Flutes, Saxophones and Clarinets Are Great Options to Stand Out in a Band

Those siblings, the clarinet and saxophone, are newer instruments. The clarinet is older and became an established part of an orchestra around the time of Beethoven. The saxophone didn’t arrive until about 40 years later, and took its name from its inventor — a Belgian named Sax. 

While both of these are an important part of an orchestra and are a big part of classical music, they really hit their stride in the jazz era. The dulcet tones of the clarinet took center stage with the big bands led by such accomplished players as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Woody Herman. This was an earlier era of jazz, and the sound of the clarinet is so prevalent. 

Before long, the saxophone really emerged and became a more focal instrument in the hands of such players as Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins. As faster and more improvisational jazz became increasingly popular, the saxophone grew in popularity. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that the saxophone became the forgotten instrument as rock music evolved from the 1950s through the later 1960s. 

Today, students in late elementary, middle and high school are rediscovering the woodwinds. It’s been our experience at Piero’s Music that girls tend to favor the flute, while boys gravitate toward the sax and the clarinet. But whatever the choice, Piero’s Music has a staff of excellent teachers, new, affordable woodwinds for sale, and a great network of technicians to service an older instrument for a young player to pick up. You know, it’s surprising how many people will pass on their flute, sax or clarinet to a child, and a good tune-up is important before a new player begins to take those first steps.