Dave Plummer Saxophonist

The workshop was held yesterday and even though we say so ourselves, it went very well. We have had nothing but positive comments about the day and it was really good to see everybody working hard and making music together.

We started off with a brief history of Adolphe Sax and his invention, which is a bit like a storyline from ‘Dallas’ with all of the problems and underhand dealings he had to deal with. After that we had a technique session, looking at deportment, breathing, listening etc and it was very interesting seeing how people reacted to trying different methods of playing.

The arrangements we had chosen reflected four different genres of music that the sax is capable of, and we had videos of each one to watch before we played the piece. We started with Military music as this was what Adolphe had in mind for his baby. Not many people had played a march before and the result was pretty good. We followed that with the ‘Adagio for Strings’ by Barber and this is a beautiful slow piece but with a lot of changes in time signature. This was to get everyone thinking about their counting whilst also having to listen to the players around them. The arrangement had been expanded by Chris to allow everyone to have a different part and create a fuller sound.

We then did a really nice version of ‘Amazing Grace’ that starts of with an alto solo (we tried it with a trio to start with, which sounded gorgeous) then the soprano takes over and then it goes into an up tempo big band arrangement of the tune. Loads of positive comments about this tune. Finally we played a piece called ‘Funk Four’ which again, Chris had beefed up and also made a backing track to add the rhythm section. Everyone seemed to love this style and piece and I will be using it with various other ensembles too. By then it was time to finish and everyone was smiling and saying what a good time they had and some had made new friends as well, which is nice.

Chris and I went home absolutely shattered, but we had had a great time too. So much so, that we have provisionally made dates for the next few workshops. We will keep you updated, so please keep an eye on this site and we would love to see you there enjoying the day.

We had hoped to take some pictures to show you, but we where just to busy having fun, next time maybe.

Our thanks must also go the Leicester South Salvation Army for the use of their excellent facilities.

If you were at the workshop, it would be great to hear from you or if you are interested in future dates then let me know.

Best wishes

Dave