You might have worked out by now that I’m quite excited about the whole process of playing solo saxophone gigs, and that’s because so many of our Sax school students are out now doing just that.
Today I’m talking to GB Sneed about his pro solo sax setup.
You might already have seen the videos I did recently where we spoke to Andi, who started with a very small, compact setup. Then there’s Wolfgang who’s doing jazz gigs.
GB’s pro solo sax setup
GB is also a Sax School member. He lives in Florida in the States. And he’s doing some cool gigs as a smooth jazz, commercial-type saxophone player with a bigger setup.
So this conversation is packed with great information. You’ll learn why GB had to upgrade his PA system and how you can work out whether you need a smaller system or a larger PA system when you are performing live.
GB started learning when he was a police chief back in the old city that he used to live in, and he started doing gigs there. But since then, he’s moved to a new town. So check out the tips later on in this session, where he explains how he found new gigs and made a bunch of connections.
Free Guide to performing solo sax gigs
Just before we dig into the conversation, don’t forget if you haven’t got it already, we’ve got a free pdf guide to performing solo saxophone gigs. We’ve distilled all the information from these three videos and a bunch of extra tips too. It’s our guide to how you can play solo saxophone and it’s completely free.
Getting started with solo sax gigs
GB shares some amazing videos of his performances in our Sax School Community, and he’s really into playing smooth jazz and commercial music. I asked him how he first got started. What was the first sort of setup that you put together for going out and playing live?
“When I started about 10 years ago, I didn’t know what I was doing – completely ignorant. My uncle who plays had this elaborate setup that was probably from the 1960s. So I knew that I didn’t want to carry all of those big pieces of equipment around,” explains GB.
“So I went out and bought a Thump speaker and I plugged my thump speaker into my computer. And that was how I played. I didn’t have a microphone. And it worked for the small, little intimate coffee gigs that I was doing at the time,” says GB.
Playing bigger venues
The first time GB played a larger venue, he discovered he needed to upgrade to a more powerful, pro solo sax setup. “The adjustment came when someone asked me to play at a benefit for a fallen officer,” explains GB. “There were 500 people in the room. Guess what? It didn’t work. And I didn’t know it until I was there. … And so I walked in with my little Thump speaker and I plugged it into my computer and no one beyond where I was standing could hear me. The other 490 people could not hear me.”
This experience prompted GB to start looking at a pro solo sax setup. “I started looking and researching and found the Bose system. And at the time I was working… and I said, you know what, I’m just going to invest. And that’s what I did and I love it”.
These Bose systems are so perfect for doing solo gigs. So it’s interesting that that was the first upgrade GB made from his small system.
The Bose system portable and it sounds great, but it’s also got an integrated mixer in the back.
The mixer is small, and compact and it’s light,” says GB. “It’s got the four plugs in the back … so I plug in my computer, I plug in my wireless mic, and I plug in another mic that I speak with. Or if somebody wanted to come up and sing, they can use that as well. So those are the three plugs that I use consistently.”
GB plays his backing tracks from his laptop, so this is a really simple setup. It’s flexible, because it’s suitable for both small and larger venues. And although GB’s larger speaker needs mains power, he still doesn’t have too many cables in his setup.
Playing backing tracks
When it comes to managing and organising his backing tracks, GB got some great tips from our Sax School Community.
As a member of Sax Schoo PRO, you’re part of a worldwide community of thousands of learners. And as well as discussing how they learn and practice saxophone, our members also share their tips on the sort of gear that they use when they’re playing live.
So there’s been some vibrant discussions going on inside our community about different ways that you can manage your backing tracks when you are performing a solo gig. We’ve covered it a little bit inside the PDF guide, and if you haven’t grabbed that yet, the link is down below.
It’s a free resource. And in there you’ll get some tips about the apps and software you can use to manage your backing tracks. There’s also information about sound systems, PA setups, and even how to structure your gig.
Currently, GB is using iTunes for his backing tracks. : “I have it set up that, you know, the songs stop after each song, so they don’t just run continuously,” says GB.
There are loads of different options for managing backing tracks. A lot of our Sax School members are using their iPads and there are some great apps for creating playlists.
But you’ve also got a lot more options when you use your whole computer. And in iTunes, you could also make playlists for different types of gigs. GB does exactly this. “I have different playlists for house parties, or clubs, or for coffee shops. So different styles of music go into each category. So you try to make it fit as well as you can.”
Organising your backing tracks into playlists in this way also streamlines the process ready for the next gig – and saves you time.
