Acoustics of the saxophone

Bb tenor saxophone

C#5

Music Acoustics UNSW

Conventional Fingering

Impedance

Fingering
a key depressed
a key not depressed
a hole covered
a hole uncovered
a part of the mechanism that is not normally touched
Details in fingering legend.

Acoustic schematic
a closed tone hole
an open tone hole

Non-specialist introduction to acoustic impedance
Non-specialist introduction to saxophone acoustics

Notes are the written pitch.
Frequencies are the sounding frequency, for Bb saxophone.
Unless otherwise stated, the impedance spectrum is for a Bb saxophone.


Impedance spectrum of a Bb tenor saxophone measured using fingering for C#5.

At frequencies below about 1 kHz, this curve looks rather like that for C5, but raised in frequency. At higher frequencies, however, the situation is complicated by the cut-off frequency. Here we have only two peaks that fall in the harmonic series: this fingering will bugle an octave, but no other note in the series. The first peak can be reduced in magnitude and shifted in frequency using a register hole (operated by the octave key): see C#6.

For general comments about the first register, see A#3. Compare with the impedance spectrum for a soprano sax on written C#5: same fingering but sounding one octave higher.

Sound


Sound spectrum of a Bb tenor saxophone played using fingering for C#5.
For more explanation, see Introduction to saxophone acoustics.

For general comments about the sound spectra of the first register, see A#3, which is the first note of that register.

Sound Clip

You can hear C#5 played.

Alternative Fingering

tenor saxophone

Impedance

Fingering
a key depressed
a key not depressed
a hole covered
a hole uncovered
a part of the mechanism that is not normally touched
Details in fingering legend.

Acoustic schematic
a closed tone hole
an open tone hole

Non-specialist introduction to acoustic impedance
Non-specialist introduction to saxophone acoustics

Notes are the written pitch.
Frequencies are the sounding frequency, for Bb saxophone.
Unless otherwise stated, the impedance spectrum is for a Bb saxophone.


Impedance spectrum of a Bb tenor saxophone measured using alternative fingering for C#5.

This is the first fingering (albeit an alternative one) for a note in the second register – meaning that it plays at the second peak on the impedance spectrum. It differs from C#4 (the corresponding note in the first register) in that it uses a register hole (operated by the octave key). This causes a leak in the bore that weakens (and mistunes) the first impedance peak, but has little affect on higher peaks – see register hole for an explanation, and compare with C#4. This impedance spectrum is almost identical to that for C#4, including the frequencies above the cut-off frequency, except for the first peak which is weakened and sharpened slightly, thus the reed sounds at the second peak instead, an octave above.

Sound


Sound spectrum of a Bb tenor saxophone played using alternative fingering for C#5.
For more explanation, see Introduction to saxophone acoustics. This sound spectrum includes transient excitation from the beginning of the note, and so has traces of a subharmonic being excited (compare C#4).

Sound Clip

You can hear C#5 played with alternative fingering.
Fingering legend
How were these results obtained?

Contact: Joe Wolfe / J.Wolfe@unsw.edu.au
phone 61-2-9385-4954 (UT +10, +11 Oct-Mar)
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