Saxophone

The saxophone or sax is a conical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece like the clarinet. It was invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The saxophone is most commonly associated with popular music, big band music, and jazz, but it was originally intended as both an orchestral and military band instrument. Saxophone players are appropriately called saxophonists.

Technique

Playing technique for the saxophone is subjective based upon the intended style (classical, jazz, rock, funk, etc.) and the player's idealized sound. The design of the saxophone allows for incredibly varied tone-production, and the "ideal" saxophone sound and keys to its production are subjects of heated debate. However, there is a basic underlying structure to most technique.

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The embouchure

In the typical embouchure, the mouthpiece is generally not taken more than half-way into the player's mouth. The bottom lip is generally curled in slightly (though some players choose to turn the lip outward) and the mouthpiece is rested upon it, held firm with light pressure from the upper teeth resting on the mouthpiece (sometimes padded with a thin strip of rubber known as a "bite-pad"). The upper lip closes to create an air-tight seal, and the corners of the mouth are kept firm and pulled up towards the nose as the head is tilted down to straighten the neck and thus the air-current.

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Imperative to a full and quick-speaking sound is the position of the throat. The throat should feel open, as when yawning. This openness should remain constant throughout the register of the saxophone, especially the low register (D down to Bb ). An exception to this rule is for notes at 3rd octave E and above, which require a narrowing of the throat to obtain the fullest sound.

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Tone effects

A number of effects can be used to create different or interesting sounds.

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• Growling is a technique used whereby the saxophonist sings or hums while playing. This causes a modulation of the sound, and results in a gruffness or coarseness of the sound. It is rarely found in classical or band music.
• A glissando or sliding technique can also be used. Here the saxophonist bends the note using the embochure and at the same time slides up or down to another fingered note. This technique is sometimes heard in big band music (for example, Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing") and even in an orchestral score (George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue").
• Multiphonics is the technique of playing more than one note at once. A special fingering combination causes the instrument to vibrate at two different pitches alternately, creating a warbling sound.
• The use of overtones involves fingering one note but altering the air stream to produce another note which is an overtone of the fingered note. For example, if low B-flat is fingered, a B-flat one octave above may be sounded by manipulating the air stream. Other overtones that can be obtained with this fingering include F, Bb, and D. The same air stream techniques used to produce overtones are also used to produce notes above high F (the "altissimo register").