Musical Instruments:History of the Saxophone

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The Saxophone.
Music and music lessons have become very popular and one of the musical instruments that has gained a lot of call for is the saxophone.

Saxophones vary in size and are named as follows: soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone, which are most commonly used, but their is also Bass, C melody,
C soprano, F mezzo soprano, Conn-o sax, and F baritone.
The Soprano sax musically has the highest pitched key (B flat) and is gaining popularity for background music. A Soprano sax can have a curved or straight bell.
Music students will come into contact with the Alto Sax at school bands. This musical instrument has range up to an E flat and has a curved bell.
Tenor Sax is larger than the Alto and Soprano Sax and has a larger mouthpiece, rods and tone holes. The tenor is most often used for jazz.
The largest of the commonly used Saxophones is the Baritone; a very expensive musical instrument often used for bass and countermelody.

Where did the saxophone originate?
In 1840 a man named Adolphe Sax was working at his father’s shop in Brussels. Adolphe combined the brass body of ophiclude (large conical bass instrument similar to a woodwind), the conical bore of the oboe and fingering of the flute with single reed mouthpiece like a clarinet. He applied for a patent for l5 years which covered 14 versions of the design from soprano to contrabass. After the patent was finished improved designed were formed such as adding one more key to extend the range downwards and the extension of the bell. A substantial advancement in saxophone key work for music students was the development of a method by which both tone holes are operated by a single octave vent to assist in playing of the upper register just as modern instruments do.

Although many composers have written solos for the saxophone their late invention leaves a great void in literature. For many years the Saxophone was confined to military bands and occasionally the orchestra. Saxophone didn’t become a solo instrument until the l920’s and most of its solo literature has been composed since then. Music students who wish to perform Classical and Romantic periods must turn to
transcriptions.

When Adolphe Sax built the saxophone symphony orchestras were already well established; Mozart had died 50 years earlier, Haydn 32 years and Beethoven l4 years. Musicians were none too eager to accept new instruments. The clarinet had come in a century and half before the sax and had been well established in the orchestra. Fortunately, the instrument was eventually accepted and today, we are the beneficiaries of a beautiful sounding instrument for orchestras, jazz groups, rock groups and all types of enjoyable music at our disposal.

Once you have chosen the saxophone that you wish to play, you need to assemble it. Remove the reed from the case and put it in your mouth to soak.
Put the neck strap around your neck, lubricate the cork on the neck with cork grease, remove your instrument from case put the strap on it, remove end plug, put the neck into the top of instrument, tighten neck screw, gently twist on the mouthpiece so that half of the cork is covered and align the flat side of the mouthpiece with the octave key. Now rest the saxophone on your knee, place the ligature on the mouthpiece, slide the reed behind the ligature, keeping the flat side of the reed against the flat side of the mouthpiece. Centre the reed on the mouthpiece and position it so that a hairline of black mouthpiece can be seen above the reed and gently tighten the ligature screw.

How to hold your sax - Place your right thumb under right thumb rest, place your left thumb diagonally on left thumb rest to operate octave key lever and place the fleshy part of your fingertips on the keys.

Forming the embouchure- Open your mouth so that your teeth are 3/8 of an inch apart and cover your bottom teeth by rolling your lower lip over your teeth. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth where the reed separates from the mouthpiece. Ask your music teacher to check this position. Now your music teacher will instruct you with air games to produce proper musical sounds. You are now on your way to learning how to play the saxophone. Who knows, you could be a musician, lawyer, or president of the USA like Bill Clinton. Have fun and treat your musical instruments carefully.

Before putting the instrument back in the case remove the reed, wipe off moisture, remove the mouthpiece and neck. Put the soft end of the neck cleaner into the large end of the neck, draw it back and forth to wipe the inside of the sax. Drop weight of swab into the bell and pull it out of the other end. NEVER USE METAL POLISH ON YOUR SAX.

Please practice and get ready for your next music lesson.