How to Play Solo on a Soprano Saxophone
Kenny G and George Howard are two of the players that have brought the soprano saxophone into the spotlight of modern American musical culture. It is a sexy instrument known more for soloing than for section playing and therefore calls attention to itself by way of criticism or critical acclaim. That being the case, playing solos on saxophone is an important part its overall appeal.
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Things You'll Need
- Soprano saxophone
- Chord progression work book or song chord progression
- Music stand
Instructions
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Chord Progressions
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1
Identify the key of the music. On the left side of the sheet music after the clef will be flat or sharp signs and that will tell you the key and will be the relative tonality for the entire song. In pop music or modern rock, this is typically the only key necessary to solo in. If the key of the song is C major and it is being played in the relative minor key of A (minor), then you will use the C major scale (no sharps or flats), but you will start on the note A as the root of the chord instead of C. A minor and C major have the same key signature, therefore the same notes will work.
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2
Identify chord progressions. These will be marked above the staff with chords and symbols. A common modern chord progression is 1 -- 4 -- 5 and is demarcated in music as I -- IV -- V. In the key of C major it will look like this: Cmaj -- Fmaj -- Gmaj. It is necessary to know the scale steps of each chord. Each chord will take on the tonality of the chord listed despite the original key signature. The first chord will sound like C maj, but the Fmaj will sound like C-7 (C major with a flat 7th degree, in this case, Bb). The Gmaj will sound like a C-5 (C major with a flat 5, in this case, F#). To be able to play these in a solo, it is necessary to know the scale degrees of each scale.
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3
Outline the chord tones to begin working on a solo following the chord progression above. This means play the 1, 3, 5, and 7th scales degrees of each chord or the altered notes from the chord. This will allow you to hear the tonal qualities and force your fingers to move within the given parameters of the chord. The degrees are:
C maj -- C -- E -- G -- B
F maj -- F -- Bb -- C -- F
G maj -- G -- B -- D -- F# -
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Use this exercise for any chord and chord progression to break it down and find its tonal center. Staying within chord parameters is the first step in playing a musical and melodic solo.
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Tips & Warnings
Regular practice is the most efficient way to musical progression.
