If you’re looking for a new sax, one of the things you’ll probably be thinking about is whether or not it has a top F# key. Not all saxes have them and it’s possible to play F# without one, so is it necessary or not? Thinking about this made me wonder why some saxes have them and some saxes don’t, and when the key was first added. I’ve done some research on this and found some information about when the key became standard.
The top F# first started being introduced to saxophones in the 1930s. However, at this point, there were lots of people that believed it affected the tone of the instrument, so it didn’t become standard until around the time the Selmer mark VII was made in 1975.
The F# key is really useful if you’re playing at a level where you need to play that note. There are other ways of playing it, using altissimo fingering, but the F# key simplifies things. All modern saxes will now have the F# key fitted as standard, but vintage saxes often don’t have them. This can influence your decision when buying a new instrument.
Who first added the F# key to saxes?
Probably the most well-known and reputed saxophone maker in the world is Selmer Paris. It was also Selmer that first introduced the F# key to saxes. This was when they brought out their Balanced Action series of saxophones. The Balanced Action series were in production from 1935 to 1947. They introduced several improvements to the keywork of the older saxes and included the F# key as optional only.
The key was optional for a long time, with some sax makers using it a lot and some not at all. It did not become a standard thing until around 1975. This was when the Selmer mark VII was first brought into production. From that point, pretty much all saxes had an F# key as standard. If you buy a modern sax today it will definitely have an F# key. It’s only vintage ones made before 1975 that might not have one.
Why was the F# key optional?
When first introduced, there was a lot of skepticism surrounding the F# key. The main concern was the adding this key involved adding an extra tone hole to the sax. The tone hole was right at the top, and it was believed that this hole would affect the intonation of the sax. There is still some dispute over this today, although it is standard for modern saxes to have an F# key.
Most people believe that the F# key has pretty much no effect on the tuning. However, it’s an extra opportunity for a leak in your sax (this is where the key doesn’t close all the way and some air gets through). A leak on this key will affect all the other notes as it’s the highest up and the air stream has to pass it for all the others. That makes it one to be careful of, but in general it’s widely accepted that there is no significant impact on the tuning of the sax when you add an F# key.
The other thing which was believed could make a bit of difference was the extra weight added by the key. Because you play the key with your right hand, down at the bottom of the instrument, but the tone hole is right up at the top, there is quite a bit of metal added (it’s actually the longest piece of keywork on the sax), weighing approximately 150g.
It could be the case that this added weight gives a bit of a difference in sound quality. Not necessarily a bad thing, more of a personal preference. In general, the tone of a heavier instrument will be a bit darker. Depending on your playing style, you might prefer this. It’s also a pretty small difference, so you might not even notice it at all.
Do I need an F# key?
There are quite a few factors that will influence whether or not an F# key is a good idea for you. Some things you need to think about are:
- What level are you on sax?
- What style of music will you be playing?
- Do you plan to use altissimo?
Firstly, let’s think about the skill level you are on sax. Realistically, if you are a beginner, it will be at least a few years until you need to start thinking about the F# key. If that’s the case, I’d say you don’t even need to think about it. Just choose the sax you want and don’t worry whether or not it has the top F# key. It’s likely that you’ll end up with an F# key, as you’re probably not going to spend a lot of money on a vintage sax if you’re just trying it out.
The style of music you play might have an impact on whether or not you need a top F# key. There are a few different fingerings for top F#, the main difference being whether you use the front key or the side key. From either of those, you can either use the F# key, or use the Bb side key, which gives you the altissimo fingering. While this is harder to master, if you’re going to play in a style where altissimo is used regularly then you’re going to have to master it anyway.
Jazz musicians tend to use the altissimo register quite frequently. In classical repertoire, it’s a bit less common but is still used from time to time. If you’re playing more poppy repertoire or something more simple, it’s unlikely you’ll need the top F# – it’s only used in pretty serious playing. In that case, it won’t matter either way, and if you need the altissimo register anyway then it also doesn’t matter either way.
My alto sax doesn’t have a top F# key. This is very rarely an issue for me – the only time I notice it being a bit annoying if when I’m playing for pit orchestras. Sometimes in these, you will see the occasional top F# written, but very rarely anything higher than that. Putting in the odd top F# using the altissimo register can be a bit awkward, especially if it’s part of a scalic passage. Ultimately, though, it’s such a rare problem that it’s not really worth sacrificing getting the instrument you want if it doesn’t have the key.