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Clarinet KEY Sounds Eb Clarinet Soprano: Other Sizes

The document summarizes different sizes of clarinets and saxophones. It lists various clarinet sizes from Eb clarinet to contrabass clarinet and their corresponding keys and sounds relative to the Bb clarinet. It then discusses the most common saxophones, the alto and tenor saxophone. The alto saxophone sounds a major sixth lower than written and is commonly used in jazz, funk, concert bands, and more. The tenor saxophone sounds an octave plus a tone lower than written and is extensively used in jazz, wind bands, and popular music.

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Tom Hart
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45 views1 page

Clarinet KEY Sounds Eb Clarinet Soprano: Other Sizes

The document summarizes different sizes of clarinets and saxophones. It lists various clarinet sizes from Eb clarinet to contrabass clarinet and their corresponding keys and sounds relative to the Bb clarinet. It then discusses the most common saxophones, the alto and tenor saxophone. The alto saxophone sounds a major sixth lower than written and is commonly used in jazz, funk, concert bands, and more. The tenor saxophone sounds an octave plus a tone lower than written and is extensively used in jazz, wind bands, and popular music.

Uploaded by

Tom Hart
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Other Sizes

There exist various other sizes of clarinet, which are summarised in Table 3. The most common
are highlighted in bold.

Table 3 - Summary of clarinet sizes

CLARINET KEY SOUNDS


Eb Clarinet Eb Minor third higher
Soprano Bb Tone lower
Soprano (defunct) A Minor third lower
Basset horn F Perfect fifth lower
Alto Eb Major sixth lower
Bass Bb Octave plus tone lower
Contra-alto Eb Octave plus major sixth
lower
Contrabass Bb Two octaves plus tone lower
The Saxophone Family
The Alto Saxophone
The most commonly seen saxophone sizes are alto and tenor. The alto saxophone is pitched in
Eb, sounding a major sixth lower than written. Its written range is from Bb below middle C, up
to the F natural two octaves above middle C. Higher notes, known as the altissimo range, are
achievable. Most modern saxophones have an additional F# key, to facilitate the hitting of one
semitone above the saxophone's normal range. Straight alto saxes, as opposed to the more usual
curved bells, are available.

Two alto saxophones are a standard in big bands, and usage is common across all areas of jazz
and funk. Saxophones were occasionally used as an orchestral instrument in the 20th century,
and there exists a limited scope of orchestral solo work (see Amy Dickson7 and Jess Gillam8 for
examples of modern classical saxophone). The alto saxophone is a standard instrument in
concert, military and marching bands, and is often seen in popular and rock groups. Dedicated
saxophone ensembles also heavily utilise the alto sax.

The Tenor Saxophone


The tenor saxophone is identically notated and fingered to all other saxophones, but sounds an
octave plus a tone lower than written. Its written range is also the same as other saxophones,
with a similar altissimo range.

Two tenor saxophones are standard in big bands, and usage is extensive in wind bands, with
occasional orchestral use. Jazz is the tenor saxophone's primary outlet, with a vast span of work
both as a solo and ensemble instrument. The tenor saxophone is probably the most often seen
auxiliary instrument in popular music, along with the trumpet.

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