As a saxophonist and recording artist who's out and about quite a bit, I constantly hear from people who tell me how the sound of the saxophone effects them in their hearts, their souls, and their lives. There is something about the sound of the saxophone that has a clear and profound effect on many, many people.

Here are a few typical comments I hear on a very regular basis:

"It puts me in the mood, and helps me to remember how lucky I am to have someone to love."

"...it is soothing and healing to my heart and soul."

"The sounds just captivate and take the mind to a beautiful day."

"The music actually helps me to purge the day's stresses and cleanse the thoughts that I don't want to carry over into the next day."

"...it put me into a trance. In my mind I was transported to a Paris street side café looking into the eyes of my wife; it was a magical daydream - the air was filled with love."

Now I've been playing the saxophone for over 50 years and I do have some modest talent on the instrument. However, the point I'm making in this article has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the saxophone itself, and how the very sound of the saxophone effects the human nervous system. {C}{C}

The point is that people love the saxophone!

Why? What it is about the instrument that inspires such reaction? Why is it such an attractive, compelling, magnetic, and powerful instrument?

My answer? Because the saxophone loves you. Think about it. The saxophone has a warm, sensual, romantic, embracing sound, the very sound of love. It relaxes the mind and uplifts the heart. It inspires thoughts and feelings of love and romance. In some very real way, the psycho-chemical reaction to the sound of the saxophone is the same psycho-chemical reaction that takes place when you are actually experiencing love.

True, the conclusions I am drawing are not scientific. I am not aware of any studies that have been done regarding the physics of the sound of the saxophone and how it effects human body chemistry (although I think that would be cool). Nevertheless, it seems obvious from the extraordinary popularity of the instrument and how passionately people react to it that the saxophone has a powerful and profound effect on the human nervous system.

It is said that the saxophone sounds more like the human voice than any other instrument. Perhaps this is part of the mystique and power of the instrument. But one thing is clear: sounds made by the saxophone resonate in a very specific way with the vibration of the human beingness. If played just right, the sound of the saxophone causes a powerful sympathetic vibration with the human nervous system.

So next time you hear a saxophone played just the way you like it, and you start thinking to yourself, "Ooh, yeah, that sounds nice!" remember this: the saxophone doesn't just sound good.

The saxophone loves you.