What type of saxophone provides the highest pitch

His invention combined the fingering pattern of an oboe with the single reed found on a clarinet, the result was an instrument with a very unique and fascinating sound.

It is often miscategorised as a brass instrument, due to the material it is manufactured from, but it is actually a member of the woodwind family as the sound is produced using the vibrations of a reed, rather than your lips. The saxophone is almost conical in shape and has between 20 and 23 holes depending on size which can be covered or opened in a variety of combinations to produce the required note. The fingering used is very similar to a flute or the upper register of a clarinet.

They are generally found in Military, Concert, Swing and Jazz bands but more recently have been used in some orchestral works. They are also heard frequently in popular music tracks, probably one of the most famous being Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street'. Today the family is typically made up of 4 main types which are the Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone, however there are generally considered to be 9 recognised types within the extended family.

The Soprano is pitched 1 octave above the Tenor, the Baritone 1 octave below the Alto. Let's look in a little more detail at the most popular types. It's shorter length can make accurate tuning a little more difficult as there is less margin for error, so it is generally not recommended as a beginner instrument. There is a Curved Soprano version available, shaped in the recognisable sax style, that some tutors use for children too small for the Alto.

However, in my opinion they are better to start on a clarinet, get to grips with using a reed and switch to Alto sax when they are physically big enough. For those players looking to invest in a Soprano Sax as their second instrument then Jupiter and Yamaha have some good quality options. If you really want to treat yourself, and your budget will stretch, then a Yanagisawa or Yamaha Custom are definitely worth a try. Alto Saxophone The most popular choice of saxophone by far pitched in Eb it ticks all the boxes in terms of size, ease of learning and price.

Most players of any type of saxophone will most likely have started on an Alto to 'learn their trade'. As musical instruments go it is relatively easy to make good initial progress on a saxophone and, unlike say a violin, it can sound tuneful even after only a few lessons. The options for Alto saxophones are huge and such choice can be quite overwhelming. As with most things, a great place to start is the beginning!

The saxophone was first invented by Adolphe Sax in after he designed an instrument that could both act as a powerful woodwind accompaniment whilst being also able to blend seamlessly between brass instruments. This fundamental area is the reason why the saxophones is so versatile and remains one of the most adaptable instruments around! Because of this variance in sound, the instrument has continued to adapt and left us with NINE yes nine!

All look similar, but there are countless differences between them, so to make things easier for newcomers today we will be focusing on the main four types of saxophone that can be mostly found and suited to beginners. Alto Tenor Soprano Baritone. For beginner saxophonists, we would generally recommend an Alto saxophone such as this Yamaha Alto Sax.

When you picture a saxophone, most people will think of an alto or tenor saxophone. The saxophone was first invented in the s by a Belgian instrument inventor named Adolphe Sax. Since then, the instrument has been developed and tweaked with the modern version of the instrument being a far cry from the earliest models when it comes to intonation and design.

If you are new to the instrument, you may not know there are multiple styles of the saxophone that come in a number of different shapes and sizes. They are arranged by size and are structured in the same way voices are stacked in a vocal choir: Soprano, alto, tenor, bass etc.. Although some of them differ in their shape and size, they all have a similar design, use a single reed mouthpiece and consist of conical tube with keys and hole covers with a flared bell at the end.

The following are the four most common versions of the saxophone used in concert bands, jazz ensembles, some classical music and pop acts around the world:. Up next we have the Alto Saxophone which is in Eb meaning that when you play a C on it, it sounds a concert Eb. The alto sax is the most popular saxophone for beginners due to its convenient range and its size which is small enough to accommodate the small hands of children first learning to play it.

The alto sax is also very popular in jazz music with one of the most well known jazz musicians in history being Charlie Parker. The Tenor Saxophone is very similar looking to the alto, but is larger and lower in pitch.