Arriving for the Snake Davis workshop, I was nervous. Being in the presence of such an esteemed musician, let alone playing in his company was seriously daunting (check out his wiki page for a full list of his credentials). The venue was great, easy to find and ample parking. I had a hot coffee upon arrival which is always aRead more
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A magnetic pencil holder… A secret weapon, or a useless gimmick? A pencil is an essential tool for any musician. Annotating your sheet music with directions and reminders is important, whether that be highlighting awkward accidentals, phrasing and articulation, counting, tricky passages, breath marks, etc. As a teacher and band leader I’m often shocked (but never surprised) to discover thatRead more
In case you were distracted in 2020 (the pandemic) and missed this release, legendary saxophonist Kenny G collaborated with Canadian mega pop-star, The Weeknd… and it’s a huge tune and a modern classic! Kenny G shed some light on how the collaboration with The Weeknd arose in a recent interview with fellow smooth jazz legend, Dave Koz. The interview providesRead more
“Oh, you wear hearing aids, do you?”“…What?” Once you get past the stock jokes, the subject of hearing loss and deafness has a serious side to it. There is a perceived stigma associated with wearing hearing aids, possibly stemming from the large, clunky and obtrusive devices which used to exist. Many of the people who could benefit from wearing hearingRead more
The question of when to change your reed has been an ongoing debate amongst saxophonists for decades. Every saxophone player and teacher will have their own opinions, here’s my hot take… Firstly, if your reed is chipped, split, warped, or turning a different colour, do yourself a favour and chuck it in the bin. When your reed remains in goodRead more
Actually, very real indeed… A whole week of learning with Snake Davis, guest saxophonist of the first Sax Bandits lockdown video, and one of the most in-demand sax players in the world! Following a tip back in 2020 from my teacher (our very own Sorcerer of Sax, I managed to get a place on a one week Horn Camp inRead more
This is called a simile and indicates that the player should repeat what’s written in the previous bar. There are two simile symbols that you will encounter, commonly in band music: A ‘single line’ simile indicates that the first bar should be repeated, therefore creating a 1-bar musical loop. In this example, the first bar would be repeated four times.Read more
The secret to playing faster… is to play slower! It may seem counter-productive but hear me out. A while ago I watched a video with Eddie Daniels (the king of clarinettists) and it completely changed my thinking on this subject. (It doesn’t matter that this video is about clarinet, the same principals apply to saxophone). The main takeaway from theRead more
If you take online music lessons you can significantly improve your audio experience (and your teachers) by investing in a decent external USB microphone. In-built microphones on tablets and laptops often distort audio or can be very directional, meaning they won’t pick up sound unless you are stood in front of them at the exact angle. The good news isRead more
A whopping 126 saxophonists participated in our third lockdown video, ‘Celebration’, during lockdown 2021. However, this exciting arrangement was taken to the next level by a collective of pro musicians, acting as our very own backing band! I want to take a moment to showcase these musicians who generously gave their time to feature alongside Sax Bandits as ‘The Gang’.Read more
Have you ever wondered why the basic fingerings for the notes on the sax are the way they are? To answer that, you actually have to go back and look at the history of the flute and a certain Mr Theobold Boehm. Like the sax, the flute is effectively a pipe with holes along its length and, as more holesRead more
“What is it that got you into playing the sax?” is a question that I’ve been asked countless times. My answer may be the same as many of you or not; it really doesn’t matter. The fact is we’re all here playing the BEST musical instrument in existence! For me, it’s the sound that sold me to my life ofRead more
The physical and mental benefits of yoga are a great way for saxophonists to compliment their musical practise. By dedicating a few minutes to yoga each day it won’t be long until you are feeling the benefits for yourself! Here are the top 5 benefits of a yoga practise for saxophonists (but really the list is much longer than this):Read more
I am a saxophonist… and I love listening to Rock and Metal music. Not very saxophony you might say? WRONG! There are some exciting examples of bands integrating saxophone where you traditionally wouldn’t expect to hear it. Here are a few epic sax features I’ve stumbled across recently… ‘All The Way (Stay)’ by Jimmy Eat World Sax solo starts: 03:09Read more
Afrobeat is an exciting musical genre originating from West Africa, characterised by its syncopated rhythms, long instrumental solos, and dominating horn sections. The genre has seen a recent growth in popularity on the UK music scene and frequently crosses over into mainstream jazz. We asked Joe Henwood, Baritone Sax player of Nubiyan Twist, to talk about his favourite Afrobeat albums andRead more
Grant has been an active member of Sax Bandits for a while now. When we caught wind that he was the owner of a boutique online shop offering saxophone-inspired products we simply had to find out more! Grant shares how Glide Products came about and the inspiration for his designs: “Glide Products was created to express my passion and loveRead more
Suitable For Phone/Tablet On iOS Or Android System Zoom was initially intended for use in business environments and by default uses software to suppress unwanted intermittent or persistent background noises – unfortunately as musicians we often want to hear those ‘unwanted’ noises! There isn’t as much flexibility in the app version of Zoom so if you want greater control overRead more
Suitable for laptop/desktop/computer on Mac or Windows system Zoom was initially intended for use in business environments and by default uses software to suppress unwanted intermittent or persistent background noises – unfortunately as musicians we often want to hear those ‘unwanted’ noises! Fortunately, we can improve your online music experience with a few simple adjustments in Zoom’s audio settings. Audio SettingsRead more
As musicians we accumulate lots of sheet music, recordings and custom backing tracks, whether it’s sent to us by band mates and teachers, or collected from the corners of the internet. It is important to have these resources organised and easy to access when practicing. Online storage offers the simplest solution for organising your materials in one place, safely backedRead more
Many of us still have a love-hate relationship with technology but the smart devices surrounding us can be valuable and diverse tools for learning music. We have more technology in our pockets than was used to land a man on the Moon! It’s likely that you already have the equipment and resources needed to pursue online music lessons. Any equipmentRead more
