Editing Saxophone (section)

{{Short description|Single-reed woodwind instrument}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Infobox Saxophone
| name           = Saxophone
| image          = Yamaha Saxophone YAS-62.tif
| image_capt     = A [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]] [[alto saxophone]]
| inventors      = [[Adolphe Sax]]
| developed      = 1840s
| range          = [[File:Saxophone range.svg|200px|center]]
Most saxophones share the same written range in treble clef of just over two and a half octaves. Most can reach higher notes using [[altissimo]] fingerings
}}
The '''saxophone''' (often referred to colloquially as the '''sax''') is a type of [[Single-reed instrument|single-reed]] [[woodwind instrument]] with a conical body, usually made of [[brass]]. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a [[reed (mouthpiece)|reed]] on a [[Mouthpiece (woodwind)|mouthpiece]] vibrates to produce a sound wave inside the instrument's body. The [[Pitch (music)|pitch]] is controlled by opening and closing holes in the body to change the effective length of the tube.<ref name="Cottrell">{{cite book|first=Stephen|last=Cottrell|title=The Saxophone (Yale Musical Instrument Series)|year=2013|publisher= Yale Musical Instrument Series}}</ref> The holes are closed by leather pads attached to keys operated by the player. Saxophones are made in various sizes and are almost always treated as [[transposing instruments]]. A person who plays the saxophone is called a ''saxophonist'' or ''saxist''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Oxford Thesaurus of English |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-956081-3 |editor-last=Waite |editor-first=Maurice |edition=3rd |location= |pages=49}}</ref>

The saxophone is used in a wide range of musical styles including [[classical music]] (such as [[concert band]]s, [[chamber music]], [[List of concert works for saxophone|solo repertoire]], and occasionally [[orchestra]]s), [[military band]]s, [[marching band]]s, [[jazz]] (such as [[big band]]s and jazz combos), and contemporary music. The saxophone is also used as a solo and melody instrument or as a member of a [[horn section]] in some styles of [[rock and roll]] and [[popular music]].

The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker [[Adolphe Sax]] in the early 1840s<ref name="Saxophone">{{cite dictionary|last=Raumberger, Ventzke|first=Claus, Karl|url=http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/abstract/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000024670|title=Saxophone|year=2001|dictionary=Oxford Music Online|access-date=6 April 2019|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.24670|isbn=978-1-56159-263-0}}</ref> and was patented on 28 June 1846. Sax invented two groups of seven instruments each—one group contained instruments in C and F, and the other group contained instruments in B{{music|b}} and E{{music|b}}. The B{{music|b}} and E{{music|b}} instruments soon became dominant, and most saxophones encountered today are from this series. Instruments from the series pitched in C and F never gained a foothold and constituted only a small fraction of instruments made by Sax. ''High-pitch'' (also marked "H" or "HP") saxophones tuned [[Sharp (music)|sharper]] than the (concert) [[A440 (pitch standard)|A = 440 Hz]] standard were produced into the early twentieth century for sonic qualities suited for outdoor use, but are not playable to modern tuning and are considered obsolete. ''Low-pitch'' (also marked "L" or "LP") saxophones are equivalent in tuning to modern instruments. [[C soprano saxophone|C soprano]] and [[C melody saxophone|C melody]] saxophones were produced for the casual market as parlor instruments during the early twentieth century, and saxophones in F were introduced during the late 1920s but never gained acceptance.

The modern {{visible anchor|Saxophone family|text=saxophone family}} consists entirely of B{{music|b}} and E{{music|b}} instruments. The saxophones in widest use are the B{{music|b}} soprano, E{{music|b}} alto, B{{music|b}} tenor, and E{{music|b}} baritone. The E{{music|b}} sopranino and B{{music|b}} bass saxophone are typically used in larger saxophone choir settings, when available.

In the table below, consecutive members of each family are pitched an octave apart. 
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! #
! B{{music|b}} family
! E{{music|b}} family
|-
|1 (highest)
|[[Soprillo|Soprillo (piccolo)]]
|—
|-
|2
|—
|[[Sopranino saxophone|Sopranino]]
|-
|3
|[[Soprano saxophone|Soprano]]
|—
|-
|4
|—
|[[Alto saxophone|Alto]]
|-
|5
|[[Tenor saxophone|Tenor]]
|—
|-
|6
|—
|[[Baritone saxophone|Baritone]]
|-
|7
|[[Bass saxophone|Bass]]
|—
|-
|8
|—
|[[Contrabass saxophone|Contrabass]]
|-
|9 (lowest)
|[[Subcontrabass saxophone|Subcontrabass]]
|—
|}