Sax-o-mo-phone
Aquarius/saxophone month: week 1
Welcome to our Musical Zodiac, in which we arbitrarily match instruments to personality types and use that as an excuse to talk about our favorite musickers. Aquarius runs from 20 January to 18 February, and the sign is supposed to be “known for being compassionate, independent, and rebellious” - which says “saxophone” to me!
According to the Times of India (which, incidentally, agrees with my Capricorn/Bass matchup):
Aquarians always have an eagerness to achieve their goals and ambitions, and for this reason, the saxophone is their instrument to match. They feel that they can express their emotions and feelings in a very transparent way, through this instrument which makes it worthwhile for them.
Science!
Where Did This Thing Come From?
The saxophone was designed around 1840 by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker, flautist, and clarinetist. It’s an instrument that couldn’t have existed much earlier than that, as it was made from sheet metal using relatively new manufacturing techniques.
The history behind the instrument and its inventor is interesting - this is one of the more concise and informative overviews of Sax’s life:
As a trumpet player from my earliest memory, I was always mystified by the sax. As a semi-brass instrument, it felt closer to my beloved horn than to a meek woodwind, but its fuzzy sound made it feel untrustworthy and less clean than the pure tones my instrument could produce.
The rest of the world did not share my reservations, however, and I learned to appreciate the things that my bandmates - and thousands of innovative performers - could do with this hybrid mess of an instrument.
Unique Variety
Most instruments belong to a family of similar instruments, but outside of the violin’s family - violin, viola, cello, bass - it’s rare to see the alternate voices achieve the kind of acceptance and familiarity that the different voices of saxophone have achieved.
The default image most people have of the saxophone is the familiar alto sax. But millions of people know Kenny G for his soprano saxophone, even if they only think of it as a golden clarinet. And jazz fanatics will instantly recognize the tenor sax of John Coltrane.
And, if you watched the History Guy’s video, you already know that Sax got his start building a bass clarinet, which closely resembles the baritone saxophones that pop up in bands to this day.
I don’t expect to have any trouble finding interesting stories about saxophones, but how much do you already know about them? Are you a Coltrane aficionado or more of a Homer Simpson?