

Regularly used in jazz and funk and present in big-band music, it's pitched in E-flat.īrowse New & Used Saxophones at Alamo Music Center Out of the family, only the bass and contrabass saxophones are larger.


Conn began to feature right-side bell keys and then what was called a "Balanced Action" design. Of the changes, instruments manufactured by C.G. Its use through big band and swing music resulted in revisions to its design, allowing the saxophone to better sustain notes and create a brighter, more vibrant tone that helped it stand out for soloing in a large ensemble. Following his intention, the French army started using his invention, and that exposure helped it catch on in vaudeville and ragtime and eventually jazz and dance bands on multiple continents. Sax, a multi-instrumentalist himself, essentially sought to create a hybrid instrument geared toward military bands and orchestras. Its design - a brass instrument with a single-reed mouthpiece - featured a conical metal body with keys the player pressed down. About the SaxophoneĪ family unto itself with horns ranging from soprano to baritone and bass, the saxophone was invented by Antoine-Joseph Sax in the 1840s, receiving a patent in 1846.

What kind of instrument is the saxophone? Most might group it in with the brass family, but using a single-reed mouthpiece similar to the clarinet, it's properly considered a wind instrument.
