Recycling our solos/riffs/licks

[Michael Bishop]

Hi Johnny,
Noticing how you show we can pull out a solo like Brown Sugar and recycle it, the same can be said of so many other solos too(given the key/chord progression we’re playing in), correct? The more I work on this stuff the solo ideas are really coming to me and it’s just a matter of playing them in the right key that we’re playing in. I’m actually building my own “go-to” licks/riffs now that I can pull out and use with a band 🙂
I have been told of stories here of good guitar players, Keyboard Players, a few Sax players, etc. who lost out on their spot of the band because they seemed to think they were “too” important…more important than the vocalist! I think it would be great at some point if you could think of making a video to put here in your blog, based off of your experience with bands, some of the do’s/don’t of playing with a band, our role as Sax players on a band, etc.. I think it’s really important of knowing when to solo/not to solo, etc.. and it would help those of us who are making that transition from playing with backing tracks to playing with a band/other players….but I’ll never stop playing with backing tracks; too much fun! 🙂

[john]

yes that’s a good idea. I did a gig last night. A singer hired me and the last thing he wanted was for a sax player to get in his way, but when the time comes to shine that’s when you play…mostly in the solo section. you can also play along at a decreased volume behind the singing, playing off of what else is going on musically like the guitar riffing or just chordal steps etc.
as for recycling, yes of course. when you think about it, it makes perfect sense because if it’s a 12 bar tune then every solo you play over those 3 chords will work anywhere that’s using this same progression.

[Michael Bishop]

That would be really cool Johnny if you could think about some videos, blog article, SOMETHING/ANYTHING to address some of these things I was talking about when it comes being a Sax player and being on a band. I get together with members of the Blues Society every Wed. evening and their take on my playing is that I’m “almost” ready to play with a blues band and in terms of my playing they didn’t think that I would have a problem getting picked up by a band here simply because bands are everywhere here and would love having a Saxophone player on their band….and that’s an understatement because all the Sax players here are more interested in “elaborate” Jazz…which is good too because we all express ourselves in different way. Frankly, that kind of playing just isn’t “me” if you get my meaning. But the problem has occurred–and it has happened many times as I’m sure you’ve seen–where you have a musician who is really, really good and what he/she does, but he can’t co-exist with other band members–wanting to be the one who solos all the time, basically thinking that he’s the “main attraction” and he’s not….from what I’ve seen working with the guys here, it’s the vocalist whose the reason why people are there to see them play. The guys with the Blues Society here have been great and they’re like “the last thing we want to see happen to you is what we have seen happen to other very, very talented players”. At first I thought they meant I was headed down the wrong path too and they’re like “no, not at all…it’s just that you got lots of good things coming for you and it would kill us to see you blow it because there have been others who blew it” I don’t think I’m the only one who could benefit from a video/article for your blog that talks about the role of Sax players on a band either. In any case, it’s a SUPER cool feeling to be able to use this stuff that I’ve learned from you in my own playing 🙂 My first upload of the songs that I’ve learned to get ready for the Talent show in November/audition in December will be sometime this week.

[Anonymous]

I’d be interested to hear any of JF’s tips about playing in a band.

Any player of music has to have his/her own mission statement – know exactly what type of music they want to play, and know exactly what they will have to give up to chase that dream!
If you’re married with wife & kids, steady job, can you drop everything disappear for nights on end, would your partner in life sign up to that?

All bands are different, and common sense would be to find out what their mission statement is and if your mission statement is different, walk away.

New bands in my oppinion when they take on a sax player, don’t know anything about the sax sound, and when they hear the sax sound in their music can suddenly reliase thats not what they want in their style of music – no matter how good a sax player they are, they might not want to end up as a backing band for a sax player.

I know someone who has a steady 9 to 5 job, and has played guitar in a band that has played up and down the country – they just played at the week ends, the bands now retired as the founder is tired out. But they had fun for over a decade. No lucky breaks for them, to give up their day jobs, but they lived the dream.
One of my cousins has played in bands in some big gigs, but has never left his day job, his sister got some degree in music and has played piano in orchestra’s and never had any lucky breaka – but they have all had fun!

In my case – i would only be prepared to play at the weekend, i would only be prepared to play near to where i live – which is not what a band might want.

That’s one of the reasons i’m doing sax grades, as i can get into a local jazz band or orchestra which fits in with my lifestyle and still have fun.
To make a living out of that would be suicidal, i would have to play other wind instrunents – clarinet, flute to fall back on.

Each band is no different to working in different companies, they might all have the same objectives, but when they take on staff, its not just the skills they are looking for, they are also looking for the personality that fits in with their team. The last thing they want is to be lumbered with a person they cant stand or doesn’t fit or is to inflexible – common sense prevails.

But i do agree if your personality fits in with their team, there are some pointers that JF can illustrate – that wouldn’t cause you to rock the boat so to speak, if you don’t want to spend your time walking on eggshells. Fear of failure, being humiliated etc – big band players have done all that.

[Author]

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