The
saxophone is a transposing wind instrument that is made of brass,
and so forms a bridge between those sections of the orchestra. It has
a single reed and a conical bore. At one time, there were two distinct
schools of saxophone playing: the classical, and the jazz or popular.
These distinctions have largely broken down today and most good sax
players will be capable of playing in a variety of styles.
Here
are the written saxophone transpositions.
The main saxophone family comprises: Soprano
saxophone in Bb; Alto Saxophone in Eb; Tenor Saxophone in Bb;
Baritone Saxophone in Eb.
In addition, there are: the Sopranino Saxophone in Eb and the
Bass Saxophone in Bb
In these pages, the saxophones are demonstrated
by:
Use the navigation bar above to explore the saxophone pages.
The icon will launch a movie of David explaining a relevant point of saxophone technique.
The icon will give an audio clip, which will either play automatically or open a new window.
The icon will play an illustrative music example from the Philharmonia's recorded archive.
Be sure to visit the 'player's tips and tricks' section for
some very useful advice about aspects of saxophone writing.
