I think that these pieces of equipment are must haves for you and your aspiring musician. When it comes to producing the best saxophone sound and developing great tone, these are just some of the things I would recommend. First, its the right saxophone mouthpieces. For jazz this is a great start! I played this all through junior high and high school.

For classical saxophone sound, I love this mouthpiece to get going into the classical saxophone world.

For ligatures, my students know I love Rovner saxophone ligatures.

I like these two for alto sax. The Eddie Daniels is the most versitile alto sax ligature.

The dark is particularly good for classical saxophone. It helps create a dark, focused tone.

And here is the Light standard alto sax ligature. Great as a multi-purpose ligature. A more open sound is created which is great for jazz!

And now for the reeds. I have played Vandoren for years. Not java’s, not V16’s, just regular Vandoren reeds. Here are a few choices:

For more advanced players. 2 and a half.

Intermediate players. Size 2.

Beginners, get a 1 and a half

Neck straps. A key to keeping the saxophone player in the “shed” (practicing, for the non sax playing person). Two styles I use and recommend:

This saxophone neck strap looks OK.

I have two of these saxophone neck straps:

If you have back problems or your neck hurts after hours of practicing the saxophone.

Saxophone stands are great to keep the instrument off of the floor when practicing!

Metronome’s are a key to success as a musician. Here are a few: