Saxophone is a reed musical instrument related to winds. If you 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, you should know the history of its origin and a little important theory.
Short story
The saxophone was constructed in the first half of the 19th century, and to be more precise - in 1841, when the music master Adolf Sachs was in search of eliminating intonational dissonances (discrepancies) between brass and wooden wind instruments. Also, his plans included filling the space between them with a timbre and displacing an uncomfortable bulky instrument - a bass ophiclide, which outwardly resembled a bassoon.
So, Sax introduced his new creation under the name "mouthpiece oficleleid." In 1842, the master came to Paris, where the famous composer and companion of the master, Hector Berlioz, became very interested in his instrument. He published the creation of his friend in the journal Newspaper for Political and Literary Debates, giving a new wording to this instrument - the saxophone.
After a statement about it to the public, the instrument begins to become widespread.
Hector Berlioz becomes the first composer to write a new work, “Choral for Voice and Six Winds,” adding a saxophone.
In December 1844, the instrument debuted as a direct participant in the opera orchestra performing the opera The Last King of Judea, Georges Kastner.
Jazz and other directions
At the end of the 19th century, a new musical direction was emerging - jazz, in which the mouthpiece ophleid became one of the main performers, since the specific sound of the saxophone was the best suited for this style. Since 1918, such a wave as “saxomania” has swept the world. This is mass production, wide distribution and recordings of 1910-1920, in which the timbre of the saxophone is clearly audible.
At the time of the birth of the swing (the direction of jazz), whole jazz ensembles or even orchestras came into fashion, where a group of saxophones was obligatory and amounted to at least 5 instruments.
Types of Saxophones
For many, it will come as a surprise that despite the common name of the instrument, the saxophone is divided into more than 8 categories, built on the register principle:
- sopranissimo saxophone - system in B flat;
- sopranino-saxophone - tuning in E-flat;
- alt-saxophone - tuning in E-flat;
- tenor saxophone - system in B flat;
- baritone-saxophone - tuning in E-flat;
- bass saxophone - a system on a B flat;
- double bass saxophone - tuning in E flat.
As you can see: the types of the instrument are classified in the same way as the voices in the choir (not counting the first two and the lowest options). To understand the division is quite simple if you have an idea of the timbres of the above voices (soprano, alt and so on).
How to play the saxophone: tips
Everyone can learn to play the game on this instrument, the main thing is the regularity of classes (as in everything else).
A saxophone is absolutely not a tool that can be easily mastered independently, since it does not have a temperament system: you will have to play sounds yourself, focusing on your hearing and using the right breath.
It is much easier to cope with this task on the piano - in it all notes are already built-in automatically.
It should be done under the guidance of a teacher or tutor. He will be able to direct you in the right direction, point out errors and evaluate your game from the outside, which is very important in the process of learning to play a musical instrument.
If there is no opportunity to engage with a mentor, then your friend will be the tutorial for playing the saxophone. At present, lessons for self-taught people can be easily found on the Internet, in which all the basics of learning will be painted from and to. You can also contact the print media for help. For instance:
- "School of playing the saxophone", Bolshiyanov;
- "To the jazz saxophonist", Zvonarev.
A large amount of literature can be found in textbooks for children's art.
As soon as possible and more professionally did not want to play the saxophone, striving for the level of Marcel Mühl or Sigurd Rasher, you should realize that the pace in your case is a secondary task. Speed should not play any role in the first steps of tool development.
It is worth deciding on the type of saxophone, because despite the kinship, 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 notation. Not a single correct and effective training is complete without elementary theory. To play sounds, first of all, you need to learn all the notes, scales, tones, intervals and other important fundamentals so as not to flounder like in the sea, completely not understanding where to head for.
Game technique
The saxophone fingering (the arrangement and alternating fingers) is very close to oboe fingering, but the lips do not tuck so much.
The principle of sound extraction is similar to the method of playing the clarinet, but on the first it is much easier to hold an ambushur (the position of the articulating apparatus during the game of wind instruments).
With the sound of a saxophone, it is possible to make a sufficiently large amplitude during vibrato, as well as clearly accentuate the stockatto (jerky touch of the game) and make a smooth movement from one note to another (glissando).
The saxophone overcomes the group of wooden ones according to the possibilities of dynamics (at the level of the horn). Despite the fact that the instrument itself is not included in the classification of winds, the ability to merge with a timbre gives it the opportunity to harmoniously interact with the group described above.
When wondering how to play the saxophone, you need to understand that you need basic knowledge of the methods of the game, before you are just a few of them: frulatto (tremolo reception performed with the help of the language), resonant sound, ultra-high register performance and flag-sounding in it . Polyphony is also possible.
Interesting Facts
Clinton, the forty-second president of the United States, owned a saxophone well; earlier he wanted to connect his life with music.
Saxophone is one of the main nominations in the Russian Delphic Games youth competition.
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."