Three amazing masterclasses. A brilliant way to spend an afternoon amongst inspiring professionals. At SaxoFest, guests were incredibly lucky to have three passionate speakers sharing their insights and talents of the saxophone. ‘Solo Over Dance Music’ with Liz Greenwood Liz Greenwood brought brilliant energy to the Solo Over Dance Music Masterclass. She shared her musicalRead more
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“Do you ever get nervous when you perform?” As a professional musician, this is a question I’m asked frequently, and the answer is…“it depends”. Some performance situations are so familiar they are not daunting at all. At other times, I feel just as nervous as I did when doing my first ever performance. Most, ifRead more
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 uponRead more
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 (butRead 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 aRead more
If you find yourself playing as part of a saxophone section in a band, then breathing marks should be sorted and collectively discussed. Breathing together as a team is important to ensure sure phrases flow without any unwanted gaps. There is one school of thought that the lead alto makes the decisions and the sectionRead more
Yes! We’ve all got to breathe when playing but arrangers will often not write the breathing into a chart, but if they do, make sure you recognise the symbol. There are two symbols, an apostrophe or a tick (just after the note) to indicate that you breathe between that note and the next. I wasRead more
