# Q: Saxophones

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-saxophones/140587>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 5, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-saxophones/140587 "2002-12-05T01:20:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-saxophones/140587/21 "2002-12-05T19:15:56Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jinx \*  
> \*\*Joe, what do you mean by this statement? 😕  
> Are they the UFOs of the music world? Maybe you meant to say there’s not much use for them, being so deep-toned?
> 
> Some have posted links showing pictures of the contrabass. (I guess you could argue we have photos of UFOs, too!) Of course, isn’t this an oximoron? Wouldn’t it be subbass? Contrabass would be alto!
> 
> - Jinx \*\*

Well, I had it coming, I didn’t explain my link well…😉  
If you click on the link to [www.contrabass.com](http://www.contrabass.com) and go to the encyclopedia, you will see in the list “Subcontrabass saxophone(?)”. Their stance is that while Adolphe Sax drew up plans for a sax one lower than contrabass, there is only speculation that it was ever produced. They also show a few rather large saxophones that are really altos with thyroid problems rather than true subcontrabass saxes. I _think_, however, I saw a site where a man built a subcontrabass out of PVC pipe; it looked rather like a radiator, whatever it was.

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**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-saxophones/140587/22 "2002-12-05T20:37:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Nocturne \*  
> \*\*C Melody sax…Invented, I think, so saxophones wouldn’t have to transpose music. Didn’t catch on. \*\*

Exactly. They were very popular in the 1920s, when EVERYBODY wanted a saxophone, and they mostly ended up in the backs of closets. You see old ones occasionally in music shops, and the salespeople shake their heads and roll their eyes if you express any interest in them.

With a C sax, you could stand behind the piano player and read the melody line over his shoulder.

[Frankie Trumbauer](http://www.redhotjazz.com/trum.html) managed the trick of sounding pretty good on a C-Melody sax…he held his own onstage with Bix Beiderbecke (also a pretty good trick) and his smooth, cool approach influenced tenor saxophonist Lester Young, who in turn influenced about half the top jazz saxophonists from 1940 on.

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**Author:** ![Grit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@Grit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grit)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-saxophones/140587/23 "2002-12-05T22:58:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Zebra \*
> 
> Soprano saxes however might be kicked out because of Kenny G. \*\*

UGHH! Someone mentioned Kenny G. Now I must listen to Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. 😃

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