How Many Types of Saxophones Are There?

As a saxophonist, I’ve long been familiar with the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. But on occasion, I’ve had the privilege of seeing and hearing saxophones that fall outside of these four. This got me wondering about how extensive the saxophone family is.

So, how many types of saxophones are there? There are nine different types of saxophones in total, but only the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones are commonly used.  

I’ll go through each of the nine types of saxophones individually. Note that if we broaden our definition of what counts as a “saxophone,” however, then we could say that there are even more than nine. I’ll explain why this is, and also clear up some common misconceptions about how many saxophones there actually are.

The nine types of saxophones

The nine types of saxophones, from highest to lowest, are as follows:

Saxophone	Key	Range
Soprillo (AKA Sopranissimo)	Bb	Ab4 – Db7
Sopranino	Eb	Db4 – Ab6
Soprano	Bb	Ab3 – Eb6
Alto	Eb	Db3 – Ab5
Tenor	Bb	Ab2 – Eb5
Baritone	Eb	Db2 – Ab4
Bass	Bb	Ab1 – Eb4
Contrabass	Eb	Db1 – Ab3
Subcontrabass	Bb	Ab0 -Eb3

Of these saxophones, only the soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones are commonly used. The remainder of the saxophones will usually only be found in saxophone choirs, or for purposes of showcasing the specific instrument. 

Soprillo (AKA Sopranissimo) Saxophone

It is also one of the most difficult to play well; with a screeching-high range that goes even higher than a piccolo (given that the written range of a piccolo is D4 to C7), you might imagine that it would take quite a bit of skill to get this instrument to sound like anything other than a painful shriek. Of course, there are a few dedicated saxophonists who can play it and still sound fantastic.

It is extraordinarily rare to find this saxophone outside the context of a saxophone choir or a smaller ensemble that uses exclusively saxophones. To the full extent of my knowledge, no famous musicians are known to play the soprillo saxophone. 

Sopranino Saxophone

This saxophone is still quite uncommon, though not as much as the soprillo saxophone. It’s tuned to the key of Eb, and plays a full octave above the alto saxophone. As is the case with most small saxophones, it is considered difficult to play in-tune with a good tone.

Unlike the soprillo saxophone, there are several notable musicians and pieces of music that use the sopranino saxophone. Bolero by Maurice Ravel is a well-known piece of classical music which features the sopranino saxophone. However, the sopranino part is much more commonly played on a soprano saxophone. 

In the world of rock music, the sopranino saxophone has been adopted by the band Violent Femmes, which features the instrument in several of their albums.

Soprano Saxophone

The soprano saxophone is one of the four most common saxophones. It is, admittedly, still somewhat uncommon, and is not part of the standard instrumentation for most wind bands. Usually, wind band and jazz band composers will only include a soprano saxophone in their scores if they intend to feature it as a solo instrument. In such circumstances, one of the alto saxophone players will double on the soprano saxophone. 

The soprano saxophone is not typically one which is recommended for beginners, as many people find it is difficult to maintain tone and intonation. Though it is a full octave below the soprillo saxophone, it is still a relatively smaller saxophone and thus may be difficult for beginners who are still developing their embouchure.

Perhaps the most well-known musician who plays the soprano saxophone is Kenny G, though plenty of other musicians of various genres have been known to play it. Some composers, such as Percy Grainger, have known to be especially fond of the soprano saxophone and wrote solos for it in various wind band pieces.

Alto Saxophone

This is by far the most common saxophone, and the one which is most commonly picked up by beginners. It is often considered suitable for children, since it is small enough for kids to handle while also being large enough to be reasonably easy to control tone and intonation.

Of all the saxophones, the alto saxophone is the one which has the most literature for it; many composers have written solo pieces and chamber music for alto saxophone. 

The alto saxophone is also a staple in nearly every jazz band and wind band. In jazz bands, the lead alto saxophone will usually be the most audible instrument in the saxophone section; the other saxophones tend to harmonize to the lead alto. The alto sax is also fairly common in rock and pop music.

