Subcontrabass saxophone

Subcontrabass saxophone

An Eppelsheim Full-size Subcontrabass Saxophone
Classification	Wind Woodwind Aerophone
Playing range
Written range In B♭: sounds three octaves and a major second lower than written.
Related instruments
Military band family: Sopranino saxophone Soprano saxophone Alto saxophone Tenor saxophone Baritone saxophone Bass saxophone Contrabass saxophone Subcontrabass saxophone Orchestral family: C soprano saxophone Mezzo-soprano saxophone C melody saxophone Other saxophones: Sopranissimo saxophone ('Soprillo') Tubax
Musicians
List of saxophonists
More articles
Saxophone

Wind Woodwind

Written range

Military band family:

Orchestral family:

Other saxophones:

The subcontrabass saxophone is a type of saxophone that Adolphe Sax patented and planned to build but never constructed. Sax called this imagined instrument saxophone bourdon (named after the lowest stop on the pipe organ). It is a transposing instrument pitched in B♭, one octave below the bass saxophone, two octaves below the tenor saxophone, and three octaves and a major second below its written pitch.

Until 1999, no genuine, playable subcontrabass saxophones were made, though at least two gigantic saxophones were built. Although the smaller of the two (constructed in the mid-1960s) was able to produce musical tones, with assistants opening and closing its pads due to the instrument's lack of keywork, witnesses stated that it was incapable of playing even a simple scale.

The B♭ subcontrabass tubax, which was developed in 1999 by instrument manufacturer Benedikt Eppelsheim of Munich, Germany, is described by Eppelsheim as a "subcontrabass saxophone". This instrument is available in both C and B♭, with the B♭ model providing the same pitch range as the saxophone bourdon would have. A contrabass-range tubax in E♭ is also available.