I was incredibly honoured and genuinely excited to be asked by Sax Bandits to be the guest soloist for one of their songs at their recent performance at Wrde Up Festival, near Swindon. It was a real pleasure to play with a band of 85+ saxophonists at a public gig like this!
How Did It Happen?
Rob Digweed and I have known each other for a while, since we both move in the same musical circles as professional saxophonists and educators. We’ve crossed paths many times, but after a recent dinner following one of Rob’s gigs with Nick Heyward, it became clear we had a lot in common. So, when Rob suggested I appear as a guest saxophonist for their upcoming summer gig, I was absolutely thrilled.
Crafting the Solo
In preparation for the performance, Rob sent me a backing track for ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials. I spent some time listening to the original recording and thinking about the best scales to use. On my tenor saxophone, the A Harmonic Minor scale felt really fitting. But I also realised that starting that same scale on the fifth note creates an ‘E7b9 scale’, known as the Phrygian Dominant.
Playing around with these scales over the track gave it a really unique and ‘spooky’ vibe! I also experimented with a blues scale, which added a nice connective element, even though ‘Ghost Town’ as a song doesn’t have a particularly bluesy sound. Using these three core musical sounds, the A harmonic minor, the E Phrygian Dominant, and the A blues scale, I created a lovely sound palette for the solo.
Show Time!
I practised the solo around 30-40 times at home, not to create a rigid solo but to feel comfortable enough that when I stood on stage my fingers could take over… and on the day, that’s exactly what happened! The performance was a bit less planned than my practice but it worked beautifully and I found myself lingering on a few notes that just sounded perfect in the moment.
The Experience
The whole performance and festival was a blast, even the long drive was worth it (4.5 hours travel for a 1 minute solo), and I’m deeply grateful to have been part of the Sax Bandits family for this special event. Thank you to the Sax Bandits team and everyone who played in the band!
As a saxophone educator, I run an online saxophone school called Sax Made Simple, where you will find a range of online courses covering topics such as saxophone technique, scales, iconic solos, improvisation, etc. You can also check out a ton of free saxophone lessons on my YouTube channel!
Sax Bandits members can access an exclusive 5% discount on all courses via the ‘Discounts’ page on Sax HQ.
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