How to play the saxophone? Types of saxophones. Saxophone tutorial

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Saxophone is a reed musical instrument related to wind instruments. If we focus on the principle of sound production, then it should be attributed to the group of reed wooden music instruments. Before you wonder how to play the saxophone, it is worth knowing the history of its origin and some important theory.

A Brief History

The saxophone was constructed in the first half of the 19th century, or to be more precise - in 1841, when the music master Adolf Sax was in search of eliminating intonation dissonances (discrepancies) between brass and woodwind instruments. Also, his plans included filling the space between them with a timbre and displacing an uncomfortable bulky instrument - a bass ophicleid, which outwardly resembled a bassoon.

So, Sachs presented his new creation called "Mouthpiece Ophicleid". In 1842, the master arrived in Paris, where the famous composer and fellow master, Hector Berlioz, became very interested in his instrument. He published his friend's creation in the Political and Literary Debate Newspaper, rewording the instrument as "saxophone".

After announcing it to the public, the instrument begins to become widespread.

Hector Berlioz becomes the first composer to write a new composition "Choral for voice and six wind instruments", adding a saxophone to it.

In December 1844, the instrument made its debut as a direct participant in the opera orchestra performing the opera "The Last King of Judea" by Georges Kastner.

Jazz and other styles

At the end of the 19th century, a new musical direction was born - jazz, in which the mouthpiece ophicleid became one of the main performers, since the specific sound of the saxophone was the best suited for this style. Since 1918, the world has been swept by such a wave as "Saxomania". This is mass production, wide distribution and recordings from 1910-1920, in which the timbre of the saxophone is clearly audible.

During the birth of swing (the direction of jazz), whole jazz ensembles or even orchestras came into fashion, where the saxophone group was mandatory and consisted of at least 5 instruments.

Types of saxophones

For many, it will be a surprise that despite the common name of the instrument, the saxophone is divided into more than 8 categories based on the register principle:

• sopranissimo saxophone - build in B-flat;
• sopranino saxophone - build on E-flat;
• alto saxophone - build in E-flat;
• tenor saxophone - B-flat tuning;
• baritone saxophone - build on E-flat;
• bass saxophone - B-flat tuning;
• double bass saxophone - build on E flat.

As you can see: instrument types are classified in the same way as the voices in the choir (not counting the first two and the lowest options). Understanding the division is quite simple if you have an idea about the timbres of the above voices (soprano, alto, etc.).

How to play the saxophone: tips

Everyone can learn to play this instrument, the main thing is regular practice (as in everything else).

The saxophone is not at all an instrument that can be easily mastered on your own, since it does not have a temperament: you will have to play the sounds yourself, focusing on your ear and using the correct breathing.

This task is much easier to handle on the piano - all notes are already built in automatically.

You should study under the guidance of a teacher or tutor. He will be able to point you in the right direction, point out mistakes and evaluate your playing from the outside, which is very important in the process of learning to play a musical instrument.

If there is no opportunity to study with a mentor, then a saxophone tutorial will become your friend. Currently, self-taught lessons can be easily found on the Internet, in which all the basics of mastering will be painted from and to. You can also ask for help fromprinted publications. For example:

• "Saxophone School", Bolshiyanov;
• "Jazz saxophonist", Zvonarev.

A large amount of literature can be found in the textbooks for children's art school.

No matter how quickly and professionally you want to play the saxophone, striving for the level of Marcel Muhl or Sigurd Rascher, you should realize that the pace in your case is a secondary task. Speed should not play any role in the first steps of mastering the instrument.

It is worth deciding when choosing the type of saxophone, because despite the relationship, they have differences. The best option is the alto saxophone, which contains all the best qualities of this instrument.

The last and most important piece of advice on how to play the saxophone is knowledge of musical literacy. No correct and effective training takes place without elementary theory. To reproduce sounds, first of all, you need to learn all the notes, scales, keys, intervals and other important basics, so as not to flounder like in the sea, not at all understanding where to head.

Game technique

The fingering (order of placement and alternation of fingers) of the saxophone is very close to the fingering of the oboe, however, the lips do not tuck as much.

The principle of sound extraction is similar to the method of playing the clarinet, but on the first one it is much easier to hold the embyuchure (the position of the articulatory apparatus while playing the brass).

With the sound of a saxophone, it is possible to make a sufficiently large amplitude duringvibrato, as well as clearly accentuate stacatto (jerky playing stroke) and make smooth movement from one note to another (glissando).

The saxophone overcomes the wooden group in terms of dynamics (on a level with the horn). Despite the fact that the instrument itself is not included in the classification of wind instruments, the ability to merge in timbre allows it to interact harmoniously with the group described above.

When wondering how to play the saxophone, you need to understand that you need a basic knowledge of playing methods, here are just a few of them: frulatto (tremolo technique performed using the tongue), resonant sound, playing in an ultra-high register and the harmonic sound in it. Polyphony is also possible.

Interesting facts

Forty-second President of the United States Clinton was a good saxophone player, previously he wanted to connect his life with music.

Saxophone is one of the main nominations in the Russian competition of the youth Delphic games.

In the Soviet Union, jazz music succumbed to criticism (40s and 50s). Then there was such a sharp expression: "From the saxophone to the Finnish knife - one step."