How the soprillo makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the soprillo belongs to the single-reed instruments: a single reed beats against a mouthpiece – clarinets and saxophones.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The soprillo, also known as the piccolo saxophone or rarely sopranissimo saxophone, is the highest pitched and smallest saxophone. The soprillo was developed as a piccolo extension to the saxophone family in the late 1990s by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim, although a working prototype sopranissimo of the same pitch was made in 1960 in a more compact curved form.
The soprillo is pitched in B♭, one octave above the soprano saxophone, and half its length, at 33 centimetres (13 in) including the mouthpiece.
Other single-reed instruments
Frequently asked questions
What does a soprillo sound like?
As one of the single-reed instruments, its sound comes from the way a single reed beats against a mouthpiece.
What type of instrument is the soprillo?
It is classified as single-reed instruments (Hornbostel–Sachs 422.212-71).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q163026 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Soprillo – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by SOhio142 at English Wikipedia – Public domain