Tubax
From AudioLexic
The tubax is a modified saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. It is available in both E-flat contrabass and B-flat or C subcontrabass sizes. It is a portmanteau between the words "tuba" and "sax."
Although the tubax has the same fingering as a regular saxophone, it has a much narrower (though still conical) bore, somewhat like that of a sarrusophone, though not as narrow, so there is some controversy over whether it is technically a true saxophone. The first size of tubax to be developed was the E-flat contrabass. It has the same register as a regular contrabass saxophone but is much more compact and thus more manageable due to its tubing being folded more times. It takes a baritone saxophone mouthpiece.
More recently, Eppelsheim also began making a subcontrabass tubax in CC and BB♭. The BB♭ instrument is equivalent in register to the subcontrabass saxophone proposed by Adolphe Sax but never created. The BB♭ tubax uses a baritone saxophone mouthpiece. Only one CC tubax has been manufactured. It was sold to Thomas Mejer of Switzerland in July 2002.
[edit] Tubax performers
[edit] External links
- Benedikt Eppelsheim Website
- Fred Bayer's Tubax Page
- Article about CD featuring tubax
- Jay C. Easton's BBb Tubax page
- Photos showing construction of tubax
[edit] Listening
- MP3 of a tubax being played by Randy Emerick, with the Jerry Fischer Orchestra, Hollywood Florida (playing "Stardust," arr. Mike Lewis)
- MP3 of two B-flat subcontrabass tubaxes (overdubbed), playing movement 1 of Duet for Basses by Walter S. Hartley, performed by Jay C. Easton
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