Editing Saxophone (section)

==Description==

===Construction===
The pitch of a saxophone is controlled by opening or closing the tone holes along the body of the instrument to change the length of the vibrating air column. The tone holes are closed by leather pads connected to keys—most are operated by the player's fingers, but some are operated using the palm or the side of a finger. There is an [[octave key]], which raises the pitch of the lower notes by one [[octave]]. The lowest note on most modern saxophones is the written B{{music|b}} below middle&nbsp;C. Nearly all baritone saxophones are now constructed with an extra key to allow them to play low&nbsp;A, and a small number of altos with a low&nbsp;A key have been manufactured. The highest keyed note has traditionally been the F two and a half octaves above the low&nbsp;B{{music|b}}, but many instruments now have an extra key for a high&nbsp;F{{music|#}}, and some modern soprano saxophones even have a high&nbsp;G key. Notes above this are part of the [[altissimo]] register and require advanced [[embouchure]] techniques and fingering combinations.

Saxophone music is written in treble clef, appropriately transposed for each different type of instrument, and all saxophones use the same key arrangement and fingerings. Therefore, any written note corresponds to the same fingering on any saxophone, making it easier for players to switch instruments.

Alto and larger saxophones have a detachable curved neck at the top, and a U-shaped bend (the ''bow'') that turns the tubing upward as it approaches the bell. [[Soprano saxophone|Soprano]] and [[sopranino saxophone]]s are usually constructed without a detachable neck or a bow but some have a small detachable neck and some are shaped like an alto saxophone with a bow section. There are rare examples of alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones with mostly straight bodies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jayeaston.com/galleries/sax_family/unusual_saxes_page/sax_php_unusual.html |title=Jay Easton's unusual saxophones |access-date=2021-05-16 }}</ref> Baritone, bass, and contrabass saxophones have extra bends to accommodate the length of tubing. The fingering system for the saxophone is similar to the systems used for the [[oboe]], the [[Boehm system (clarinet)|Boehm-system clarinet]],<ref name="New Grove">{{cite book |last1=Porter |first1=Lewis |editor1-last=Kernfeld |editor1-first=Barry |title=The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz |date=2002 |publisher=Grove's Dictionaries |location=New York |isbn=978-1-56159-284-5 |pages=507–514|volume=3|edition=2}}</ref> and the [[flute]].

===Materials===
From the earliest days of the saxophone the body and key cups have been made from sheet brass stock, which can be worked into complex shapes. The keywork is manufactured from other types of brass stock.  [[King Musical Instruments|King]] made saxophones with necks and bells of sterling silver from the 1930s into the early 1960s. Yanagisawa revived this idea in the 1980s and later introduced instruments entirely made of sterling silver.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.yanagisawasax.co.jp/en/tenor/9937/ |title=T9937 |publisher=Yanagisawa website |access-date=2008-01-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071230212350/http://www.yanagisawasax.co.jp/en/tenor/9937/ |archive-date=2007-12-30}}</ref>  
[[Julius Keilwerth|Keilwerth]] and [[Paul Mauriat|P. Mauriat]] have used [[nickel silver]], a copper-nickel-zinc alloy more commonly used for flutes, for the bodies of some saxophone models.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pmauriatmusic.com/products_detail.php?cde=PDT489a5f02713a9 |title=PMST-60NS |publisher=Paul Mauriat website |access-date=2008-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081208134628/http://www.pmauriatmusic.com/products_detail.php?cde=PDT489a5f02713a9 |archive-date=December 8, 2008 }}</ref> 
For visual and tonal effect, higher copper [[Aluminum brass|variants of brass]]  are sometimes substituted for the more common "yellow brass" and "cartridge brass." [[Yanagisawa Wind Instruments|Yanagisawa]] made its 902 and 992 series saxophones with the high copper alloy [[phosphor bronze]] to achieve a darker, more "vintage" tone than the brass 901 and 991 models.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saxophones.co.uk/yanagisawa.htm |title=Yanagisawa Saxophones |access-date=2014-05-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616142348/http://saxophones.co.uk/yanagisawa.htm |archive-date=June 16, 2009 }}</ref>

Other materials are used for some mechanical parts and keywork. Buttons where the fingers contact the keys are usually made from plastic or [[mother of pearl]]. Rods, screw pins, and springs are usually made of [[Bluing (steel)|blued]] or [[stainless steel]]. Mechanical buffers of felt, cork, leather, and various synthetic materials are used to minimize mechanical noise from key movement and to optimize the action of the keywork. Nickel silver is sometimes used for hinges for its advantages of mechanical durability, although the most common material for such applications has remained brass.

