7 Reasons To Play The Saxophone

It’s fascinating how the saxophone enriches the music scene. More than 170 years ago, due to the lack of wind instruments with low registers, Adolphe Sax wanted to make an instrument with a warm sound. In 1929 a certain Henri Selmer acquired the patent, including the workshop, made some adjustments, and perfected the saxophone as we know it today. The instrument fell into very good hands and the rest is history.

Here we leave you 7 reasons to play the saxophone:

1. The sax is an extension of the soul

When we listen to someone play the saxophone, it seems that we are listening to an extension of the soul. The melodies, phrases, and tones it produces seem to come from somewhere deep inside. Although the sax is not played by a virtuoso, it is capable of bewitching you with just a few notes. A subtle squeak? Does the doorbell sound a bit muffled? This instrument is very honest, perhaps it is the wordless translation of the human voice.

2. Versatile, suitable for any style

Extremely versatile, we could say that there is not a single style in which it cannot fit. From folk to blues through rock’n’roll, funk, and soul; from hard rock to punk, rap or nu-metal, jazz or swing. Not a single instrument is more present in all the genres mentioned above. It is impossible to ignore it, its sound is unique and very characteristic.

3. Timeless

The music is constantly changing and that’s good. Bands often begin to experiment against past references to their time, searching for their rebellion and finding new and different creative developments. In the same way that generations change, music does too. So the saxophone has changed or not with time? It has gone through all the genres and has remained more or less as it was. Of course, there are exceptions such as combining new technologies like stompboxes, loopers, and samplers, but the instrument itself remains just as classic.

4. A roller coaster of emotions

It can make you cry, it can make you laugh; sometimes melancholic, sometimes lively. It can go from sounding dark and dense sounding with brightness, clarity, and power. His secret lies in his ability to effortlessly transition from the weepiest of blues to the happiest, funniest melodies. It can transport the listener to various emotional planes and make them feel alive. The immense dynamism is one of the most remarkable characteristics of this instrument. But of course, it all depends on the skills and sensibilities of the musician.

5. An instrument alien to trends

Undoubtedly there are many creative possibilities on a technical level apart from the typical sound. But often the classic sound (if anything with some reverb) is what is desired and it is one of the last real instruments on a rock, funk, and even pop stage besides samples and sequencers. Have you ever heard the sound of the sax on a keyboard? It doesn’t do any justice

6. Leader, teammate, and soloist

The sax is the link to trumpets, trombones, and other instruments like the clarinet. Extremely harmonious, he knows how to fit into a composition without giving the note, phrase by phrase. As soon as the band is ready to relax a bit, the sax can become the perfect leader (it’s the solo time!).

7. Recognize the songs by the sax solo

And now let’s be honest: isn’t it true that there are some songs that you only recognize by the sax solo? For example, Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street was published 40 years ago; nowadays almost everyone can silver the sax melody but what about the vocal melody? In Foreigner’s Urgent you intuitively expect Junior Walker’s sax part. David Bowie’s Young Americans would be inconceivable without the sax. And the list goes on. This instrument has left an indelible mark and we are far from seeing its end.

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