This is a Bb Tenor Saxophone. Like the soprano, it's tuned in Bb, and when you play a Bb on the piano, you get a C on the Tenor. It's larger than the alto, and neck is much more curved than the alto. The bell and body is also longer than the alto, and because of that it has a lower pitch or deeper sound than the other two other saxes. The tenor is known for its deep, sexy, sound, and is frequently associated with music for porno movies!! Well, to say the least, the tenor does have a certain sex (sax) appeal to it.
The Tenor is easier to play and control than the soprano or alto. As due to its size, the bigger mouthpiece makes it easier to control, and lesser pressure is needed.
Like the alto, the tenor also started off in the marching bands, and later it became an accompaniment for blues music. It's accurate to say that the tenor can fit almost every style of music there is, because of its pitch level. Obviously, the tenor found a jazz following as easy as taking a step. It is also widely used in rock and roll music and other forms of music, such as funk, r&b, and many more. Legendary players of the tenor include Dexter Gordon, Lester Young, the great John Coltrane, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Frank Foster, Hank Mobley, to the younger cats such as Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Bob Berg, Bob Mintzer, Ernie Watts, and more. One of the more versatile points about the tenor is that with the tenor, there's a wider range of expressions and nuances that can be done, such as the growl, the sexy subtones, and much more. And with the tenor, you could go up to almost 4 octaves up into the altissimo notes!! Talk about screeching, wailing sax solos!
Famous tenor sax players:
John Coltrane, Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Joe Henderson, Stanley Turrentine, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, Grover Washington Jr., Branford Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Bill Evans, Ernie Watts, Tom Scott, Michael Brecker, Wayne Shorter, Gato Barbieri, and more. There are countless fantastic tenor players there, and too many to list!Saxophone pictures courtesy of Selmer.
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