Single Reed Woodwinds

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Single Reed Woodwinds

• By Tiffany Webb
• Staci Rumschlag

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Two Different Types

• Saxophone
• Clarinet

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Saxophone History

• Created by Antoine Sax from Belgium in 1934 it
  was a bass clarinet design
• In 1844 Hector Berlioz conducts concert featuring
  Chant Sacre with Saxophone
• 1844 it makes its orchestral debut in the opera
  Last King of Juda
• The sax re-tools military band by replacing oboe,
  bassoons, and french horns with saxhorns in Bb
  and Eb, producing a more homogenous sound

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Saxophone History Etc.

• In 1846, Sax granted patent for saxophone
• Saxophone school set up at "Gymnase Musical"--a
  military band school in Paris in 1847
• 1885 - First saxophone built in U.S. from Sax
  patent by Gus Buescher
• More History _at_ http//www2.potsdam.edu/mcallitp/ti
  meline

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Different Saxophones

• Soprano Sax
• Alto Sax
• Tenor Sax
• Baritone Sax
• Rarer Saxophones
• Bass, Conn-O-Sax, F-Baritone, C Melody
• F Mezzo Soprano, C Soprano

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• Soprano Sax
• The soprano is in the key of B flat, sounds down
  a M2 and one full octave higher than the tenor.
• not recommended for beginning players
• Can have a straight neck or curved neck

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• Alto Sax
• The alto saxophone is an E-flat instrument and
  sounds down a M6
• medium sized saxophone and is the most commonly
  played size
• most recommended horn for those just starting on
  the saxophone
• curved in a backwards "J" shape but can sometimes
  come in a straight model with a slightly tipped
  bell

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• Tenor Sax
• The tenor is in the key of B flat and sounds down
  a M9
• The tenor saxophone is slightly larger than the
  alto with a small bend in the neck
• the relatively large mouthpiece allows a great
  range of timbers or variations in tone quality
• personified as a jazz saxophone

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• Baritone Saxophone
• The baritone is in the key of e flat and sounds
  down a M6 8va
• baritone saxophone is the largest of the
  "regular" saxophone family

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How Its Made

• Primarily made up of brass but can be coated by
  gold, silver, nickel, and lacquer. Some are made
  of Silver or possible plastic which was popular
  in the 1950s
• body is effectively conical, giving it properties
  more similar to the oboe than to the clarinet
• combination of four conical sections
• YouTube - saxophone

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Parts of the Saxophone

• Neck - Also called the "gooseneck", it is a metal
  tube that is attached to the body of the
  saxophone. It is removable except for a soprano
  saxophone
• Octave Vent and Key - The octave vent is a single
  hole and key located on the neck of the
  saxophone. Next to that is a flat metal key
  called the octave key
• Mouthpiece - Is found on the neck of the
  saxophone. A cork is needed so that the
  mouthpiece can slide in. As you may already know,
  this is where the musician places his lips and
  blows air into the instrument to produce sound.

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Parts Cont.

• Body - It is a conically shaped brass tube that
  has plates attached to it and holds the rods,
  keys and other parts of the saxophone. The
  straight part of the body is called the tube. The
  u-shaped bottom of the sax is called the bow. The
  flared part of the sax is called the bell. The
  keys on the bell are called bell keys. The body
  usually has a high-gloss brass lacquer or
  clear-coat lacquer finish. Some saxophones are
  either nickel, silver or gold plated.
• Thumb Rest - It is a hook-shaped piece of plastic
  or metal where you place your right thumb to
  support the sax.

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Parts Cont.

• Keys - May either be made of brass or nickel and
  often some or all of the keys are covered with
  mother-of-pearls. The keys on the middle and
  lower part of the bow are called spatula keys.
  The keys on the bottom right side are called side
  keys
• Rods - This is one of the most important part of
  the saxophone in terms of its' performance. So it
  is very important that the rods be strong and
  well maintained.
• Pads - It covers the holes of the saxophone
  enabling it to produce different sounds. The pads
  must completely cover the tone holes. They also
  have a resonator to help in sound projection.

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Sound Production

• Sound is produced by the vibration of the reed
• The length of the conical bore or the amount of
  space between the mouthpiece and the bell
  determine how low the sound will be

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Ranges
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Ranges Cont.
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Resources Works Cited

• How saxophone is made - Background, History, Raw
  materials, Design, The manufacturing process of
  saxophone, Quality control
• Saxophone History Timeline
• Saxophone Sound Tone

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Resources Works Cited Cont.

• Sax on the Web - The Saxophone Information Site
• Types of Saxophone
• YouTube - How to Play the Saxophone
• Saxophone Basics
• Introduction to saxophone acoustics
• Parts of the Saxophone

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Single Reed Instruments

• Clarinet

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History of the Clarinet

• Late 1600s Johann Denner and son Jacob added the
  speaker key to the chalumeau

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History Continued

• 1700s people started to experiment with the
  instruments tone holes
• Iwan Mueller invented 13 keyed model
• Mid 1800s Theobald Boehm invented a fingering
  system that is still widely used today.

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Types of Clarinets
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The Bb Clarinet

• Parts
• Mouth piece, neck, upper joint, lower joint, bell
• Reed
• Made of thin wood that is tapered so that the tip
  is the thinnest at the top
• Makes the vibrations needed for the instrument to
  sound a note

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Bb Clarinet Continued

• Fingerings
• More key holes covered, the longer the
  instrument, the lower the note
• The Register Key (Speaker Key) expands the
  register of the instrument in a way that the
  fingerings can stay (almost) the same
• Three registers in all- relatively easy for an
  experienced instrumentalist (middle school and
  higher) to play in all registers
• Tonguing
• Touch the tip of the tongue to the tip of the
  reed, interrupting the air flow through the reed

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What we need to know when teaching

• Students with large hands will find it difficult
  to play clarinet because of the small key holes
• There will be lots of squeaking!
• Students will be short of breath until they build
  their abdominal muscles

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Resources and other helpful information

• Good to introduce instrument in a Jazz Unit
• Clarinet really became recognizable instrument
  when Artie Shaw played in the 1930s
• Moonglow (on CD)

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Ranges of Clarinets