Saxophone

The saxophone is a single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, which is commonly constructed of brass. It is played with a single reed. To make music, as is true of all single-reed instruments, the mouthpiece of the instrument must vibrate in order to generate an internal sound wave that can be heard by other people who are listening to it. Changing the effective length of the tube by opening and closing holes in the body allows you to regulate the pitch. Closing the holes is accomplished with leather pads that are connected to keys that are manipulated by the player. Saxophones are available in a variety of sizes, and they are virtually usually used as transposing instruments in music. Saxophonists are those who play the saxophone.

Musical forms that use the saxophone are diverse and include classical music (such as concert band performances, chamber music performances, solo repertoire and sometimes orchestras), marching bands, military bands, jazz (such as large bands and jazz combinations), and current music. Saxophones are also employed as solo and melodic instruments, as well as members of a horn section, in several types of rock & roll and popular music, such as jazz and blues.

The saxophone was developed by Belgian instrument manufacturer Adolphe Sax in the early 1840s, and it was first patented on June 28, 1846, by the United States government. Sax created two groups of seven instruments each, the first of which featured instruments in the keys of C and F, and the second of which contained instruments in the keys of B and E. The B and E series saxophones quickly gained popularity, and the majority of saxophones available today are from this series. A limited fraction of the instruments created by Sax were from the series with pitches in C and F, which never found a footing in the market. High Pitch (also known as "H" or "HP") saxophones, which are tuned sharper than the (concert) A = 440 Hz standard, were manufactured into the early twentieth century for sonic qualities that were suitable for outdoor use. However, they are not playable with modern tuning and are therefore considered obsolete. Low Pitch (sometimes spelled "L" or "LP") saxophones are tuned in the same manner as current instruments and are thus interchangeable. During the early twentieth century, soprano and melodic saxophones in the key of C were created for the casual market as parlour instruments, while saxophones in the key of F were developed in the late 1920s but failed to acquire widespread favour. The contemporary saxophone family is completely comprised of instruments in the B and E registers. There are four saxophones that are most often used: the B soprano, the E alto, the B tenor, and the E baritone. When available, the E sopranino and B bass saxophones are usually employed in larger saxophone choir situations, as well as in solo performances.