How long from beginner to grade one in an instrument?

[Erebus]

How long is a piece of string?!

DS1 is 14 and is just starting the sax. He's doing it as his 'skill' for D of E (his idea).

In terms of 'targets', how long might it realistically take him to do grade one? He's not musically gifted as such but has grade 1 piano (a few years ago, now). He hasn't played woodwind before, but he'll practice reasonably diligently (but not hour after hour, I can assure you!).

Can I respectfully ask that I'm not inundated with people doing this at the very idea that something as beeodiful as making music should be graded or -horror- that a DC's enjoyment of the sheer love of learning a musical instrument should be despicably subverted by the coarse concept of quantifying his achievement- thanks (often said by parents of DC with grade 8 at 11), but this is a) about something he wants a shot at, and b) a skill he can demonstrate measurable progress in for his D of E. If it leads to New Orleans, so be it, but I'm not going to pretend there are many esoteric reasons for him doing it!

Can you tell I've been on MN for a while?!

I just want to know if taking grade one is a reasonable level of achievement in a year, say? Say?

Alto - I think

It depends on the instrument. String instruments are incredibly difficult in the early stages, for example. Don't know about difficulty with sax, but definitely being older and self-motivating should mean he progresses reasonably quickly, and a year sounds fairly generous to me. If he shows aptitude, it could be much less.

hey as a totally non musical person who took up the saxophone at age 45 because she felt she ought to learn to read music as the children (g8,b6) were learning the violin and trumpet, I can safely say anyone with ANY musical backround can do sax gr1 in 6 months

Thanks for the input, everyone!