Saxophones are loud - they were originally designed to bridge the gap between woodwind instruments (flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons) and brass instruments (trumpets, French Horns, cornets, euphoniums etc.) in marching bands. This means that, whilst they’re still woodwind instruments, they have a lot more punch to them. A good saxophonist can control that and, like any proficient musician, can tease delicate emotional melodies as well as fiery solos out of their instrument.
Despite this, there are plenty of venues who, for various reasons, either do not allow saxophonists or have a very strict handle on the sound levels - this extends to bands as well. This is normally because of the venue being in a housing area (with difficult local neighbours) or a venue manager who is somewhat of a jobsworth… it’s often a mixture of both.
The actual impact of this is that the saxophonist can turn up to a venue and be told that they don’t allow brass instruments or saxophones which puts one in a challenging situation with the client (who has paid for a sax player to be there) or a constant need to turn down the backing tracks, killing the flow and the experience for the audience.
This can be worse for bands! Aside from what is mentioned above, plenty of venues (seemingly mostly in Surrey) have a built-in decibel reader that is connected to the power supply. If the sound level gets too high then the decibel reader cuts the power supply and anything that is powered and amplified such as the speakers, mixers, guitar amps, keyboards etc. have the power cut to them. This is very jarring for the audience and musicians plus quite damaging to a lot of the equipment.
The worst example of this is a decibel meter that was so sensitive that it kept cutting the power out during the speeches when the audience were clapping… that meant that the band set was very jumpy and stuttered with all the powered instruments cutting out without warning. It makes for a very jarring experience.
The moral of this is have a very candid conversation with the venue about sound levels when you are booking them - it’s definitely worth bringing up with initial meetings with venues.
Nick Pike Saxophone
A talented and versatile saxophonist, Nick plays iconic pop, funk and soul songs reworked with his unique touch. Nick Pike Saxophone is available throughout London, Essex, Surrey, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent and Berkshire. Book now >
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