Abstract: The Saxophone Musical Instrument Classification is a musical instrument classification standard. It was proposed by musicians Saxophone and Hornbottle in 1914. The musical instruments are divided into body-sounding instruments, membrane-sounding instruments, and string-sounding instruments. There are four types of air instruments, and the saxophone is an air instrument. There are four main types of saxophone instruments: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone and baritone saxophone. In addition, there are some rarer types, such as super soprano saxophone. Let’s take a look at the common types of saxophones! What is the classification of saxophone instruments?

Since ancient times, there have been different types of musical instruments, such as the ancient Chinese eight-tone classification method and the orchestra classification method. The saxophone instrument classification method was developed by a German-American musician in 1914. C. Sachs (1881-1959) and Austrian musician Erich Moritz von Hornbostel (1877-1935) proposed a new musical instrument classification principle: instruments are divided into four major categories based on their acoustic vibrating body characteristics. :

1. Body sounding instruments

Refers to the sound production method caused by the solid vibration of the instrument itself, including rod, sheet or plate vibration, etc. The detailed classification can be divided into percussion body sounding instruments, Pizzicato instruments, fricative instruments and wind instruments.

2. Membrane musical instruments

Refers to the sound produced by a tight membrane, including drums and kazoos.

3. String instruments

Including string instruments and some keyboard instruments, such as guzheng, violin, etc.

4. Air-sounding musical instruments

refers to musical instruments that vibrate and produce sound due to the circulation of air. The saxophone is an air instrument.

What are the common types of saxophones

1. Soprano saxophone

The soprano saxophone has a strong nasal sound, and sometimes it can produce a tone similar to an oboe . The treble saxophone has a short and thick body, so it is difficult to express the overtones of the mid-range and bass in the sound. Moreover, the treble saxophone is very sensitive and will go out of tune if the player is not careful. The soprano saxophone was relatively popular in the 1970s.

2. Alto Saxophone

The alto saxophone is the most commonly used saxophone. Its sound is bright and broad, without the tension of the tenor saxophone, but it has more Sentimental and mysterious elements while still maintaining the original innocence. When playing standing, you should generally hold the alto saxophone in the center; when playing sitting, hold the front or right side of it.

3. Tenor saxophone

In addition to the softness of the alto saxophone, the tenor saxophone also adds some masculine timbre and has a gorgeous sound quality. Like a cello. The pitch of the tenor saxophone is the most stable, so breath control is particularly important when playing. No matter what the playing posture of the tenor saxophone is, it must be held on the right side, so the requirements for the player's playing posture are relatively high.

4. Baritone Saxophone

The tone of the baritone saxophone is an octave lower than that of the alto saxophone, which also leads to an increase in air flow during performance, so The key to playing baritone saxophone is to choose a good posture to ensure its tone. The choice of mouth shape can also play an important role in the performance of the baritone saxophone.

5. Other types

Sopranino soprano saxophone (FandEb), Soprano in C-C saxophone (C), Mezzo-soprano (F), 'Melody' in C-C Tuned saxophone, Contra-Bass saxophone (Eb), etc.