Tenor saxophone
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The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. It is a transposing instrument, pitched in the key of B♭. This means that when a tenor saxophonist plays the note C, the actual pitch that sounds is a B♭, a major second lower.
In the early 20th century, instrument makers also manufactured a slightly smaller tenor saxophone which was pitched in the key of C. This was known as a C-melody saxophone. C-melody saxophones became common during the American saxophone craze (1918-1929) but passed out of style. No C-melody saxophones have been manufactured since 1929.
The tenor saxophone is used in many ensembles such as concert band, marching band, big band and small jazz ensembles, but only rarely in symphony orchestras. Unlike the alto saxophone, it seldom has more than a supporting role in concert bands, sometimes sharing parts with the euphonium and trombone.
The tenor saxophone comes into its own in jazz music. It was the pioneering genius of Coleman Hawkins which lifted the tenor saxophone from its traditional role of adding weight to the ensemble and established it as a highly-effective melody instrument in its own right. Many of the greatest jazz musicians have been primarily tenor players, including Lester Young, Ben Webster, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Stan Getz, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Gilmore and Sonny Rollins. Rock 'n' roll tenor saxophonists include "Boots" Randolph and Rudy Pompilli of Bill Haley's Comets, and also Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and John Helliwell of Supertramp.
Approximately 98% of all student saxophonists start learning the instrument using the alto saxophone. Approximately 10% of student saxophonists later learn to play the tenor. Switching from one saxophone to another is not very difficult, since all modern saxophones are transposing instruments and all saxophones share the same fingerings. The tenor saxophone requires a slightly larger mouthpiece, reed, and ligature than the alto.
The saxophone family ranges from sopranissimo, sopranino, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass, and subcontrabass.
See also
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