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Tuesday, June 26, 2007


[[InStRuMeNt 0f ThE wEeK SAXOPHONE]]

The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece like the clarinet. The saxophone is commonly associated with popular music, big band music, blues and jazz, but it was originally intended as both an orchestral and military band instrument. Saxophone players are called saxophonists.



Members of the saxophone family

The saxophone was originally patented as two families, each consisting of seven instruments. The "orchestral" family consisted of instruments in the keys of C and F, and the "military band" family in E♭ and B♭. Each family consisted of sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass and contrabass, although some of these were never made; Sax also planned--but never made--a subcontrabass (Bourdon) saxophone.





Alto Saxophone

The alto saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a family of woodwind instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. The alto is the third smallest of the saxophone family, which consists of ten sizes of saxophone (see saxophone). The alto is the most common size of saxophone, and is also the size most commonly composed for by classical composers.
Of the people who learn to play saxophone, most begin on alto. The second most common size of saxophone is the tenor; most tenor players start on alto and switch to tenor after a few years.
The alto saxophone is a transposing instrument and reads the treble clef in the key of E♭ (that is to say, a written C for the alto will sound as E♭; concert, a major sixth lower).
The range of the alto saxophone is from concert D♭ (D♭3) to concert A♭ (A♭5) (or A5 on altos with a high F# key). The range as written for the player is B♭3 to F6 (or F#6). An additional upper range, known as the altissimo register, begins at F# and extends upwards for an octave or more. However, this range is commonly mastered only by advanced players.
Notable alto saxophonists include jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, Dave Koz, and Paul Desmond. The alto saxophone is included in classical music more often than the tenor, and many concertos for alto exist. The alto has great versatility and is used commonly in concert, jazz, funk, blues, pop, marching bands, and rock music.



Tenor Saxophone


The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. It is perhaps the most well known of all saxophones and is a transposing instrument, pitched in the key of B♭, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef, sounding a major ninth lower than the written pitch.
In the early 20th century, instrument makers manufactured a saxophone slightly smaller than the tenor which was pitched in the key of C, a whole tone higher that the modern tenor instrument. This was known as a C melody saxophone. C melody saxophones became common during the American saxophone craze (1919-1929). No C melody saxophones have been mass manufactured since 1929, and C melody saxophones are not usually included in any present-day band or jazz ensemble.
The tenor saxophone is used in many different types of ensembles, including concert bands, big band jazz ensembles, small jazz ensembles, and marching bands. It is occasionally included in pieces written for symphony orchestra and for chamber ensembles; two examples of this are Ravel's Boléro and Webern's Quartet for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone, and piano. In concert bands, the tenor plays mostly a supporting role, sometimes sharing parts with the euphonium, horn and trombone. In jazz ensembles, the tenor plays a more prominent role, often sharing parts or harmonies with the alto saxophone.
The tenor saxophone became better known through its frequent use in jazz music. It was the pioneering playing of Coleman Hawkins which lifted the tenor saxophone from its traditional role of adding weight to the ensemble and established it as a highly-effective melody instrument in its own right. Many prominent jazz musicians from the 1940's onwards have been tenor players. Since then, the tenor saxophone and its deep soulful tone have been considered one of the key instruments of blues and jazz music. The tenor is also extremely common in rhythm and blues music. As a result of its prominence in American jazz, the instrument has also featured prominently in other genres. These include rock and roll and more recent rock music as well.
Approximately 90% of all student saxophonists start learning the instrument using the alto saxophone. Approximately 20% of student saxophonists later learn to play the tenor. Switching from one saxophone to another is not very difficult, since all modern saxophones are transposing instruments and all saxophones share the same fingerings.
The tenor saxophone requires a slightly larger mouthpiece, reed, and ligature than the alto.


Baritone saxophone




The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" (to avoid confusion with the baritone horn, which is often referred to simply as "baritone"), is one of the larger and lower pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece; this helps to keep the instrument at a practical height (the rarer bass saxophone has a similar, but larger loop).
The baritone saxophone is the largest saxophone commonly seen in modern ensembles. The other three are the alto, tenor and soprano. It is a transposing instrument in the key of E-flat, one octave lower than the alto saxophone, although Adolphe Sax had originally also produced a baritone saxophone in F intended for orchestral use. Despite its low register, music for the baritone saxophone is written in treble clef. It is also possible to read parts written in the bass clef for instruments pitched in C as if the part was in the treble clef, while adjusting the key signature from C to E-flat and any accidentals as necessary. This is often useful for reading tuba or trombone parts in songs without a written baritone saxophone part.
The baritone saxophone is used in classical music (particularly in the saxophone quartet, of which it is a member), but composers have rarely called for it in orchestral music, and it has a comparatively small solo repertoire. It has, however, been an important part of military bands, concert bands, jazz bands, wind ensembles and is common in show music, especially those of the more "jazzy" type. In concert bands, it often plays a part similar to that of the tuba. The baritone player usually plays rather simple rhythms in order to maintain the musical pulse of the group. Often, this consists of quarter notes on beats one and three in 4/4 time. In big bands, the role of the baritone player usually involves doubling with the bass trombone, bass, or first alto saxophone. (The saxophone section of a standard jazz band contains two altos, two tenors, and a baritone.) The baritone player is usually expected to double on bass clarinet.
The exceptional weight of the instrument (13-14 pounds or 6.5 kg), as compared to the other three commonly used sizes of saxophone, makes it difficult to use in marching bands. Baritone saxophone players in marching groups often use a special harness that distributes the weight of the instrument onto the player's back instead of around his neck, as is the conventional way of supporting the instrument. But the baritone saxophone can still be used in a marching band with the standard neckstrap. Its reed size is notably large, twice that of an alto saxophone reed and noticeably larger than that used by the tenor saxophone.
The fingerings for all of the instruments in the saxophone family are essentially the same and many players play more than one saxophone. The baritone saxophone, however, is the only member of the saxophone family which often possesses a "low A" key (sounding concert C, the same pitch as the lowest note on the cello), whereas most other saxophones descend only to a fingered B♭, though altos and basses have been manufactured with low A keys, and Benedikt Eppelsheim now makes a contrabass saxophone with one; (sounding pitch depending on the key of the particular instrument).


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