Curved Soprano Saxophones

Curved Soprano Saxophones

Curved Soprano Saxophones are made in a similar shape to the larger members of the saxophone family. Traditionally this has made intonation more challenging which is why many sopranos are straight, much like a clarinet, but modern manufacturers have started to make this an outdated view. We typically stock curved soprano saxes by Trevor James, System ’54 and Yanagisawa. System 54 call them “Curvies” and offer three finishes. These finishes are  Pure Brass  Vintage Style  and  Vintage Gold.

Soprano Saxophones are the smallest and highest pitched of the four sizes of saxophone in common use. Like the tenor sax they are pitched in Bb and because of that many tenor players double on the soprano. Straight soprano saxes tend to have a slightly oboe like quality while the curved sopranos are usually mellower sounding and have more projection due to the bell pointing upwards. One of the best known players of the curved soprano saxophone is Jan Garbarek, a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music.