Got a question you’d like answering about music or saxophone playing? Ask here and I’ll do my best to find the answer. Answers posted below.

Who invented the saxophone?

  The saxophone was invented in 1846 by Belgian

  instrument maker Adolphe Sax (1814-1894). u

How many different sizes of saxophone are there?

There are four main sizes of saxophone in use - the highest being the Soprano       

in Bb, followed by the Eb Alto a fourth below, Bb Tenor (octave deeper than

soprano) and Eb Baritone (octave deeper than alto).

There are also the less commonly used Sopranino in Eb (octave higher than alto), Bb Bass (octave lower than tenor) and very rare Eb Contrabass (octave lower than baritone!).

There are also a few oddities not in general use, like the C melody tenor, the soprillo, the manzello and stritch, and also the bamboo saxophone.

                           

                                The saxophone family                                                        Multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk

                 l-r sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone                                     playing manzello, stritch and tenor

                                                                                                                                     sax - all at once!

Why are saxophones pitched in Bb and Eb and what does that mean?

   

Saxophones are known as ‘transposing instruments’ which means that when they play a C it doesn’t sound the same as a C on a ‘concert’ instrument like the piano.

Instead, when a tenor or a soprano plays a C it sounds like a concert Bb so they are described as being ‘in Bb’.

When an alto or a baritone plays a C it sounds like a concert Eb, so they are described as being ‘in Eb’.

So if you want to play along with a pianist and you play a Bb sax, you have to play one note (or whole tone) higher than them to sound the same.

                             For example: if a pianist plays G, you play A.

If you play an Eb sax, you have to play a minor third (three semitones) lower than them to sound the same.

    For example: if a pianist plays G, you play E.

As to why they made saxophones transposing instruments in the first place, it was partly to fit in with military bands which had lots of Bb brass, and partly just because of the tone and timbre of the instruments at these pitches - they tried C and F saxes and in the end just decided the Eb and Bb ones sounded best.

                   

                             TRANSPOSING CHART BELOW:

Here’s an interesting link to a YouTube demo of the Contrabass sax - playing Locked out of Heaven by Bruno Mars....check it out!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTGgsmS7MiE

And how about this photograph of the all-female Darling Sax Quartet (aka Four Harmony Maids) from Tacoma, Washington - nearly 100 years ago in 1919.... How cool are they?!

(NB that looks very much like a bass sax the player on the left is holding...)