Acoustics of the saxophone

Bb soprano saxophone

C#5

Music Acoustics UNSW

Impedance

Fingering
a key depressed
a key not depressed
a hole covered
a hole uncovered
a part of the mechanism that is not normally touched
Details in fingering legend.

Acoustic schematic
a closed tone hole
an open tone hole

Non-specialist introduction to acoustic impedance
Non-specialist introduction to saxophone acoustics

Notes are the written pitch.
Frequencies are the sounding frequency, for Bb saxophone.
Unless otherwise stated, the impedance spectrum is for a Bb saxophone.


Impedance spectrum of a Bb soprano saxophone measured using fingering for C#5.

At frequencies below about 1 kHz, this curve looks rather like that for C5, but raised in frequency. At higher frequencies, however, the situation is complicated by the cut-off frequency. Here we have only two peaks that fall in the harmonic series: this fingering will bugle an octave, but no other note in the series. The first peak can be reduced in magnitude and shifted in frequency using a register hole (operated by the octave key): see C#6.

For general comments about the first register, see A#3. Compare with the impedance spectrum for a tenor sax on written C#5: same fingering but sounding one octave lower.

Sound


Sound spectrum of a Bb soprano saxophone played using fingering for C#5.
For more explanation, see Introduction to saxophone acoustics.

This sound spectrum includes some transient excitation, and so has traces of a subharmonic being excited, seen in the range above 4 kHz (compare C#4).

Sound Clip

You can hear C#5 played.

Alternative Fingering

Bb soprano saxophone

Impedance

Impedance spectrum of a Bb soprano saxophone measured using alternative fingering for C#5.

This is the first fingering (albeit an alternative one) for a note in the second register – meaning that it plays at the second peak on the impedance spectrum. It differs from C#4 (the corresponding note in the first register) in that it uses a register hole (operated by the octave key). This causes a leak in the bore that weakens (and mistunes) the first impedance peak, but has little affect on higher peaks – see register hole for an explanation, and compare with C#4. This impedance spectrum is almost identical to that for C#4, including the frequencies above the cut-off frequency, except for the first peak which is weakened and sharpened slightly, thus the reed sounds at the second peak instead, an octave above.

Sound

Csharp5 alternate
Sound spectrum of a Bb soprano saxophone played using alternative fingering for C#5.
For more explanation, see Introduction to saxophone acoustics. This sound spectrum includes some transient excitation, and so has traces of a subharmonic being excited, seen in the range above 3 kHz (compare C#4).

Sound Clip

You can hear C#5 played with alternative fingering.
Fingering legend
How were these results obtained?

Contact: Joe Wolfe / J.Wolfe@unsw.edu.au
phone 61-2-9385-4954 (UT +10, +11 Oct-Mar)
© 1997-2009 Music Acoustics UNSW