Choosing saxophone sheet music should be fun, but with hundreds of titles to pick from it can feel overwhelming. Here is how we suggest narrowing it down, whether you are buying for yourself, a student or an ensemble.
What Level Of Saxophone Sheet Music Do You Need?
Start with the grade. Every work in our catalogue has a difficulty level from 1 to 9, based on ABRSM and Trinity exam grades: 1 equates to grade 1, and 9 is for post-grade 8 repertoire such as diploma or degree level works. If you are unsure what the levels mean in practice, our guide to understanding difficulty levels explains how we grade each piece.
As a rough guide, Alastair Penman’s Stylistic Studies for Saxophone Volume 1 is written for grades 1-4, Street Beats by Karen Street covers grades 4-7, and 15 Crazy Jazz Studies runs from around grade 5 to grade 8. Sax Scorchers, a compilation of 20 studies, spans grade 2 to 8+, so it is a book to last a while.
Solo, Piano Or Ensemble?
Next, think about who you will be playing with. Browse our saxophone solos or saxophone and piano music for recitals and exams, or play with friends with saxophone duets, trios, quartets and quintets. For bigger groups there is plenty of saxophone ensemble music, and our mixed ability ensembles are written with parts of different levels so everyone can play together.
One tip for ensembles: choose music graded one or two levels below your players’ current standard. Playing in a group presents different challenges to playing solo, so a work graded 3 or 4 lets players focus on ensemble skills rather than just the notes. If your group needs ideas, see our top 10 saxophone ensemble works for students and beginners.
What Style Suits You?
Saxophone music is wonderfully varied. For jazz and modern styles, try 15 Crazy Jazz Studies by Chris Gumbley, which explores funk, bebop and swing. For something folk-inspired, Songs of the British Isles by Craig Rickards is a set of eight traditional folk melodies. If you are preparing for an exam, browse our saxophone exam titles, and read our guide to exam preparation.
Try Before You Buy
Every work in our catalogue has a PDF sample score, so you can see the music before you commit, and many pieces also have audio or video recordings so you can hear how they sound.
Find Your Next Piece
Ready to explore? Browse our full range of saxophone sheet music. Play clarinet or flute too? We have clarinet sheet music and flute sheet music as well.
