Acoustics of the saxophone

Bb soprano saxophone

C6

Music Acoustics UNSW

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 soprano saxophone measured using fingering for C6.

This is the eleventh note in the second register, meaning it plays on the second impedance peak . It differs from C5 (the corresponding note in the first register) in that it uses a register hole. This causes a leak in the bore that weakens the first impedance peak, but has little affect on higher peaks – see register hole for an explanation, and compare with C5, whose impedance spectrum is almost identical except for the first peak. Note that, even with the weaking effect of the register key, the first peak is higher than the second. Both peaks will play, using different embouchures. Above about 1 kHz, the third peak is hugely weakened and the rest of the curve is irregular: see the discussion in cut-off frequency.

This note is a cross fingering: there is a key closed below the first open key, as the schematic inset shows. Because of the large size of the tone holes, cross fingerings have little effect at low frequency.

Compare with the impedance spectrum for a tenor sax on written C6: same fingering but sounding one octave lower.

Sound


Sound spectrum of a Bb soprano saxophone played using fingering for C6.
For more explanation, see Introduction to saxophone acoustics.

Sound Clip

You can hear C6 played.

Alternative Fingering

Bb soprano saxophone

Impedance

Impedance spectrum of a Bb saxophone measured using alternative fingering for C6.

Sound


Sound spectrum of a Bb saxophone played using alternative fingering for C6.
For more explanation, see Introduction to saxophone acoustics. This sound spectrum includes some transient excitation, and so has traces of a subharmonic being excited, seen in the range above 4 kHz (compare C5).

Sound Clip

You can hear C6 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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