The reason for Eb and Bb key

[kwok_g]

Anyone know why saxophones are made in Eb and Bb key but not the other key such as B or D? Even there exists C key but it is not popular.
Thanks!

[HC]

There used to be mezzo-sopranos in the key of F, soprano in key of C, and tenor in the key of C. Don't exactly know what happened to them, but you can still find the old ones. Those are the ones that I can think of. There are probably some other keys as well.

[saxyclarinet]

A lot of instruments sound like garbage in certain keys because of the change in length. I know C clarinets are not at all pleasant to listen to, though I've never had the C melody sax experience. The different pitches mostly help to play in different keys. Bb and Eb tend to work just fine in saxophone literature. Bb makes sharp keys a little easier and Eb makes flat keys a little easier. (Example: Concert Eb has 3 flats in it. An Eb sax would get the key of C, with no sharps or flats. The Bb sax would get F, with one flat. So the key of C is just a little easier.) That's all I got on this one, as far as sax goes. :)

[Mel]

What I've always wondered is why they don't simply re-name the fingerings.

[saxyclarinet]

What I've always wondered is why they don't simply re-name the fingerings.

You wanna learn a n ew set of fingerings? It makes switching easier. That's my logic. :lol:

I can't really argue too much for the saxes in that way, because all the familiar ones come in 2 keys in varying octaves. As a clarinetist, though, it just makes it easier. Bass clarinet notation used to be in bass clef at a major second above concert pitch, as opposed to treble clef at a major ninth above concert pitch. We picky clarinetists prefer the latter because we like treble clef and we can use the same fingerings on our Eb, A, and Bb instruments of varying octaves to connect with all the same notation (also if you play the D, C, G, Ab, and F clarinets, too, but most don't). I don't know if that makes us dimwitted or sensible, but either way, it's easier. ;)

[Mel]

I guess it could make switching easier...

Nevertheless, I bet there's some guy in a parallel universe whose music world decides that they should name the fingerings what they really are. He peeks in on out world and cries out, "I can't believe it! My silly self in another world is calling a "C" a "B flat"!

Hmm...and at the same time, I guess I would be looking over to their world, and I'd see that their poor tenor players have near a million leger lines in their music, or worse yet, they have all their music written in tenor clef! (Poor viola players in our world--but hey, they're string players!)

Ok...I guess transposition is a small price composers and arranger pay. And once you get used to it... :roll: ...it's not THAT bad...

[saxchado]

There used to be basically two sets of saxophones in four keys. The "band" saxophones in Bb and Eb, and the "Orchestral" saxophones in C and F respectively. Well, we all know how much orchestras love the saxophone :lol: so it's no wonder that the band keys are the ones that stayed. Much like Saxy said, It would really not be a lot of fun to learn a different set of fingerings for every horn you play, though I guess there would really only be two...but that's still twice as many as one! It just makes things simpler the way they are. I guess once you've already learned a few different sets (I play all of the standard woodwinds) what's one more, right?

[Mel]

I guess once you've already learned a few different sets (I play all of the standard woodwinds) what's one more, right?

Absolutely! But either way, (I realize after much pondering) you must transpose unless you want each instrument to be written in their own clef or unless you favor the invasion of leger lines. Even if you re-name the fingerings, you must transpose in terms of octaves.

Personally, bass and treble clef are really enough for me, and I don't have much of a taste for an abundance of leger lines. But more importantly, I have absolutely no interest in learning the alto clef AND soporano clef on top of the treble and bass, so I guess I'm happy with our system of transposition...but the differences between the band and orchestra saxophones are interesting. Makes me glad I'm a bandie! :lol:

[SaxPlayer1004]

saxchado said it best. most sax's have an orchestral counterpart- i.e. Bb tenor to c melody tenor. the Bb sax's go to c and the Eb sax's to F. these went widely out of existence probably due to the jazz era's. when was the last time you saw a french horn play be bob or soul or something. it was much easier for the composers to write music from the clarinet or trumpet to soprano and tenor sax's and take certain bass lines from the double bass and piano and put it into the bari sax. and the alto is random i guess. and i dont think that the concert sax's ever really caught on. the instrument is still very young compared to many instruments and since it wasn't around when many of the well known composers were around it never cought on with the classical music.