What concert pitch is alto sax?
What concert pitch is alto sax?
E♭
The alto saxophone, also referred to as the alto sax or simply the alto, is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846, it is pitched in E♭ and smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano.
What is the range for an alto sax?
The range of the alto saxophone is from concert Db3 (the Db below middle C) to concert Ab5 (or A5 on altos with a high F# key). The saxophone fingerings are all universal, so a saxophone player can play any type of saxophone.
What note is concert pitch?
C
Concert pitch may vary from ensemble to ensemble, and has varied widely over music history. The most common modern tuning standard uses 440 Hz for A above middle C as a reference note, with other notes being set relative to it. In the literature this is also called international standard pitch.
Why is alto saxophone E flat?
The use of the saxophone in marching bands was much more popular than in orchestras so the Bb and Eb lived on and the C and F saxophones became extinct. The use of Bb and Eb simply meant that people writing charts for marching bands only had 2 keys to deal with.
How many octaves does A alto sax have?
The alto saxophone’s range is from concert pitches Db3 (otherwise known as the Db below middle C) to Ab5. This gives the alto a range of 2 octaves and a Major Fifth. If the alto has a high F# key, this extends the range to A5.
What is the pitch range and tone quality of tenor saxophone?
Modern tenor saxophones which have a high F♯ key have a range from A♭2 to E5 (concert) and are therefore pitched one octave below the soprano saxophone. People who play the tenor saxophone are known as “tenor saxophonists”, “tenor sax players”, or “saxophonists”.
Why does concert pitch exist?
To make it easy to switch between instruments in the same family, the parts for these instruments are transposed so the same written note has the same fingering, but produces a different actual pitch.
What key is alto sax tuned in?
Tenor saxophones are tuned to B♭, and alto saxophones are tuned to E♭, but when playing the same note on a score, the fingerings are the same.
Why is the alto sax in E flat?
What is the pitch range of an alto saxophone?
The alto saxophone’s range is from concert pitches Db3 (otherwise known as the Db below middle C) to Ab5. This gives the alto a range of 2 octaves and a Major Fifth. If the alto has a high F# key, this extends the range to A5. The functional written pitch of the alto saxophone is Bb3 to F6 (F#6 with the high F# key).
What kind of tuner does an alto sax use?
If you take a chromatic tuner calibrated to detect the note A in Concert pitch, and finger C on the alto sax or the bari sax, it will detect this as being the note D ♯ (enharmonic equivalent E ♭ ). We came across chromatic tuners when looking at how to tune a saxophone.
What is the altissimo register of an alto saxophone?
Above that, the altissimo register begins at F ♯6 (or G 6) and extends upwards. The saxophone’s altissimo register is more difficult to control than that of other woodwinds and is usually only expected from advanced players. The alto saxophone is a transposing instrument; pitches sound a major sixth lower than written.
What’s the highest note an alto saxophonist can blow?
The typical highest altissimo note is a D6 (concert F6). The highest pitch that I have ever heard an alto saxophonist blow is a Bb7 (Concert Db7), but most saxophonists do not go above the 6th octave range of the saxophone.