Trevor James Alphasax

Trevor James Alphasax
No longer need you be told that you are too small or too young to play the saxaphone!
alphasax Website
The saxophone is one of the most popular musical instruments around today, and features in many high profile bands. Until now however, a new generation of potential musicians have been denied the opportunity to learn the instrument, based solely around their age and size!
The challenge was to design and manufacture an alto saxophone that would meet the needs of the smaller and younger players currently unable to learn to play the instrument, due to weight and hand positioning issues.
To enable future progression on the saxophone it was also essential that any new design would also fit in with established instrumental teaching publications by retaining fundamental fingerings and instrumental key of Eb.
The revolutionary new Alphasaxhas solved all the issues and now enables young players to fulfil their dream of learning to play the saxophone.
What and Why the Alphasax?
As one of the Worlds leading woodwind manufacturers and distributors, Trevor James have been consistently receiving comments from parents and teachers about the problems facing a new and younger generation of players wanting to learn the saxophone. Issues concerning the weight of an alto saxophone compared with playing the flute or clarinet along with the various problems associated with having smaller hands and therefore finger positioning issues have surfaced.
As the saxophone is now one of the most popular woodwind instruments of today, they set about researching where and how we can design a saxophone to cater for the younger or smaller player.
Their research during the last 12 months has unearthed some very important factors for them to consider:
(1) Who is the new saxophone to be aimed at? Any player wanting to play the saxophone from the ages of 7 yrs upwards (school years 2 7) who are currently told they are too small to play the conventional alto.
(2) The instrument must look like an alto saxophone! Therefore just using a curved soprano was not possible.
(3) The weight of the instrument must be reduced by around a third to be acceptable to the younger or smaller player! – This would have to be achieved without changing the thickness, or material of the body tube! This would ensure the same tonal characteristics as on a normal alto saxophone!
(4) A minimum two octave chromatic instrument our research was very specific in that for the first couple of years, it would be very unusual for a young player to learn to play more than a two octave range.
(5) Some keys are impossible to avoid, making the instrument unplayable other keys
are impossible to reach. The weight can be too much for some young players ( some adults) so we made changes to the mechanism to ensure smaller fingers could reach the keys! and not simply putting the pearl touch pieces closer together.
(6) Having achieved points 1-4, it was vital that the instrument package as a whole (which included the carry case) was light enough to be carried around by the younger or smaller player.
The instrument
Unique Design
The new Alphasax is based around the original body tube of analto saxophone with completely redesigned mechanism and tone hole positioning. This ensures that the desire that the instrument looked and played like a normal alto sax was retained.
Key and Mechanism
The Alphasax in the key of Eb, with a full two octave chromatic facility using established finger positioning to enable the smaller player to learn the alto saxophone using current study books. New and innovative mechanism has enabled us to maintain the finger
positioning of a normal saxophone.
Key and Mechanism Detail
The left hand palm keys for top D#, E and F have been removed.
The top D key has been adjusted to fit small hands.
The low B Bb keys have been removed.
Redesigned G# and low C# keys are now easier to reach.
The right hand side F# keys and side C key have been removed.
Redesigned low D# and C keys are now easier to reach.
The Alphasax retains a fully chromatic range from low C to high D.
Bb bis and side Bb keys are retained.
The Alphasax Solution
Problematic keys have been removed or redesigned for extra comfort.
The weight has been reduced by an amazing 33%.
Weight
At only 1.86kg in weight the revolutionary Alphasax saxophone is 33% lighter than the traditional alto saxophone.
Case
A new lightweight (1.48kg) moulded case with backpack straps is included along with a padded neckt strap, mouthpiece, cap and single screw ligature. A Vandoren reed completes the package.
The Alphasax is therefore an incredible 3.34kg in its carry case (compared to the usual 4.9kg + of the standard alto saxophone).
A stunning 46% lighter!
The Alpha sax is also available in pink or black – forthe more individual musician