The saxophone family is a lot larger than most people realize. The four most well known are the soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. There are actually 10 types. Here is a list of all of them and a little bit about each.

Sopranissimo

This is the samllest saxophone and is commonly classed as a piccolo instrument. It is straight and is pitched an octave above Bb soprano. It is also called the soprillo and has the octave key in the mouthpiece.

Sopranino

This is also a straight sax. It is pitched a Eb and is rarely found in a group. There is very little call for it musically. This is not an instrument for a beginner.

Soprano

This is the beginning of the common range of saxophones. This can be curved or straight and is pitched at either Bb or C. This is still a very difficult instrument to play and should be avoided by beginners. It also has tuning issues.

Alto

The alto is the most common sax around. It is pitched at Eb and is one of the easiest to play. It is normally a curved sax, but there is a straight version.

C melody

This is a fairly rare sax. These were only produced for 20 years at the beginning of the last century. They are best avoided because you can not get new mouthpieces.

Tenor

Probably the most common saxophone in the world. It is pitched in Bb and is generally curved, but, like always, you can find it in a straight version. The theme song for the Pink Panther was played on a tenor.

Baritone

Now we are talking about the larger more expensive saxophones. It is pitched in Eb but can be extended to low A with the right instrument. The low notes cause vibration that is conveyed into your teeth. That is quite painful. This is not a sax for beginners.

Bass

This was the first sax made way back in the 1840’s. It is not commonly used in orchestras or bands. It is not for beginners, or really for intermediates. This one is for pros only.

Contrabass

This sax is around 6 feet in height and very heavy. It is pitched at Eb and is a very rare animal. Very few have ever been made because of the rarity they are used in music.

10 saxophones were mentioned. The sub contrabass saxophone has never been produced in a playable version. There will probably never be one made. So, there you have the saxophone family.

Photo Credit rj3

Correct breathing is essential for playing the saxophone. Diaphragmatic breathing is the proper term for this controlled breathing. When you inhale your diaphragm moves down to pull air into your lungs. When you exhale it moves down.

Place your hand just below your ribs. Cough and you will feel your stomach tighten. This is you diaphragm forcing air out. Slowly inhale and exhale. Did you notice that your stomach and back enlarged to make way for the expansion of your lungs and diaphragm?

Breathing Exercises

The correct diaphragmatic breathing techniques allows you to learn how to expand your lower ribcage and back when you breathe instead of your shoulders and chest. You need to be in the habit of breathing like this. Of course, it helps to practice whenever possible.

Sit in a chair. Back straight. Inhale slowly paying attention to the expansion of your lower ribcage and back. Hold for the same amount of time it took you to inhale then exhale slowly. Learning to control the release of air through your lips will give you a better lung volume and a good consistent tone.

Try inhaling then slowly exhaling while you are humming a note. The tone will probably be jerky at first and taper off at the end. The goal is to get the tone even with no tapering. Try doing the inhale/exhale with the mouthpiece from your saxophone.

Once you have the hang of it, try it with your saxophone. Your tone should be stronger and more constant. Don’t stop practicing this diaphragmatic breathing until you are an expert at it and it comes as second nature.

Circular breathing

This method of breathing will allow you to play on the inhale and exhale. That way you can play a long musical passage without stopping to breathe. This is a skill for intermediate and pro players. Beginners should be aware of its existence, but not try it for quite a while because it is a hard skill to master.

Photo Credit linuz90

The Grafton Saxophone was the first plastic saxophone. It was not very durable or playable. It may be a design icon, but not much more. It was designed with an eye to capturing the market of sax players (or their parents) who couldn’t afford brass ones.

It was very art deco in appearance. It had bold lines and curves everywhere. It was white with a brass neck and brass keys. It looks like it should have come out of the art deco craze of the early 20th century.

The sound itself is very odd. It sounds a lot on the tin side. Like someone turned off the bass in their stereo. They were made of cheap plastic at a time when plastic was just taking off. They tended to crack and snap, so there are very few of them left that actually play.

Now a new company is having a go at it. Vibrato Sax is dabbling in the plastic saxophone market. It is also white and looks like some one coated a normal sax in plastic. It is sort of chunky and unattractive in general. These were supposed to be on the market in January of 2008, but are still a no show. Maybe they gave up.

The plastic saxophone is a novelty at best.

In the terms of musical history the saxophone is a baby. It was patented in 1846 by Adolphe Sax who had unveiled it two years earlier in 1844. The very first model was the C bass sax. It was a little risky to unveil the instrument before the paten was gained. The sax is an all brass woodwind.

The saxophone’s history and how it came to be are both a little cloudy. Many think that Sax wanted the big sound of a brass, but the versatility of a wood wind. Some think it had to do with being able to overblow an octave. Whatever method there was to his madness, the sax became the sax.

The original patent called for one design with fourteen variations that were split into two groups of seven. One group was meant for concert play and the other for marching bands. They were meant to be the: E flat sopranino, the F sopranino, the B flat soprano, c soprano, E flat alto, F alto, B flat tenor, C tenor, E flat baritone, B flat bass, C bass, E flat contrabass, and F contrabass. There was supposed to be a fourteenth, but a working model was never made.

Composers from the 19th century utilized the sax frequently. Even writing especially for them. It began to be used by marching bands after sax organized a playoff between his band and another. Sax replaced the oboes and bassoons with saxophones and won the competition.

During the history of the sax there have been many changes made. The early instruments did not have as many keys nor did they have the F# key.

Throughout their history the sax has steadily become more and more popular. They have found their way into mainstream rock and roll.

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