Manufacturers usually apply a finish to the surface of the instrument's body and keywork.  The most common finish is a thin coating of clear or colored [[acrylic lacquer]] to protect the brass from oxidation and maintain a shiny appearance. Silver or gold plating are offered as options on some models. Some silver plated saxophones are also lacquered.  Plating saxophones with gold is an expensive process because an underplating of silver is required for the gold to adhere to.<ref name=jazzbarisax>{{cite web|url=http://www.jazzbarisax.com/brands|publisher= JazzBariSax.com|title=The Horn}}</ref> Nickel plating has been used on the bodies of early budget model saxophones and is commonly used on keywork when a more durable finish is desired, mostly with student model saxophones. Chemical surface treatment of the base metal has come into use as an alternative to the lacquer and plating finishes in recent years.

===Mouthpiece and reed===
{{Main|Mouthpiece (woodwind)|Reed (instrument)|Reed clipper|ligature (musical instrument)}}
[[File:Mouthpiece tenor saxophone.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Tenor saxophone mouthpieces, ligatures, reed, and cap]]

The saxophone uses a single-reed [[Mouthpiece (woodwind)|mouthpiece]] similar to that of the clarinet. Each size of saxophone (alto, tenor, etc.) uses a different size of reed and mouthpiece.

Most saxophonists use reeds made from ''[[Arundo donax]]'' cane, but since the middle of the twentieth century some have been made of fiberglass or other composite materials.  Saxophone reeds are proportioned slightly differently from clarinet reeds, being wider for the same length.  Commercial reeds vary in hardness and design, and single-reed players try different reeds to find those that suit their mouthpiece, embouchure, and playing style.

Mouthpiece design has a profound impact on tone.<ref name="erousseau">{{cite web | url=http://www.eugene-rousseau.com/discussions.htm#Art | at=The Art of Choosing a Saxophone Mouthpiece | last=Rousseau | first=Eugene | author-link=Eugene Rousseau (saxophonist) | title=Discussions | website=EugeneRousseau.com | access-date=27 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405192044/http://www.eugene-rousseau.com/discussions.htm#Art | archive-date=2016-04-05 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Different mouthpiece design characteristics and features tend to be favored for different styles. Early mouthpieces were designed to produce a "warm" and "round" sound for classical playing. Among classical mouthpieces, those with a concave ("excavated") ''chamber'' are truer to Adolphe Sax's original design; these provide a softer or less piercing tone favored by the [[Sigurd Raschèr|Raschèr]] school of classical playing. Saxophonists who follow the French school of classical playing, influenced by [[Marcel Mule]], generally use mouthpieces with smaller chambers for a somewhat "brighter" sound with relatively more upper harmonics.  The use of the saxophone in dance orchestras and jazz ensembles from the 1920s onward placed emphasis on [[dynamic range]] and projection, leading to innovation in mouthpiece designs. At the opposite extreme from the classical mouthpieces are those with a small chamber and a low clearance above the reed between the tip and the chamber, called high ''baffle''. These produce a bright sound with maximum projection, suitable for having a sound stand out among amplified instruments.

Mouthpieces come in a wide variety of materials including [[Vulcanization|vulcanized]] rubber (sometimes called [[hard rubber]] or [[ebonite]]), plastic and metals like bronze or [[surgical steel]]. Less common materials that have been used include wood, glass, crystal, porcelain and bone. Recently, [[Delrin]] has been added to the stock of mouthpiece materials.

The effect of mouthpiece materials on tone of the saxophone has been the subject of much debate. According to [[Larry Teal]], the mouthpiece material has little, if any, effect on the sound, and the physical dimensions give a mouthpiece its tone color.<ref>{{cite book|first=Larry|last=Teal|title=The Art of Saxophone Playing|location=Miami|publisher=Summy-Birchard|year=1963|isbn=978-0-87487-057-2|page=17|quote=A preference as to material used is up to the individual, and the advantages of each are a matter of controversy. Mouthpieces of various materials with the same dimensions, including the chamber and outside measurements as well as the facing, play very nearly the same.}}</ref> There are examples of "dark" sounding metal pieces and "bright" sounding hard rubber pieces. The extra bulk required near the tip with hard rubber affects mouth position and airflow characteristics.

{{Listen
| filename     = Jazz Funk no1 (saxophone).flac
| title        = A saxophone song with electric piano and drums in the background
}}