Klarinet Archive - Posting 000054.txt from 1995/07

From: Gary Bisaga <gary@-----.ORG>
Subj: Re: Articulated G# key
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 1995 07:42:18 -0400

Lynn writes:
>Bill writes: >>Most saxophones have articulated G# keys<<
>They do? I don't think mine does (a mid-level 20 yo King alto)...

Both my alto and tenor have it. Actually, it makes sense to me that
most all saxophones would have the feature. After all, on the
clarinet most of the holes are covered or uncovered by direct action
by fingers or short keys. On the saxophone, like lower members of the
clarinet family (contrabass is the only one I've played extensively)
the instrument mainly consists of a series of uniformly-spaced pads,
most of which are pressed by some complex mechanism initiated
(obviously) by keypresses. Compare the simple register key on a
clarinet against the arcane mechanism used by the sax's articulated
register key to open one of it's two register jump holes.

Thus, introducing an articulation (i.e. a joint) into the path
between key and pad is no big deal, whereas on clarinet or flute it
would be more difficult.

Gary