Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax originally invented 14 types of saxophone. Only soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone survived into common use. Two more can be found less commonly, bass and contrabass sax. It is also the youngest of the instruments being invented in 1846. The original design was to be for use in military bands and in 1903 Pope Pius X banned the saxophone from playing church music. A ban that is technically still in effect in some Orthodox circles.

You may have noticed that within a concert or jazz band there are at least three different saxes sitting up on stage. You might be wondering why that is and what they are. Well, I am going to tell you. 🎷The smaller of the three is called an Alto Sax. This sax is common among beginner players mostly because of the compact size and relative affordability. It gets all the good melodies. Charlie (Bird) Parker popularized this sax within jazz. It also appeals to those who don't mind screechy tones. (I'm joking) 😁 🎷The middle sized one is a Tenor Sax. This sax is more associated with players like John Coltrane and Sonny Stitt. It provides the characteristic sultry tones of seductive blues music. It is also an awesome sax within the rock genre. 🎷The bigger one with the curved neck is the Baritone Sax. My personal sax of choice 😁(and that of Lisa Simpson). This sax provides a lot of bass lines low tones of the trio. It is pitched in the same key as an Alto but it is a full octave lower and more pleasing to the ear. (Again, I'm joking). Plus the bari player has all the best jokes and is the most friendly of the sax players (joke).....(maybe) 🤣 Now there are more saxophones out there like the soprano (think Kenny G), bass sax (I've always wanted one) and contrabass sax. But you rarely see them in any bands. But the cool thing is, every sax has the same basic fundamentals. Fingerings, embauchure, written notes, etc. There are only slight adjustments to the size of the sax and how much air you have to push through. BUT once you learn one, you can play them all!