This page is not just for the very young and brand new, but will also be a resource for people who know of the saxophone only in a traditional way. We’ll start basic and move on from there.

A saxophone is a woodwind instrument made from brass. It begins with a narrow opening and gets larger towards the bell, making this a conical (cone) instrument. Sound is made by blowing air over a wooden/plastic/metal reed, setting it in motion, which then vibrates the air in the horn. If we examine the saxophone and ignore all of the key-work and focus on the body of the instrument, we see that we have a long, curving tube full of holes which allows us to essentially make the horn longer or shorter

Types of saxophones

Typically a new student encounters the alto or tenor saxophone. Maayybe they get to see or hear of a baritone sax, but rarely does it seem to expand beyond that. Below is a list of saxophones that vary in note range