Yamaha Saxophones
Yamaha are a Japanese company who are known for many things and not just saxophones. They make every popular musical instrument going, from pianos to violins to recorders to ukelele’s and saxophones. Yamaha also manufacture motorbikes and are very successful in this field.
The only downside to Yamaha saxophones is that they are manufactured on a production line. This means that every saxophone in a particular range is the same. For professional musicians who like their instruments to have that extra bit of personal detailing this can be somewhat of a problem and they usually go for more specialised instruments from manufacturers such as Buffet Crampon.
Types of Saxophones
Yamaha produce all the major makes of saxophone: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. The smallest is obviously the soprano and the largest the baritone. The sizes of saxophone are named after the range of pitch they produce. The soprano can make the highest pitch which is why it is named after a singer who can reach the highest pitch. An alto in singing terms is a female who sings a lower range than a soprano and the alto saxophone does exactly the same. An alto saxophone is also the saxophone that most children start learning on because most classical music written for the saxophone is written for the alto sax.
Yamaha Alto Saxophones
Yamaha describe their alto saxophones as having a ‘lightly expressive tone’ ‘comfortable playability’ and ‘extremely accurate intonation’. Yamaha also say that their alto saxophones are perfect for students just starting out although the price tag may suggest otherwise. All of the Yamaha Alto saxophones have an element of golf or silver. Most are gold or silver plated with the cheaper versions being treated with gold or silver laquer.
YAS 875EXS Alto Saxophone
This alto saxophone is one of the best in the Yamaha saxophone range and a popular choice due to its fine styling, attention to detail and fine sound quality. Yamaha say it is the ‘most sophisticated sax there is’ and maybe they’re right.
The neck of the YAS 875EXS is completely handmade which makes the intonation achieved on the sax perfect and easy. One of the most unique features of the YAS 875EXS alto sax is the octave key which allows the musician to jump and octave with relative ease. The left hand seesaw key on this sax has also been given many improvements so that the player than play with more ease. The keys are all ergonomically designed so that they perfectly fit an average human hand.
For more information on Yamaha saxophones visit:
http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/winds/sax/
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