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The
saxophone is a conical bored musical instrument usually made of
brass. It is, however, a member of the woodwind family. This is
due to the fact that the sound is produced using a single reed,
like the clarinet.
There
are 7 members of the saxophone family. The sopranino (Eb), soprano
(Bb), alto (Eb), tenor (Bb), baritone (Eb), bass (Bb) and the contrabass
(Eb). The most widely used are the soprano, alto, tenor and baritone.
A
Belgian by the name of Adolphe Sax patented the instrument in 1846.
His sons later sold the company to Henri Selmer. The Selmer Mk VI
(produced from 1954 – 1974) is still a highly sought after model.
Selmer Paris still manufactures high quality saxophones.
However
there are plenty of other makers producing great saxophones. B &
S, Keilwerth, Yanagisawa and Yamaha to name but a few. The American
manufacturers like King, Buescher, Martin and Conn also produced
some fantastic horns in the 1940's and 1950's that are also very
desirable.
The
saxophone really came into it's own as a jazz and dance band instrument.
It was the instrument of choice for the likes of Sidney Bechet,
Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie
Parker, Stan Getz and John Coltrane.
Modern
exponents of the instrument include Joe Lovano, Andy Sheppard, Joshua
Redman, Tim Garland, Wayne Shorter, Gilad Atzmon, Dave O'Higgins,
Jan Garbarek and the late Michael Brecker.
The
saxophone's unique sound is why it is a popular and versatile instrument
that is used widely in pop, rock, funk and modern orchestral music.
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