On rare occasions, the alto saxophone may even show up in orchestras, which typically never include saxophones. For instance, the orchestral version of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition features a single alto saxophone solo in the movement The Old Castle.

Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered what kind of saxophone is featured in Careless Whisper and the Epic Sax Guy song, that would be the alto sax.

Tenor Saxophone

Many people I’ve spoken to have told me that the image of the tenor saxophone comes to mind whenever they think of saxophones in general. The tenor saxophone is slightly larger than the alto saxophone, and is recognizable for having a curved neck.

If the alto saxophone is the most common saxophone, then the tenor saxophone definitely holds second place. It is also a saxophone which is suitable for beginners, though children may struggle with it as it is somewhat large. 

The tenor sax holds an important place in jazz ensembles and wind bands. In the context of a jazz band, the lead tenor sax tends to play the main harmony of the saxophone section. In wind bands, the tenor sax is usually in the low woodwinds section. 

There is a fairly large body of classical music written for the tenor saxophone, though perhaps not as much as there is for the alto saxophone. As is the case with the alto saxophone, you may even find the tenor saxophone in orchestras on rare occasion. For instance, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet features a tenor saxophone solo, and even allows the saxophonist to play for a sizable portion of the piece (not always a common experience for orchestral saxophonists)!

Baritone Saxophone

The baritone saxophone (or “bari sax”) is the largest of the four most common saxophones. As is the case with the alto and tenor saxophones, it tends to be a staple of wind bands and jazz bands. 

Much like the tenor saxophone, the baritone sax can be found in the low woodwinds section of a wind band. In jazz bands, the bari sax maintains an important role of playing the lowest voice of the saxophone section, and in some instances may be functionally treated as a member of the rhythm section.

While marching bands will almost always use alto and tenor saxes, many of them draw the line at the bari sax. The instrument is relatively large and heavy, and may be difficult to march with. Nonetheless, some marching bands still use it.

As the bari sax is less common than the alto and tenor saxes, there is somewhat of a shortage of classical solo literature for the bari sax. Nonetheless, this problem is gradually getting repaired as more composers write pieces for it.

There are a few orchestral pieces which call for a bari sax, though having a bari sax in an orchestra is rare unless the composer happened to be particularly fond of saxophones. George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue uses a bari sax, for instance, but it also uses several other saxophones, including a soprano sax.

If you really want to get a sense for what the bari sax sounds like, try listening to Moanin’ by Charles Mingus. You won’t regret it.

Bass Saxophone

The bass saxophone is even larger than the baritone saxophone, and is relatively rare to see in any ensemble outside of a saxophone choir. Though it is typically thought that the larger saxophones allow for easier control of tone and intonation, the bass saxophone is such a large instrument that it requires a substantial amount of air support and skill to produce a consistent sound out of.

There is very little classical literature for it, but it nonetheless enjoyed its hay day in the 1950’s and 1960’s in musical theatre. For instance, Leonard Bernstein’s original score for West Side Story included a bass saxophone part, as did Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. 

The bass saxophone may rarely be seen in the contexts of jazz and rock bands, but almost no serious saxophonist plays it as their primary instrument. To see the bass saxophone in a wind band or traditional orchestra is a truly rare occurrence, though Australian composer Percy Grainger and American composer Warren Benson attempted to push its use in wind band

Contrabass Saxophone

We’re starting to get to saxophones that are simply massive. The contrabass saxophone stands at 6 feet and 4 inches (1.9 meters) tall, weighs about 45 pounds (20 kilograms), and uses twice the length of tubing as the baritone saxophone. This is the kind of saxophone which tends to be larger than the musician playing it.

The contrabass saxophone is almost never seen in most ensembles. Few jazz bands or wind bands will use them, and I certainly don’t know of any orchestral piece which has used one.The only context that you might frequently see a contrabass saxophone is in a saxophone choir, or in a very niche selection of chamber music and solo literature.

That being said, the contrabass saxophone can play a nice role in a saxophone choir. It has a low, full sound that can help substantiate the bassline. Composers who write specifically for saxophones may often try to include parts for the contrabass saxophone in their music.

