Saxophones

A Brief History of the Saxophone 

Patented in 1846 by Aldolphe Sax (1814 - 94) the saxophone family was invented as an attempt to introduce a more powerful group of instruments into millitary bands to form a link between the clarinets and the low brasses. Although Sax's combination of a single bleating reed with a conical body was not entirely new, the saxophone was the first succesful instrument of this type.

Since World War I the saxophone has become extremely popular in music of all kinds, and is now one of the most common witnd instruments. Its playing technique is regarded as fairly simple compared with other reed instruments. Since the 1930s it has played a leading role in jazz bands, and it is in this medium that the instrument's potential has beeen most thourughly exploited. Today's jazz musicans mainly use B flat tenor and E flat alto.