Materials and fine processing of saxophone
Geometry: This is the most important parameter that affects saxophone timbre. The neck, the tube, the elbow and the bell mouth form a conical tube. The rapid opening and closing of the vibrating whistle will produce pulse pressure, which will make the gas column inside the saxophone ring at a certain fundamental frequency. This is the origin of the tones we hear.
At the same time, the gas column will ring at the frequency corresponding to the gas column fraction (1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, etc. ). The ringing of these fractional frequencies will produce overtone components in the tone we hear, which is not a clear tone, but the color of the pitch. The basic function of saxophone body to timbre will change with the position, size, geometry and volume of sound hole. Small-caliber saxophones (such as selman's Series 3 (803), Yanagisawa and Yamaha's full series) have clearer and brighter timbres. Large diameter saxophone (Calvos SX-90(R) and Lampone &; Cazzani's R 1, R 1Jazz and selman Reference have stronger pitch components and are very warm timbre. For high-pitched saxophone, the timbre of bent pipe design is darker, more hoarse and more saxophone-like, while the timbre of straight pipe design is purer.
Material: Material is not as important as geometry, and it is the second most important variable. The vibration of the gas in the gas column causes the vibration of the saxophone and all the components on it. This vibration will produce additional overtone components, thus forming a very unique sound in the tone we hear.
Higher overtones will affect the brightness of saxophone. If a saxophone has a strong tonic and a relatively weak overtone, it will appear warmer, deeper and full of passion. Wind instruments with more overtones will appear brighter. If there are too many overtones, the tone will become sharp, crisp and even impatient. Student wind instruments sound like this because they are usually made of light and cheap metal. On the contrary, too few overtones will make the timbre of wind instruments very dark and lack a sense of strength (such as the current version of Yamaha 62).
The larger, heavier and softer the metal material used in the saxophone body, the lower the vibration frequency. The smaller, lighter and harder the metal material is, the higher the vibration frequency is.
Most saxophones are made of brass. Brass can be polished or ground (for example, selman's Series 3 (803) and Referencebrushed Edition, Calvos' Ni-Ag alloy series) to obtain two distinct appearances. This different surface treatment will not affect the tone characteristics of the pipeline.
Some wind instruments emphasize the use of copper (such as Rampone &; R 1Jazz of Cazzani) or bronze alloy (such as 992 series of Yanagisawa *). They have higher copper content, and the added metal is softer, so the timbre is darker.
The saxophone parts of Iwasawa 9930, 9933 and 9935 series models are made of 95% pure silver, while the tubes of 9937 series are all made of 95% pure silver. Selman also produces 92.5% pure silver 3-series saxophone (803sterlingsilver). Regardless of its purity, silver is a precious metal, which brings a unique sweetness and velvet softness to timbre, and eliminates the sharp feeling that brass instruments usually have.
The latest version of Calvos SX-90R saxophone is made of hard nickel-silver alloy (an alloy containing nickel, zinc and copper). This alloy is harder than brass and can significantly enhance the richness of higher-order overtones.
Carving on the bend and horn of saxophone is a decorative surface treatment and one of the symbols of professional saxophone. It won't have any effect on the timbre. However, non-carving saxophone is becoming more and more common. Selman offers "non-engraving" option for some versions of musical instruments. Compared with carved saxophone, it can save you some money.
Finishing: This is the third important variable. Finishing can't overcome the influence of geometry and material on saxophone. But it can affect the final sound effect.
In order to protect the body and parts of saxophone from oxidation and tarnishing, surface polishing technology is used. Fine processing includes baking paint and metal coating. Now Yamaha also offers some models that are not painted at all. These instruments will be corroded and their appearance will become poor? Very fast.
Paints (varnish, coarse grain, bright gold, rose gold, black paint, retro coarse grain) will weaken the very high-order overtones in the sound. This will make the timbre of painted instruments slightly warmer than that of the same type of metal-coated instruments. The color of the pigment has no effect on the timbre, but only increases the amount of pigment.
All saxophones, as long as the geometry and material are the same and the paint coating thickness is the same, will emit the same timbre. Black lacquered musical instruments are first painted with several layers of black lacquer, and then painted with varnish after carving. Increasing the number of layers of paint can make the timbre of these instruments slightly darker than other similar paint models.
Gold-plated or silver-plated saxophones will sound brighter and more powerful because there is no paint coating. Silver-plated musical instruments will lose the luster of silver metal, but using some tips we recommend (3M silver protective frosted paper strips) can keep you in a brand-new look for the rest of your life. Gold-plated instruments will not lose their metallic luster.
Nickel-plated Calvos saxophone is available in polished and electroplated black, and all these models have painted surfaces (varnish or gold paint). The overtone components of these saxophones are dark because they are nickel-plated and baked at the same time.
Remember, surface finish is only the third important variable. Therefore, don't expect a Yamaha YAS-82Z black paint version to emit warm timbre, and don't expect a Rampone &；; Cazzani's R 1Jazz will emit bright light after gold plating.
Remember, it's the whole system that makes the sound. Compared with the flute head, the fine processing of the player has a more decisive influence on the timbre. The brand and model of musical instrument (equivalent to the influence of geometric factors) also have much greater influence on timbre than the coating itself or the material itself. In addition, even small details will affect the timbre, such as the choice of sentry and post, although it is only small.
Size problem. The larger the saxophone, the more obvious the influence of surface finish and pipe material on timbre. Bass saxophone and alto saxophone have larger parts, larger volume and lower inclination. So it is easier to hear the relative appearance and disappearance of higher-order overtones. The alto saxophone can also distinguish this effect, but it is very weak. It is difficult to observe this effect on the high-pitched saxophone.
Human problems. Everyone has different ability to distinguish higher overtones. Generally speaking, as we get older, we will gradually lose the ability to distinguish higher overtones. The resulting controversy on this topic will often create some interesting competition games.
Players must first decide a timbre they like, and then choose saxophone, flute head, playing skills, surface treatment, whistle piece and whistle card. In such an important order, strive to pursue it.
There is no perfect tone for every particular type of music. Different players will choose different instruments to express the same type of music according to their personal abilities. Reminder: If you ask us "What is the best instrument for jazz (or other styles)", we will ask you what is the best car to drive.