Saxaphone, the very word conjures images of smoky nightclubs and sultry women called Roxy, with a saxophonist in the background pouring his soul into the music, as only this instrument can. The saxophone is a conical-bored transposing musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single reed mouthpiece similar to that of a clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841. He wanted to create an instrument that would be both the loudest of the woodwinds and the most versatile of the brass, and would fill the then vacant middle ground between the two sections. He patented the sax in 1846 in two groups of seven instruments each.
Invention of the Saxophone
The soprano saxophone was invented in 1840 and is a variation of the saxophone. The saxophone is the third in size of the sax family which consists of, as generally accepted, the sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass and contrabass. A transposing instrument pitched in the key of B flat, the soprano sax plays an octave above the commonly used tenor sax. Some saxophones have additional keys, allowing them to play an additional F sharp and G natural at the top of the range.
The Alto Saxophone
Alto saxophones are also part of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. The alto saxophone, with the tenor, is the most common size of saxophone. It is larger than the soprano saxophone and smaller than the tenor, and is the size most used in classical compositions. The alto, also a transposing instrument, reads the treble clef in the key of E flat. A written for C for the alto sounds as the concert in E flat, a major sixth lower. The range of the alto sax is from concert D flat 3 (below middle C) to concert A flat 5 (or A5 on altos with high F sharp key).
Jazz and the Saxophone
Saxophones have been most utilized in jazz music. Notable jazz saxophone greats include Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy. You can get saxophone sheet music written by these great musicians online or at retail music stores. You can also see performances of these and other sax players online at YouTube.com.
Makes of Saxophone
One of the major manufacturers of saxophones is Yamaha. The range of Yamaha saxophones is wide because Yamaha is one of the leaders in creating quality saxophones across the world. A Yamaha saxophone might be a soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. These are saxophones of superior quality. Yamaha also supplies accessories including saxophone reeds and sheet music. If you want to hear great saxophone music, check out Dave Koz or Candy Dulfer, both Grammy nominated sax players.
