Saxophones
or sax are conical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made
of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece like the clarinet.
It was invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. Saxophones are most
commonly associated with popular music, big band music, and jazz,
but it was originally intended as both an orchestral and military
band instrument. Saxophones players are appropriately called saxophonists. Saxophones were 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-flat and B-flat. 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 saxophones. In the family, only the soprano, alto, tenor and baritone are in common use (these form the typical saxophones sections of both military and big bands). The bass saxophones are occasionally used in band music. Saxophones were created in the early 1840s by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian-born instrument-maker, flautist, and clarinetist working in Paris. The saxophones use a single reed mouthpiece similar to that of a clarinet, but with a round or square evacuated inner chamber. The saxophone's body is effectively conical, giving it properties more similar to the oboe than to the clarinet. However, unlike the oboe, whose tube is a single cone, most saxophones have a distinctive curve at the bell. Straight soprano and sopranino saxophones are more common than curved ones, and a very few straight alto and tenor saxophones have been made, as novelties. Straight baritone and C melody saxophones have occasionally been made as custom instruments, but were never production items (reference [1], Jay Easton's custom Vito straight baritone [2] and Bennie Meroff's custom Buescher Straight Baritone [3]).There is some debate amongst players as to whether the curve affects the tone or not. Nearly all saxophones are made from brass. After completing the instrument, manufacturers usually apply either a coating of clear or colored lacquer, or plating of silver or gold, over the bare brass. The lacquer or plating serves to protect the brass from corrosion, to enhance sound quality, and/or (in the case of colored lacquers) to give the saxophones an interesting visual appearance. Different lacquers purportedly provide different tone qualities [citation needed] — darker lacquer is usually associated with deeper timbres, while lighter lacquers such as silver are associated with brighter, more vibrant ones. Other materials have been tried with varying degrees of success, as with the 1950s plastic saxophones made by the Grafton company, and the rare wooden saxophones. Prior to 1960, some instruments were plated with nickel as a cheaper alternative to silver; prior to 1930, it was common for instruments to be sold with a bare brass finish (without lacquer or plating). Certain companies, such as Yanagisawa, manufacture saxophones made from bronze, which is claimed to produce a warmer sound. |
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