Saxophone effects
I wanted to know if GB uses any effects on his sax sound when he’s performing solo gigs.
“It‘s interesting because I just had a conversation with Sax School student who says that he uses a delay on his [sax]. And I’ve never tried it and I haven’t gotten brave enough to try it yet. So the only thing that I use is reverb,” says GB.
GB can add reverb to his sax sound from his Bose mixer.
“Everything is preset. So… the nice thing for me is if you call me out tomorrow and you say, ‘Hey, Greg, come play with me….’ I would bring my small mixer and everything is preset in here already. So all I have to do is open up my case, plug in my master into wherever your output is, and it’s already set up to go with the reverb. I never have to make any adjustments.”
Upgrade plans
GB has his setup streamlined, which is important when you’re doing lots of gigs. I asked him whether he had any plans to make and changes or upgrades to his setup.
“Well, we always have gear envy, right? And so there’s an upgraded mixer that has eight outlets on it. And so I want it, I have no purpose for it. Because I don’t have eight things that I plug in! I have the three. But because it’s an upgrade as well, as far as the mechanisms, I’m kind of looking at that. There’s also a new Bose Tower as well that’s newer than mine…it’s on the wishlist.”
Tips for choosing a pro solo sax setup
If you want to play solo saxophone gigs in larger venues, GB recommends buying the best sound system you can afford, straight away.
“If you have the money- and it doesn’t have to be Bose, there are a lot of systems out there, – but you want to get something capable of covering a larger venue, and you can always turn down the sound and play it in a smaller venue. So it’s always better, to buy once instead of buying five pieces of equipment and upgrading each. Just jump in and buy it right off the bat.”
Getting gigs
GB recently moved from to another part of America, which meant making a whole bunch of new contacts and going out to try and find new types of gigs. I asked GB about that process and what helped him find gigs.
“I think the biggest thing that I learned was that flyers and posters didn’t work all that well,” says GB. “It is about connections. It’s about the human connection. It’s about making contacts and getting out there and pressing palms … There’s no substitute for that. Well, other than playing… And then getting to those open mics and letting people hear you.And that was really how it began”.
To begin with though, GB had his share of disappointments. “Initially… I was handing out business cards and I had beautiful flyers set up, and I’m handing those out left and right, and I could not get a bite. I could not get anyone to give me a try. And, it was about six months. I couldn’t find anything. And it does a little bit to your ego, your self-esteem, to hear no that many times.”
It was when GB started to use his network and connect with people in person that the gigs started to happen. “It was when I started going to the open mics and I started talking to other people... connections around the area, the people who knew, they would say, ‘Hey, go here. Go there, go here, go there.’ And as I started visiting these places, it began to happen.”
Making contacts
This is really good advice from GB. I’ve been through this process a few times myself, when I’ve moved to different places in Australia. And when I came to live in England in 2000, I had to start from scratch with contacts. Luckily by that point, I’d built up a massive contact base from all the other stuff in other places in the world –which helped me. But it was still about making contacts.
I launched a band in England in the early days of being here, and we did the same thing as GB. We played for free in lots of venues and we found that that helped.
We played at one place and they paid us in pizza squares! But it was only a few months after that we were doing private gigs for Simon Cowell and playing on super-yachts.
So you need to get out in front of people for them to hear you, to start the ball rolling.
Now that GB has been in his new town for a while, he’s getting established with regular gigs. A key turning point came when GB used his experience as a Police Chief, to make contacts for saxophone gigs.“As a Police Chief, I always went to the Chamber of Commerce meetings. And any event that they had would always be present – people want to see the chief. So it took me six months to realize, maybe I should go to the Chamber of Commerce.”
This proved to be a great move. “I went to the chamber, pressed palms with them, spoke to them, and that became my first gig. Then they said, ‘okay, have all these events throughout the summer. How would you like to play at some of those?’ Perfect. They also host weddings there. I became the preferred vendor for their weddings. Again, Perfect. That exposed me to the people throughout the community. This got me even more gigs, … and it’s been wonderful ever since. “
Final thoughts
GB has shared so many great tips here, and I hope you can put some of this into action too.
- Take out your sax and go and meet people
- Be brave
- Go to open mics
- Go and meet venue owners
- Offer to play for free when you’re starting out.
It’s about getting out, showing people what you can do, and making connections. And before you know it, you’ll have a roster of gigs as a solo artist, just like GB.
Don’t forget to grab the pdf guide for more great tips on getting started with your pro solo sax setup – click the link below.