The most common reasons are:
- Blowing too hard into the mouthpiece
- Having too much (or too little) of the mouthpiece in your mouth
- The Reed is not placed correctly on the mouthpiece and cannot vibrate freely
Learn more on how to get at great saxophone sound in the lesson on how Embouchure works on Saxophone. If you barely get a sound or it feels like a struggle to blow into the mouthpiece the lesson on how to put the reed on the saxophone will help you.
Play high G on Alto Saxophone
Moving from low G to middle G on saxophone only requires you to add the octave key to your fingering. That's the left hand thumb key on the back of the saxophone.
Still, it can be a bit tricky in the beginning to alternate between the low G and middle G on saxophone doing “octave jumps” on the sax. The trick is to try to not squeeze the high G with the mouthpiece but rather relax your jaw a bit which can seem a bit counter intuitive but it does work.
This is referred to as the saxophone embouchure which basically means “how you form your mouth around the saxophone mouthpiece”.
So when you practice G on your saxophone it's a good idea to start with low G and play long notes, so that you get comfortable hitting that low G on your sax over and over again.
Moving to middle G you do the same thing. Practice long middle G notes on your sax until you are comfortable hitting that middle G note on your saxophone.
Then finally, alter between the low and middle G by playing long notes of each. So, long note low G on your sax first. Take a new breath and play a long note of middle G on your sax after that. Moving slowly between the octaves on your sax is key (no pun intended) so that you develop control over both octaves on your saxophone.
Want to learn all the Saxophone fingerings?
Great! Make sure to download the free Saxophone fingering chart PDF to keep as a reference when you practice your saxophone.
