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Fun facts About Saxophone

A saxophone can be defined as woodwind, single reed instrument that was first developed by Adolphe Sax in the mid-1800s. It is composed of finger keys, conical metal tube and a mouthpiece. Sound is usually produced when some air is blown into the saxophone and this causes the reed to vibrate. The sound that is produced is amplified as it travels through the main body of the instrument. Saxophones comprise of several pieces and parts that are made separately before being assembled together.

Fun facts

There are some fun facts about saxophones that most people are unaware of. Some of them include the following:

Raw materials

Saxophones are mainly made using brass, a composite alloy that is made up of metals such as zinc, nickel, tin and copper. Yellow brass is what is commonly used to make the instrument. Yellow brass has 30% zinc and 70% copper. Other kinds include silver brass and gold brass that have different ratios. Zinc contained in brass helps ion making the alloy more workable at low temperatures.

The screws are made of stainless steel and the mouthpiece is made of hard rubber that is black in color. Glass and metal mouthpieces are also available. The saxophone is coated using a lacquer. The keys of the instrument have a nickel plating to help in strengthening them while also increasing their aesthetic value.

Design

The typical saxophone is basically a single reed instrument that is constructed with a curved bottom from brass material. It was originally available in 14 different keys and sizes. However, the number has since been reduced to only six. The orders of pitch from the lowest to the highest are bass saxophones, baritone saxophones, tenor saxophones, alto saxophones, soprano saxophones and soprano saxophones.

Manufacturing process

The saxophone manufacturing process is one that is largely automated. The main steps of production include piece formation, piece assembly and the final polishing.

Quality control

Each and every piece of saxophones are carefully checked during the different phases of manufacture, trained workers use visual inspection to do this. The sound of the instrument is normally checked under various acoustical settings.

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