Tenor saxophone
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The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. It is a transposing instrument, pitched in the key of B♭. This means that when a tenor saxophonist plays the note C, the actual pitch that sounds is a B♭, a major ninth lower.
In the early 20th century, instrument makers also manufactured a slightly smaller tenor saxophone which was pitched in the key of C. This was known as a C-melody saxophone. C-melody saxophones became common during the American saxophone craze (1918-1929) but passed out of style. No C-melody saxophones have been mass manufactured since 1929.
The tenor saxophone is used in many different types of ensembles, including concert bands, big band jazz ensembles, small jazz ensembles, and marching bands. It is also occasionally called for in pieces written for symphony orchestra. Unlike the alto saxophone, it plays mostly a supporting role in concert bands, sometimes sharing parts with the euphonium and trombone. It is in jazz ensembles that the tenor saxophone plays a more prominent role.
The tenor saxophone comes into its own in jazz music. It was the pioneering genius of Coleman Hawkins which lifted the tenor saxophone from its traditional role of adding weight to the ensemble and established it as a highly-effective melody instrument in its own right. Many of the greatest jazz musicians from the 1940s onwards have been primarily tenor players. The instrument has also featured prominently in Rock 'n' roll and more recently in Rock music. It has featured strongly in Afro-American and Latin American music of all genres over the years, also in Afro-Caribbean music, as well as African music, this has followed on from the instrument's prominence in American jazz.
Approximately 90% of all student saxophonists start learning the instrument using the alto saxophone. Approximately 10% of student saxophonists later learn to play the tenor. Switching from one saxophone to another is not very difficult, since all modern saxophones are transposing instruments and all saxophones share the same fingerings. The tenor saxophone requires a slightly larger mouthpiece, reed, and ligature than the alto.
The saxophone family ranges from sopranissimo, sopranino, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass and contrabass, to the hypothetical subcontrabass.
