How to Build a Saxophone

The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax. The Brussels-born instrument maker wanted to make an instrument that was a combination of brass and woodwind. He patented his invention in Paris on March 20, 1846. Soon after, composers started writing for it. There are four commonly used types of saxophone: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. There are also the less common C melody, bass, contrabass and sub-contrabass saxophone.Few classical pieces were written for the saxophone. The instrument was mostly used in marching music and vaudeville shows. When jazz musicians like Coleman Hawkins started playing the saxophone in the early 1900s, it was still thought of as a clown’s instrument. Jazz soon changed all of that, bringing the saxophone into the public eye and making it a cool instrument to play.Now many people who aspire to play the saxophone are influenced by these jazz players. The complicated system of keys and buttons on a saxophone makes it almost as complicated to make as it is to learn how to play.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brass sheets
• Saxophone keys
• Saxophone pads
• Cork
• Small screws
• Springs
• Large pressing machinery

1. Use a machine to press the pieces of brass into shape. You need a straight tube for the body, a curved tube for the bell and a small curved tube for the neck of the saxophone.

2. Mark where the holes for keys should be on the saxophone. The placement of these holes is very important. Once you’ve marked out the holes, you can cut them out.

3. Weld the bell to the body. These two pieces must be welded tightly. It’s important that no air seeps out of this seam.

4. Attach keys, which are held in place with screws. Springs help the keys move up and down correctly. Once the keys are screwed in place and moving properly, glue pads to the bottoms of the large keys that cover holes. These pads make the connection between the hole and keys airtight when these keys are closed.

5. Glue small pieces of cork to the areas beneath the keys where metal comes into contact with metal but are not covering holes. This stops the keys from denting the body of the horn.

6. Glue a large piece of cork to the outside of the end of neck. This is where the mouthpiece will go.

7. Test it out to make sure all the keys line up correctly.

Resources

• Cyber Sax
• How a Saxophone is Made
• Sounds Like Now--Video of a Saxophone Being Made