Which Saxophone to Play?
November 2nd, 2010 | Acoustic Musical Instruments, Instrument History, saxophone
Are you thinking about picking the saxophone up for the first time? The person who invented the saxophone to begin with, a man named Adolphe Sax, drew up plans for a total of fourteen different types of saxophones. There are at least eleven different types of saxophones out there, with ten different voices or types that are the most popular to pick up.
The ten different voices of the saxophone are:
- Sopranissimo
- Sopranino
- Soprano
- Saxello
- Alto
- C melody
- Tenor
- Baritone
- Bass
- Contrabass
- Subcontrabass
Two of the most popularly followed saxophones are the alto saxophone and the tenor saxophone. The next two most popular saxophone families are the soprano saxophone and the baritone saxophone. Many people would not really be able to determine the difference between the alto saxophone and the tenor saxophone just by looking at the two of them from a distance, but there is a very large difference between the two. Many people regard the alto saxophone as a girl's saxophone, and the tenor saxophone as the boy's saxophone, which makes sense if you consider the size difference between the two instruments. A tenor saxophone in its original case tends to be heavy to contend with, making it difficult for young saxophone players to deal with, especially females. The alto sax is smaller, making it a better choice for beginner players and younger players alike.
The difference between the soprano saxophone and the baritone saxophone, first and foremost is that the soprano has a much higher voice. In fact, the baritone has the lowest voice of the four compared here, followed by tenor, then alto, and finally soprano. The soprano saxophone is smaller and lighter, requiring less air support. Unfortunately, for the beginner the soprano saxophone can be hard to get used to, especially when attempting to play in higher registers.
When choosing a saxophone to play, it may be wise to buy a cheap instrument so that you can get the hang of it before you put a larger investment into the music. Because it will take a year or two of practice and instruction to get the hang of this new instrument, investing in an expensive saxophone is pointless until you have improved your capabilities with the instrument. The saxophone itself is not the most important part of your set up anyway, as the reed and the mouthpiece are the most important considerations to make when making music. As long as you have a working saxophone, it does not need to be an expensive one to produce beautiful melodic music.
The saxophone is an intriguing and exciting musical instrument that can produce beautiful music once you learn how to play it effectively. Keep in mind that this is a challenging instrument to learn, and it will take you a year or two to really get the hang of it. Don't give up, just exercise patience and practice as often as you can for the best results.
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Originally posted 2009-02-12 05:34:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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2 comments ↓
I have been playing the alto saxophone for two years, and the tenor saxophone for one year, and I like the tenor here better so far. There seem to be more sheet music out there for tenor saxophone. I could not find a good amount of jazz music for the alto, this might be a good thing to point out.
This was a very good guide though. I am surely linking to this in my next post.
Benny
(themusicminder.blogspot.com)
Playing instruments that are smaller for the higher register does not mean you will need less air support. In fact, you will definitely need MORE air support.
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