Musicians who are looking for a particularly exotic sound may be drawn to the contrabass saxophone. Of course, they first have to overcome the difficulty of learning to play it well and consistently, which for this instrument is no easy endeavor.

Subcontrabass Saxophone

The rarest and largest saxophone out of all the ones listed here, there are only a small handful of subcontrabass saxophones in existence. Building one is an intense undertaking for even the best of manufacturers, and are generally only made on the basis of individual commissions.

The number of musicians who can actually play the subcontrabass saxophone is perhaps even more limited. Standing at 7 feet and 5 inches (2.25 meters), it takes lots of skill and air support just to get a few notes out. 

Even in saxophone choirs, it would be a rare occurrence to see a subcontrabass saxophone. The few instances where the instrument is played is usually for the purposes of showing off the instrument itself, or the musician’s rare ability to play it.

Other types of saxophones

Although the above saxophones are commonly accepted, there are a few other kinds which are less commonly accepted as either being their own type of saxophone or as being a saxophone at all. Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to mention them. 

Saxophones in alternate keys

On rare occasion, a saxophone may be made in a key that it is not typically in. The chart at the top of this article lists the key that the saxophone is typically in, but this is not universal.

For instance, soprano and tenor saxes may sometimes be made in the key of C, a whole step above the key that they are usually in. Likewise, the alto sax may on rare occasion be made in the key of F, also a whole step above its usual key. These saxophones will typically be identical to the base design, but slightly longer or shorter to change the key.

If you count these as unique types of saxophones, then perhaps one could say that there are actually more than nine kinds of saxophones. Typically, however, they are considered to just be variations of other types of saxophones, rather than constituting a separate category.

The Tubax

The tubax is a slightly modified version of the saxophone which comes in either the contrabass or subcontrabass size. It uses any baritone or bass saxophone mouthpiece.

However, there is some debate as to whether or not it actually counts as a “saxophone,” since there are key differences in design between the tubax and the typical saxophone. For instance, it uses relatively small tone holes considering its size, and the tubing is both much thinner and much more compact compared to the standard saxophone.

These differences may actually make the tubax easier to play than the contrabass saxophone or subcontrabass saxophone. Some claim that the tubax gets the deeper sound of the low saxophones while still allowing the musician to maintain consistency of tone and dexterity in technique. Considering that the standard contrabass and subcontrabass saxophones run into problems in these areas, the tubax might be considered an improvement.

In fact, the tubax is thought to be closer to the original designs of the saxophone than the standard contrabass saxophone. The original patent written by Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, appears to indicate a design of the contrabass more similar to the tubax than to the more well-accepted version.

Nonetheless, whether you consider this to be a unique type of saxophone, something other than a saxophone, or just another variation of the contrabass and subcontrabass saxophones is up to you.

Aren’t there 14 types of saxophones?

Occasionally, you will read that there are 14 different types of saxophones. However, this is actually misinformation. 

The reason this idea is often spread is because it is based in a kernel of truth. The number ‘14’ refers to the number of different designs of saxophone that Adolphe Sax originally patented in 1846 and 1850. However, many of these designs were neither named nor constructed.

Of the nine main saxophones that we use, the only one which Adolphe Sax did not design was the Soprillo saxophone. So, we still use 8 out of the 14 saxophone designs in Sax’s original patents, albeit with many modifications.

So, what happened to the remaining 6 designs? To the extent of my knowledge, they were either replaced with better designs or abandoned entirely. Most of them were just intended to be prototypes. In any case, the alleged family of “14 saxophones” is nothing like the modern family of saxophones that we are accustomed to today.

Related Questions

Which saxophone is hardest to play? The hardest saxophone to play is the subcontrabass saxophone, since there are only a few people in the world who can actually play it. Out of the four most common types of saxophones, however, soprano is typically considered the hardest to play since it requires excellent control of one’s tone and intonation to produce a good sound.

Which type of saxophone should I play? If you are starting out, you will probably want to pick up the alto saxophone. It is often thought of as the easiest to play, and the most suitable for beginners.