Tone holes

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Tones holes are holes in the body and bell of a saxophone. They are strategically placed in order to achieve a variety of notes while holding the best possible intonation. There are two varieties of tone holes, straight and rolled. Straight tone holes are much more prevalent, but rolled tone holes are favored by some saxophonists as they produce a different timbre of sound.

Currently, there are only two companies manufacturing rolled tone hole saxophones, Keilwerth and P.Mauriat. They each have their own ways of making their rolled tone holes. P.Mauriat’s tone holes are formed from the saxophone’s existing material. In other words, they are rolled from the instruments original tone hole. Keilwerth uses a rolled cap that is soldered onto the saxophone’s straight tone hole. Each process affects the sound differently.