distinguishing soprano and tenor in records

[hcfkavh]

Hi,

I was listening to Coltrane's Ballads, and I noticed he plays both soprano and tenor, how do you know which tracks he plays soprano or tenor? If I'm not mistaken tenor sounds "lower" but I'm totally new to saxophone so I can't really tell.

[RickYouSee]

Tenor generally has a deeper sound than soprano. A lot of people find soprano to sound close to an oboe or a clarinet, though not exactly similar.

[harmonizerNJ]

If you hear bad intonation, it's probably Coltrane playing the soprano.

The same note (fingering) when played on the tenor sax will sound one octave lower than when used on the soprano sax.

Some people consider the lower octave of the soprano sax to have a tone quality they describe as having a nasal or oboe-like quality. I don't think these terms are exactly correct, but they will give you a starting point. The same pitch, when played on a tenor sax, will be in the upper octave of a tenor sax, and will have a different sound quality.

And of course, if you hear any notes that would be below the low Bb of a soprano sax, then you know the tenor is being played.

Very high notes could be altissimo on the tenor, and Coltrane had great articulation on his upper palm keys on the tenor, so if he is playing high notes that does not guarantee he is playing the soprano.

[jrvinson45]

If it sounds as if the cat's tail has been caught in the vacuum cleaner rollers... it's probably the soprano.

[milomo]

Hi,

I was listening to Coltrane's Ballads, and I noticed he plays both soprano and tenor, how do you know which tracks he plays soprano or tenor? If I'm not mistaken tenor sounds "lower" but I'm totally new to saxophone so I can't really tell.
He only plays tenor on that record, no matter what it says in the credits. Try My Favorite Things (http://www.amazon.com/My-Favorite-Things-John-Coltrane/dp/B000002I53/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1253282975&sr=1-1), Newport '63 (http://www.amazon.com/Newport-63-John-Coltrane/dp/B000003N6R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1253283160&sr=1-1) or Coltrane (http://www.amazon.com/Coltrane-John/dp/B000003N98/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1253282427&sr=8-4), among many record where he does switch between tenor and soprano, both of which he plays in tune the large majority of the time with great tones on both.

[CaillouSax]

If it sounds as if the cat's tail has been caught in the vacuum cleaner rollers... it's probably the soprano.

Like this one! :D