Melody Saxophone

Melody Saxophone

Nine easy to intermediate solos for alto or tenor saxophone based on well-known hymns. The pieces are fixed to the keys of D and A for the tenor saxophone and the keys of A and E for the alto. Free piano accompaniment available.

The saxophone division in a huge band comprises of 5 players – two altos, two tenors and one baritone sax. In a established big band setup, the saxes are located in the firstborn (front) row of three rows of horn players. The trombones and trumpets are found in the rows directly behind the saxes.

Saxophones are considered agile instruments, much like the clarinet and flute. They are capable to play fast lines or carry out effects that cannot be achieved so without apparent effort on a brass instrument. This characteristic gives them the capacity to cover very fast passages within the ensemble – passages that would be too difficult for the brass division to pull off.

Melodic Roles

Saxophones are often called on to state the melody of a huge band composition or arrangement. Playing in unison gives them the power to cut through punches and harmoniousness played by the brass section. When stating the melody as a division (i.e. 4-5 portion voicings) the lead alto player will have to project the lead line so it may be heard above other instrumental action going on within the arrangement at any given time.

Saxes may likewise be coupled with other instruments to manufacture a homogeneous sound. Altos are often times combined with trumpet, while tenor saxes are most often times found sharing a melody with one or more trombones. These melodic couplings work well because the timbre of trumpet and trombone are similar to the alto and tenor respectively. Baritone sax at times plays melody alone, or coupled with bass trombone.

Harmonic Roles

Because the sax section covers a wide range, it lends itself well to supplying concordance and harmonic “pads” to a big band arrangement or composition. In ballads, for example, the saxes are many times written as lush voicings that provide all the necessary notes of a chord. They are applied in this manner within an arrangement as background to a soloist, or as counter melody to another instrument.

Solos and Solis

The tenor saxophone is one of the more popular solo instruments in jazz, so it only makes sense that tenor solos are written rather steadily allround the big band music repertoire. Although any of the saxes are called upon at one time or another for solos, the tenor seems to get more improvised solos than the others. Baritone sax solos are written sparingly allround big band literature. Depending on the level of skill of the players, solo subsections may be passed around so that good soloists – even bari sax players – have a chance to shine.

Sax solis occur when the saxophone division is featured by itself by playing a composed jazz “solo”. A soli is most often composed in four or five part harmoniousness that is voiced for the entire section. The lead line is played by Alto 1, while the rest of the section is voiced beneath the lead line and follows in rhythmic unison. In a four portion setting, the bari sax player will often times double the alto melody at the octave.

The saxophone division is an integral portion of any big band in a assortment of ways. Brass players may complain that the saxophones are written too galore solos, but it is hard to beat a terrific saxophone section ripping through a difficult Thad Jones or Don Menza soli. As they say, if you can’t beat them, join them!

Melody Saxophone Picture

Melody Saxophone Image

Melody Saxophone Photo

Melody Saxophone Photo