Saxophone Tips.

To learn how to play saxophone well you will need to work hard on your fingering skills. You also need to bear in mind that the saxophone creates it's sound through vibration of the reed and that sound then vibrates through the saxophone. If you hold the sax tightly your grip is going to lessen the effect of the vibration, something that may become evident when you start using the octave key to play the higher notes. Press the keys lightly, don't try and ram them home. Aside from affecting your tone you'll most likely do some damage to the keys. Get some fingering exercises. These are designed to give you practice at going between different notes. Yes they are hard at first but you will reap huge rewards later as you will be able to quickly change between notes with no discernable sound issues.

Learn your fingering charts. Could there be anything more annoying than playing a great tune only to forget the keying of the next note. Learn alterante keying for notes. If you are struggling to play something because of the keying look around for an alternate keying position.
Finally, practice, practice, practice. Great saxophone tip! It's the only real way you are going to progress. Don't expect to practice half an hour a day and be able to turn into Stan Getz. The greats could happily practice for several hours a day. Put the effort in and you get the reward out.

Saxophone Effects
There are several effects you can learn to make you sound better. As you progress you start including these naturally when you play.
Some tunes demand effects, so if you want to blow a mean sax, take the time to learn some of these.
Tonguing - Touching the reed with your tongue between notes
Slurring - Playing up or down the scale without pausing
Growling - Humming whilst blowing
Honking - Making the sax honk like a goose.
Slaptongue - Making a popping sound
Flutter Tongue - Like growling but made with the tongue.
Note bending - Starting a note flat and sharpening it up.
Learn them and use them, but use them in moderation. Think of the K.I.S.S. statement (keep it simple, stupid) You can get too much of a good thing. Saxophone tip No.1 - It's easy to ruin something good with too much effort.

Saxophone Care
Look after your sax!!!!! It may seem an obvious saxophone tip but how many people out there play their sax and then put it down with the mouthpiece and reed still on it and a puddle of spit in the bow? You need to clean it after use. Get a pull through and a pad saver. Take it apart when you have finished playing and swab it down. Clean in between the pads and the tone holes to remove any moisture. This preserves the pads and stops sticking keys. Take the mouthpiece off and clean it. Never pick up the sax any other way than by the bell and certainly never, never by the neck. The neck is the most influential part of your sax. It shapes the sound. Any damage to the neck and you really need to buy a new one.
Treat it with respect and you will have years of fun and trauma ahead of you. Treat it badly and it will bite you back.