There have been many saxophones throughout history. But I will try to compare the first saxophone, the C bass saxophone, to the new Roland AE-10 Aerophone. Adolphe Sax was the inventor of the first saxophone in 1840. He invented the saxophone because he wanted to combine the sounds of a string instrument, the power and projection of a brass instrument and the tones of a wood wind instrument. Here in this next video is the sounds of a regular saxophone.
The Aerophone AE-10 allows people to play multiple instruments such as the clarinet, trumpet, strings, and of course the saxophone. It is completely electronic. So the differences in appearance are quite obvious. Here is a short video to allow you to hear the aerophone playing a saxophone.
Despite the appearance the aerophone’s keys are very similar to the saxophone. So there is one thing that has stayed familiar. The AE-10 is battery powered and has internal speakers to play anywhere and everywhere. The aerophone has adjustable settings to allow for the vibrato and pitch that one desires.
Pitch: With this adjustable setting, I think that the pitch is something that has been changed because you can alter it more freely than on the regular saxophone. You do not need to go grab another saxophone you can just adjust the setting to the saxophone of your liking.
Timbre: This musical element has definitely changed. For me, I do not think I can discern the real from the digital, that is how good the aerophone does in my opinion. Although I am sure there are some out there that might say otherwise and can tell immediately the difference between the two. You can plug the aerophone into external speakers and play it loud and I still would not be able to tell the two apart.
All in all I would say that the saxophone has come a long way but I would have to say that the aerophone takes the trophy because it can do almost anything the saxophone can, maybe more. It is smaller, sleeker, and can produce almost the same dynamics as the saxophone. The bottom two videos show more on the aerophone if you wish to learn more about it.
Sources:
Daniels, Jordan. “Best Electric Saxophone Archives | Best Sheet Music Editions”. Best Sheet Music Editions, 2019, https://bestsheetmusiceditions.com/tag/best-electric-saxophone/. Accessed 11 Mar 2019.
Estrella, Espie. “When Was The Saxophone Invented?”. Thoughtco, 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-saxophone-2456519. Accessed 11 Mar 2019.
“Instrument Discovery – Saxophone”. Bsmny.Org, 2019, http://www.bsmny.org/exploring-music/features/instrument-discovery/saxophone/1.php. Accessed 10 Mar 2019.
Nathaniel Appolloni Music Blog 