Saxophone Family

Sax Family

There are many sizes of saxophone in existence, but this listing is only of the modern family, from smallest to largest.

Sopranissimo

This saxophone is the smallest currently being produced today. It is made by renowned instrument maker Benedikt Epplesheim. It is keyed in Bb, an octave higher than the Bb soprano. It is not very common and is quite difficult to play, as it requires a much tighter embouchure than the lower pitched saxes. Its body is straight, measuring about a foot long.

Sopranino

The sopranino saxophone is one size higher than the soprano, pitched in Eb, an octave above the alto. This small sax is not too common, but is not nearly as rare as the soprillo. Like the soprillo, it is difficult to play and has some tuning issues due to its small size.  Its body is usually straight, but some curved models have been made.

Soprano

The soprano saxophone is pitched in Bb and is the highest of the four common saxes. It sounds an octave above the tenor sax. It is a somewhat tricky sax to get used to playing, because it requires a tighter and more focused embouchure than the alto, and has fewer balance points. It is commonly found with a straight body, although it is also sometimes curved.

Alto

The alto saxophone is one of the two most common saxes, and is the most accessible size to start on. It is pitched in Eb. It is a very well balanced horn. As it is almost always curved, it has a comfortable balance while not being too heavy. This is essentially the all around sax.

Tenor

The tenor saxophone is the other of the two most common saxes. This sax is pitched in Bb, and is easily recognized by its trademark wavy neck. It’s a bit bigger than alto, but also quite accessible, comfortably balanced, and comfortable to play. This horn is the most common sax used for jazz.

Baritone

The baritone, or ‘bari’, sax is the largest of the four common saxes. It is pitched in Eb, one octave lower than the alto. This is where the size of the instrument begins to get tricky. The bari sax is for me at least just on the edge of being uncomfortably large. It is quite heavy and is somewhat tiring to play. This horn is an interesting trade off, while its physically difficult to heft around, the embouchure is quite a bit looser than on, say, an alto. This means that is easier to actually play it longer, but causes actual bodily fatigue!

Bass

The bass saxophone is quite a large horn, pitched in Bb one octave below the tenor. This sax is somewhat uncommon, and usually is not called for in wind bands. This sax was the first to be displayed by Adolphe Sax in 1841.

Contrabass

The contrabass saxophone used to be the largest of the sax family until recent innovations from Benedikt Eppelsheim. This sax is very rare, only a small number exist. It is pitched in Eb, one octave below the bari sax, and two octaves below the alto sax. It is truly a massive horn, measuring about six feet tall and weighing in at about 45 pounds.

Subcontrabass

The true version of this sax that exists today is called the Tubax. It is produced in both Bb and Eb. The Eb model sounds one octave lover than the bari sax, having the same range as the contrabass sax. The Bb model sounds one octave below the bass sax. The Tubax is a redesigned sort of saxophone made by Benedikt Eppelsheim. The bore is made more narrow, and the tubing is folded around more times to make it manageable in size.