by Nick Somoski

Created on: January 04, 2011   Last Updated: July 25, 2011

The saxophone is a common brass musical instrument that appears in many different musical groups, varying in style. While it is in the woodwind family, the saxophone is a brass instrument with a reed mouthpiece. Saxophones vary in size and shape, as there are many different brands and lines available for purchase.

While many are in existence, there are four specific types of saxophones that are most common - the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones.

Soprano Saxophone

The soprano saxophone is the highest pitched of the most common saxophones. Playing in the key of B flat, the soprano saxophone can be either straight, resembling a brass clarinet, or curved, much like the rest of the saxophones. The soprano is more difficult to learn, and it is not advised for beginning players to start out on. As a beginner, most players have troubles forming the correct embouchure needed to successfully play the soprano clarinet. For that reason, the soprano is very tricky to play in tune.

Alto Saxophone

The E-flat alto saxophone is medium-sized compared to the rest of the horns in the saxophone family. It happens to be the most commonly played saxophone due to the comfort in its size and shape. Most beginning band students will start out on the alto and eventually switch to a different saxophone.

Tenor Saxophone

The tenor saxophone, playing in the key of B-flat, is larger than the alto saxophone. It plays one octave lower than the soprano sax. This saxophone is larger than that of an alto, and it has a larger mouthpiece and longer rods and tone holes. The tenor saxophone is like a larger version of the alto sax, since the fingerings are identical. The only difference, other than size, is that of the different keys they are played in.  

Baritone Saxophone

The final type of saxophone is the baritone saxophone. This saxophone is the largest of the most common. It tends to be the heart of a musical group, with the low bass sound. Pitched in the key of E-flat, it is exactly one octave lower than the alto sax. The baritone sax may or may not come with an extension. If it does have this extension on the end of it, it is called a low A baritone.

There are many other types of saxophones, though they are not all regularly found and played in today’s time. Some include the E-flat contra-bass, the B-flat bass, the E-flat soprano, the F contra-bass, the C bass, the F baritone, the C tenor (“C melody”), the F alto, the C soprano, and the F soprano. Most of these other saxophones resemble much of the four most common, differing mostly in the key they play.

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