Alto saxophone.html |
| | | ca | | | de | | | en | | | es | | | fr | | | it | | | nl | | | no | | | pl | | | pt | | | ru | | | ro | | | fi | | | sv | | | tr | | | vo | | |
| |  |
 |
|
| Classification | *Wind |
|---|---|
| Playing range | |
| Related instruments | Military band family:
Orchestral family:
Other saxophones: |
| Musicians | *List of saxophonists |
| More articles | |
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the tenor, is the most common size of saxophone. It is larger than the soprano, smaller than the tenor, and is the size most used in classical compositions.
The alto saxophone is a transposing instrument and reads the treble clef in the key of E♭. A written C for the alto sounds as the concert E♭ a major sixth lower.
The range of the alto saxophone is from concert D♭3 to concert A♭5 (or A5 on altos with a high F♯ key). As with most types of saxophones, the standard written range is B♭3 to F6 (or F♯6).1 Above that, the altissimo register begins at F♯ and extends upwards. The saxophone's altissimo register is more difficult to control than that of other woodwinds and is usually only expected from advanced players.
Notable alto saxophonists include jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz, Eric Dolphy, David Sanborn, Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Phil Woods, and Paul Desmond, and classical musicians Marcel Mule, Sigurd Raschèr, and Eugene Rousseau (for more see the Complete list of saxophonists)2. The alto saxophone is included in classical music more often than the tenor, and many concertos for alto exist. The alto is used commonly in concert, jazz, funk, blues, pop, marching bands, and rock music.
Some companies that currently produce saxophones are Buffet Crampon, Cannonball, P.Mauriat, KHS/Jupiter, Selmer, Yamaha, Leblanc/Vito, Keilwerth, and Yanagisawa. New alto saxophones range in price between US$200 for lower quality student models to over US$7000 for professional models.
References
|
|||||||||||