Acoustics of the saxophone |
Bb tenor saxophone |
F#5 |
Fingering Acoustic schematic Non-specialist introduction
to acoustic impedance Notes are the written pitch. |
This is the fifth note in the second register. It differs from F#4 (the corresponding note in the first register) in that it uses a register hole. This causes a leak in the bore that weakens the first impedance peak, but has little affect on higher peaks – see register hole for an explanation, and compare with F#4, whose impedance spectrum is almost identical except for the first peak. Above about 1 kHz, the curve is irregular: see the discussion in cut-off frequency.
This note is, acoustically at least, a cross fingering: there is a key closed below the first open key, as the schematic inset shows. Because of the large size of the tone holes, cross fingerings have little effect at low frequency.
Compare with the impedance spectrum for a soprano sax on written F#5: same fingering but sounding one octave higher.
Sound spectrum
of a Bb saxophone
played using fingering for F#5.
For more explanation, see
Introduction to saxophone acoustics.
Alternative Fingering |
tenor saxophone |
Fingering Acoustic schematic Non-specialist introduction
to acoustic impedance Notes are the written pitch. |
Contact:
Joe Wolfe
/ J.Wolfe@unsw.edu.au |