| What makes a saxophone sound like that? | | | | is blown through and therefore sings. |
| That is a question that I get asked a lot. | | | | The Saxophone has been an instrument that is thought |
| Basically the saxophone is an instrument that was | | | | to be the "Easiest to play" however I have often heard |
| invented. Other woodwind instruments had | | | | "Easiest to play incorrectly". |
| evolvedover time. The Flute comes to mind when I | | | | My experience with the saxophone so far has lasted |
| think about an "old instrument". Clarinet is yet another | | | | 29 years and only in the past 5 years or so have |
| ancester in the history of musical instruments. The list | | | | Itruely experienced what this thing can do. It is a |
| also include drums, bells, trumpet and a lot of | | | | beautiful sounding instrument, and like the human voice, |
| percussions. This list is quite long but these are some | | | | it has several timbres. In one group that I play in, I have |
| of the ones that I can think of as i write this article. | | | | to make it sound as much as possible, like a french |
| The saxophone is basically a conical tube with holes | | | | horn. In the summer band I have to make it sound like, |
| placed stretegically placed to control tones. The tones | | | | well, as saxophone with the "Reedy" sound. At church |
| are generated by a small piece of reed that is cut to a | | | | I am required to mix with the choir, so at times it does |
| thin tip to allow it to vibrate when it is slightly pressed | | | | sound lyrical as a voice. Sometimes I mix with the |
| against the mouthpiece and air is blown through the | | | | trumpets and other times like trombones. It is a |
| whole unit. The whole instrument vibrates as the sound | | | | challange at times but this is what makes it fun. |