How to Compose for Sax Quartet?

Basically, I need to know the basic rules for writing for a Sop, Alto, Ten, Bari sax quartet.

For example:

The general range for each instrument (in concert pitch please)

The agility of each instrument (not just between adjacent notes, but for longer leaps as well.)

Those are the two main things, but anything else that I might need to know would be helpful, too!

--Miggy

The wikipedia articles on each of the instruments has most if not all of that information.

Saxes are more agile than they look.

The range (transposed) is always from Bb3 to F6. Transpose it as necessary. For help with transposition: http://forum.youngcomposers.com/tt21/orchestration-introduction-to-woodwinds-part-i

Soprano

I think for Alto, and Tenor you can also call for high F#, (and G. G# higher in your piece is for Pro players), In Bari don't write very high, it sounds horrible.

All are agile, but the bari takes more breath.

I made this graphic I don't remember why, see it, but if it confuses you more instead helping, don't see it :D

(i think I should have changed that Breath amout scale, let's just call it as "within woodwinds only")

For fast passages, remember the low Bb, B, C#, (G#) are played with the pinky finger, don't write trills or tremolos Bb-B, Bb-C#, B-G# etc, ... also no tremolo with low C-D#

The low C#, C, B, Bb are played in Forte only, and always sound very powerful, (even in soprano).

For soprano don't go above high E. I don't know the style of your music, but in case you don't want the classic smooth sax tone, indicate for a "Jazzy tone" or "brighter".

I think for Alto, and Tenor you can also call for high F#, (and G. G# higher in your piece is for Pro players), In Bari don't write very high, it sounds...

Thank you, SYS65! This is a big help. Especially the stuff about the trills, etc.

I'll also make sure to check out Wikipedia/the YC Wikis/Masterclasses, etc.

Bite the reed in different places to produce high harmonics and overtones : D

Yes, saxes are really very agile and not too difficult to understand. The break on all saxophones (where the fingerings become the same as those an octave lower) is between C# (No fingers) and D (All fingers) in the middle of the staff. Other than the stuff that has been already said, anything you write should be applicable.

The low notes on a Bari sound more like a foghorn, I but I don't think the high notes sound that bad.

I composed a sax quartet a looooooooooong time ago. It's not great by any means, but you can look at it if you want to. If it's still here... :o

Nope it isn't.

Check out the Rova Sax Quartet for one view of sax writing :)