If you are starting out as a saxophone player or are generally inquisitive about saxophones, you might find yourself wondering about the keys in which a saxophone can be played.
No, saxophones cannot simply play in any key. Each type of saxophone is distinct and can be played in its respective key.
Read on to find out more about saxophone keys, transposing, and enharmonic.
Sharp Scores
Tenor and soprano saxophones, like clarinets, are in the key of B. When playing a C on the score, all three of these instruments generate a B. As a result, they must play a D in order to generate the same C pitch as keyed instruments like the flute. The D major key features two sharps since it is a complete step above the C major key.
Because alto and baritone saxophones are in E, they must play an A, which is a perfect third down from C, to produce an actual C. In this scenario, the key changes to A major, indicating three sharps.
Transposing
Transposing instruments make sounds that are distinct from those in the score and those made by non-transposing instruments such as the piano.
Because the saxophone is a transposing instrument, performing the same score on a different instrument, such as an alto to a tenor, would result in different real sounds.
As a rule of thumb, tenor saxophones are tuned to B while alto saxophones are tuned to E. Although when playing the same note on a score, the fingerings remain the same. When a C is performed on a tenor saxophone, the real pitch generated corresponds to a B on the piano, while when a C is played on an alto saxophone, the actual pitch produced is an E.
In reality, this implies that a concert F major on a tenor saxophone should be played as a G major on the sheet. The alto saxophone player should play a D major on the score for an F major.
This arrangement was created with the goal of making saxophone fingerings simpler. However, while playing in a group, the notes are referred to in terms of real sounds since it is easier for everyone.
Equivalent Enharmonic
There are several circumstances in a score when you could see C or F. However, in current musical notation, C is the same pitch as B natural, and F is the same pitch as E natural. These are referred to as enharmonic equivalents.
Technically, there is very little difference between C and B natural, but the sound generated by each is the same based on the present even tuning of intervals on the piano.
B natural and E natural fingering are the same as their enharmonic equivalents, but because wind instruments allow for tiny fluctuations in intervals, players should be aware that the interval may fluctuate slightly during the composition.
The Bottom Line
Sheet music for wind instruments is mostly always simply a portion of the score, therefore it is organized in the key of the instrument for which it is composed.
