It's very common to find professional saxophone players who also excel at the flute. Interestingly, these players are able to convey notes with as much ease on flute as they do on saxophone.
Is flute fingering the same as saxophone? Flute and saxophone fingerings are very similar to each other, though not identical. Variations are present in certain notes on the higher range (such as F#), the Bb, and the octave mechanism. Other variations stem from manufacturing preferences (the addition of design-specific trill keys, for example).
In this article, we'll discuss the differences you'll find between flute and saxophone fingerings, as well as other aspects that help ease the transition between both instruments.
Related articles:
• Top 11 Benefits Of Learning & Playing Saxophone
• Top 11 Best Online Resources To Learn How To Play Saxophone
• Top 11 Best Saxophone Brands On The Market
• Top 11 Benefits Of Learning & Playing Flute
• Top 11 Best Online Resources To Learn How To Play Flute
• Top 11 Best Flute Brands On The Market
What Is The Difference In Fingering Between Saxophone And Flute?
In the previous paragraphs, we discussed how saxophones have very similar fingerings as flutes, but how they're not exactly the same. Let's investigate how they differ.
The Key Design
For starters, the mechanism is not, technically speaking, identical, though they are highly similar.
Modern flutes utilize the Boehm system, which is likened to the keywork found on saxophones and clarinets. The clarinet system was also deemed as Boehm, although it was largely a variant developed by Hyacinthe Klosé.
One prominent feature of this system (which is shared by all three instruments) consists of the provision of large tone holes that are closed through interlinked rod-axles aimed at transferring finger motion to distant pads.
Surely, under this paradigm, the way that keys move is unchanged. However, many flutes have a different key design, with a hole in the middle instead of a whole pad covering the tone hole. These are also named “French keys” or “ring keys”.
Flutes sporting this configuration would compel players to be a tad more accurate with their fingering technique, as fingertips ought to be positioned in a way that completely covers the holes so as to not experience tonal glitches.
There are flutes with closed-hole key designs, but these are mostly catered to beginners and, furthermore, are not equipped to deliver as many nuanced sounds.
For more information on saxophone key design, check out my article How Many Keys Do Saxophones Have? (4 Different Sax Types).
The Octave Mechanism
Aside from the key design, flutes don't have octave keys like saxophones do. The padding is far less complex in this scenario and you won't have to deal with annoying sticky G or octave keys on the flute, which is a mild advantage.
In the case of a flute, the register you play at depends solely on the way you place your lips relative to the headjoint's embouchure hole (or the “aperture”). Moving the lips forward would bring the note to a higher octave. This could require some training on the part of saxophonists since saxophones operate with a different mechanism, relying upon an octave lever (or two if you own certain bari models).
The octave mechanism in the saxophone is, therefore, far more complex in terms of how the setup works, while the flute's octave “mechanism” is much more dependent on the player's embouchure.
Basically, most saxophones carry one octave lever which operates two octave pads. The pad that gets triggered will depend on the note played, so, as long as you hold the G key while pressing the lever, the body octave hole would open up, while releasing the G key will activate the neck octave pad.
There would be small variations for certain models, but the concept is overall the same, in stark contrast with the flute's octave mechanism which, as said before, is devoid of a physical octave key.
To learn more about saxophone octave keys, check out my article What Is The Octave Key On Alto Saxophone?
Other Differences
On the upper registers, F# would play with the right hand's middle finger on the saxophone, while on the flute you would commonly be using the ring finger, though, theoretically, you could also use an alternative middle finger F#.
Regarding Bb, there are also slight variations, as we'll describe below.
On the one hand, saxophones will have four different fingering alternatives for attaining Bb:
- Left-hand A while pressing the bottom right side key (also known as “classic Bb”).
- Using the bis key between A and B (not recommended for chromatic passages)
- Pressing both index fingers (the B key with the left hand and the F key with the right hand that brings down the bis key).
- Pushing the first finger key on the left hand and the second key on the right hand (useful for switching between F# and A#).
On flute, there are roughly three positions:
- One involves the left index, right index, and right pinky.
- The other one would have you pressing down the thumb Bb key, along with the left index and right pinky.
- Using the Bb lever, which is handy for “prepared fingerings” and Gb major scales.
Some people would posit that there are tonal differences between each fingering. It's entirely possible to try to explore variations in timbre by alternating between these patterns, although distinctions might turn out to be negligible for the most part.
As a side note, Low Bb on the flute is only possible with a Bb extension (available on professional flute models).
Is It Easy To Transition Between Saxophone And Flute?
Many players find that it's easier to transition from saxophone to flute than it is to transition over to clarinet. Ironically, saxophones have more in common with clarinets than with flutes, both historically and naturally.
Adolphe Sax, the saxophone designer who gave the instrument its name, actually developed the saxophone using the clarinet as a base, with the same single-reed configuration. Flutes, on the flip side, don't even sport reeds at all.
In terms of difficulty, saxophone players would have to get accustomed to the embouchure techniques normally used for the flute, which is probably one of the trickiest areas to learn. Also, as elucidated before, the fingering would have to be more precise in order to effectively cover the tone holes (on flutes with ring keys).
Regardless, what you usually find is that, once those first obstacles are overcome, the rest of the learning process becomes streamlined.
For one, as you would notice from the explanation given above, the differences in fingering are not that many. Hence, you may be able to effortlessly translate notes from one instrument to another on a whim.
Also, both instruments overblow at an octave, which is a far more intuitive approach than the twelfth on the clarinet. This will naturally provide uniformity for both instruments in the context of fingering patterns.
You could, conversely, find some degree of trouble getting used to the higher notes on the flute, but, with some practice, these can be readily mastered.
Additionally, the flute has approximately the same range as the saxophone (reaching three octaves), a trait that many saxophonists could find relatable.
Finally, it should be stressed that ordinary transverse flutes are not transposing instruments (they're tuned in concert C), which means that they should be very easy to read and play alongside other concert-pitched instruments like the piano.
For more information on the differences between saxophones and flutes, check out my articles
• The Differences Between Saxophones & Flutes
• Is Saxophone Easier To Play Than Flute?
Related article: Is Recorder Fingering The Same As Saxophone?
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