The simplest design of saxophone is a straight conical tube, and the sopranino and soprano saxophones are usually of this design.
However, as the lower-pitched instruments would be unacceptably long, they usually incorporate a U-bend "bow" at or slightly above the third-lowest tone hole. As this would cause the bell to point almost directly upward, the end of the instrument is either beveled or tilted slightly forward.
This U-shape has become a distinctive feature of the saxophone family, to the extent that soprano and even sopranino saxes are sometimes made in the curved style. By contrast, tenors and even baritones have occasionally been made in the straight style.
The baritone, bass, and contrabass saxophones accommodate the length of the bore with extra bows and right-angle bends between the main body and the mouthpiece. Most saxophones, past and present, are made from brass. Despite this, they are categorized as woodwind instruments rather than brass , as the sound waves are produced by an oscillating wooden reed, not the lips against a mouthpiece as in a brass instrument, and because pitches are produced by breath wind passing opening and closing keys.
The screw pins that connect the rods to the posts, as well as the needle and leaf springs that cause the keys to return to their rest position after being released, are generally made of blued or stainless steel. Since , most saxophones have "key touches" smooth replaceable pieces placed where the fingers touch the instrument made from either plastic or mother of pearl.
Recently, some saxophones are offered with abalone or stone keytouches. Other materials have been tried with varying degrees of success, such as the s Grafton plastic alto saxophone and its recent successor, the polycarbonate saxophone, Vibratosax.
There is also the wooden Sawat saxophone created in Thailand on a small scale. Recent years have seen the use of higher copper alloys substituted for the "yellow brass" or "cartridge brass" that are most common, for visual and tonal effect. Yanagisawa 's and series saxophones are made with phosphor bronze , which is claimed to offer slightly different, more "vintage" tonal qualities from the brass and models of identical design.
Yanagisawa and other manufacturers, starting with the King Super 20 around , have made saxophone necks, bells, or entire instruments from sterling silver. Mauriat have made saxes with a nickel silver body. With the exception of the identical brass and phosphor bronze Yanagisawa models, opportunities to isolate body materials from other variables in design and construction are lacking.
Prior to final assembly of the saxophone, the manufacturers usually apply a thin coating of clear or colored acrylic lacquer or silver plate over the brass. The lacquer or plating serves to protect the brass from oxidation and maintains its shiny appearance.
Several different types and colors of surface finish have been used over the years. It is also possible to plate the instrument with nickel or gold , and a number of gold-plated saxophones have been produced. Plating saxophones with gold is an expensive process because gold does not adhere directly to brass. As a result, the brass is first plated with silver, then gold. Some saxophonists, sellers, and repair technicians argue that the type of lacquer or plating or absence thereof may enhance an instrument's tone quality.
The possible effects of different finishes on tone are difficult to isolate from the other variables that affect an instrument's tone colors although experiments have been done have been done discounting this. In any case, what constitutes a pleasing tone is a matter of personal preference.
In , according to the website, the sax came to America when a man named Charles Gerrard from Elkhart, Indiana, began making brass saxophones for military bands. By the early s, the saxophone was a staple of American vaudeville, Hart writes, used as a comedy instrument. As the story goes, he found a soprano sax in a London junkshop while touring Europe, writes John Fordham for The Guardian.
Soprano saxophones are straight, but the most recognizable shape for a saxophone is curved, with the bell facing upwards. And, of course, saxes have also been used in classical chamber music , military bands, pop , funk, Motown and ska bands. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe S ax in the early s whose birthdate is marked each 6th November with National Saxophone Day.
The son of an esteemed maker of musical instruments, Adolphe Sax was a Belgian who would later relocate to Paris. Sax sought to create an instrument that combined the technical dexterity of the flute and clarinet , with the horn -like sound of the brass family; it was whilst experimenting with modifications to the bass clarinet that he stumbled across a prototype version of the saxophone.
This early goal explains a common confusion around the saxophone…. Originally, the saxophone was conceived as a revolutionary new member of the orchestra and, initially, a number of major classical composers lent their support by writing orchestral pieces to feature the instrument. Hector Berlioz, in particular, was an early advocate. A school of classical saxophone playing was established which still exists today. There is a a wide body of solo and chamber works written for classical sax , with the saxophone quartet typically comprising soprano , alto , tenor and baritone a particularly popular example of the genre.
As with any musical instrument , the players that popularise it only tell half the story. The instrument maker , improving and refining the technical side things, often play an important role in the advancing techniques and sound quality.
0コメント