Is 16 to old to play sax and become GREAT at it?

Charlie Parker. One of the greatest sax players who ever lived... once wasn't that great. He had played for years and on one evening he got up to jam with a band. He played so poorly that the drummer took off his cymbal from the stand and threw it, thus having the cymbal crash on the floor during his solo. This was a common practice when people couldn't play.

3 years later. Charlie Parker locked himself in his room and practiced all day, later to emerge as one of the greatest sax players who has ever played, soon to revolutionize what music was! He was way past 16 when he started.

I once played in a big band and there was a 75 year old women who picked up the Trombone, who had been playing 2 years... she was GOOD.

To take it back home, I went to high school with a sax player who picked up the instrument at age 14. By 16 he was the first chair in The All-Eastern Jazz Band.

Is 16 too old? No way! If you've got an audition at a prestigious music school in the next month, well then that's a different story. Keep your goals obtainable (check out my answer to the flautist) through daily goals and practice. Find a good teacher. Keep asking questions. Whether your asking questions to your private teacher OR your posting them here, I'll help you the best I can.

Oh and here's some great sax players to get you psyched:
Josh Redman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ICJUFOJa...
Karl Denson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjWlXp2d8...
John Coltrane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olOYynQ-_...
And Last but not Least - Charlie Parker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFx9ZBlBU...
In this clip Charlie makes Coleman feel a little silly... Parker is the second sax solo...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFsL9Ewpl...

Any more questions... keep on asking!

of course not

im sure youll be great, good luck, and practice practice practice to become great.

no. People can become great at an instrument at any age.

Nonsense, you can but I hope you are serious about it.

Hey, read the community guidelines, only post a question once, not three times!

Certainly not. Good Luck and much success.

No and it is an aw some goal to have.