SAX-AUUUGHHH-PHONE

[Winslow Yerxa <76450.3230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Oops -

I wrote my last post under various urgencies and neglected to
finish the inventory of saxophone types.

Saxophones, like harmonicas, come in different keys and ranges.
On a Bb instrument, if you finger a C, you get a Bb, while on an
Eb instrument, fingering that same note will get an Eb.

There are numberous sub-types, but the four main models are

Bb SOPRANO -  Kenny G, Branford Marsalis, Sidney Bechet

Eb ALTO    -  Louis Jordan, Charlie Parker, Candy Dulfer, Cannonball
              Adderly, Johnny Hodges, Paul Desmond, Marc Russo

Bb TENOR   -  John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, King Curtis, Sonny
              Rollins, Clarence Clemons, Ben Webster, Bug Jay
              McNeely, Lester Young, A.C. Reed, Bill Clinton

Eb BARITONE - Gerry Mulligan, Harry Carney, Pepper Adams

The soprano is the straight one that looks a little like a metal
clarinet. The highest-pitched member of the regular family, it
has a range similar to that of a G-harp (lowest note Ab). Becuase
it's in the same keys as the tenor, many tenor players do9uble on
soprano (Coltrane, Marsalis, Dexter Gordon, to name three).

The alto is pitched a fifth lower - its lowest note is Db just
above the low C of a four-octave chromatic or a No. 365 Marine
Band. Its bell curves upward, and the mouthpiece bends back away
from the main column. It has a lighter sound than the tenor, and
is almost invariably the sax used in soundtracks where the pretty
girl is shown in some sexy, sultry situation.

The tenor is bigger than the alto, and there is an arch in the
part that pulls back from the main column to the mouthpiece. The
tenor has the funkiest, grittiest sound of all the saxophones.
It is pitched an octave lower than the soprano, and many tenor
players also play soprano because the fingerings are the same,
while the same fingerings on the alto or baritone will put you in
a different key. Its low Ab is four semitones below the low C on
a 64, or the same note as fourth fret on the low-pitched E-string
on a guitar.

The Baritone is bigger still, and has some convoluted tubing at
the top. This is the sax that does those low grunts and rhythmic
shots on old James Brown records. It also has a big, wooly sound,
and anchors the classic saxophone section. Its low Db is three
semitones below the low E-string on a guitar.