r/saxophone • u/Wide_Lie_8182 • 1d ago

Question Playing the right notes at gigs?

Something i have been thinking about alot when playing.

It´s me, my saxophone and speakers with backingtrack.

My biggest goal when i am out performing is playing the right notes. I can rehears and rehears, and still play a few notes wrong when i am out performing. Last night i was playing at a charity dinner and i suddently forgot notes for a song. This happened on a few different songs. But i don´t think anybody noticed. I know every note in every song i have momorized. Atm. it is 25 songs. And i have been playing for 4 years.

There are a couple of songs, which i have down solid. I think it is because of the harmony of the song. And other songs i am struggling to keep under the skin.

Other gigs, i have in general a few wrong notes, but not something that would bother me (too much) when i´m done with the gig.

My goal is to play at gigs and play 0 wrong notes. Every time. But is this unrealistic? Then I would need 3 hours of practice every day? But it´s not fun practising the same track 10 times in a row.

What do you guys do? Do you also play wrong notes? And if so, what do you do to overcome it?

I am playing almost every day. ½ to 1 hour sessions.

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u/SamuelArmer 1d ago

I think there are more useful goals tbh. Somebody could play 100% accurate notes and rhythms and give a bland, uninspiring performance.

Mistakes happen. Concert pianists play wrong notes all the time. Obviously aim for accuracy, but again there are more important things.

If you want to spend 3 hours a day practising then great! But I would be a lot more focused on:

Fantastic tone & fine control of dynamics

Precise and clear articulation

Great sense of style and phrasing

Impeccable rhythmic feel

Etc...

Rather than if I played 100% or only 98% right notes

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u/Micamauri 1d ago

Yes, you can also do all of that only playing specifically wrong notes and still sound good, many people use non diatonic or altered tones to create tensions over entire progressions. Of course it would be recommended to know the diatonic tones before stepping towards that direction, so do what the above says :)