ROB Digweed leads an all-saxophone band for adult learners.
His organisation, Sax Bandits, has just opened a seventh group, meaning new musicians can now join fellow saxophonists for music sessions in Binfield.
The group has grown from its early Oxfordshire beginnings in 2016 (when eight saxophone students first met in a Scout hut) to a total of nearly 180 members.
Sax Bandits groups in Oxfordshire, Surrey, and more locally in Twyford, play arrangements of favourite rock and pop songs, with parts to suit beginners as well as seasoned players.
Rob said: “Playing on your own sucks.
“But this is a great way to meet other adult learners, and to play for fun.
“It’s really sociable, and perfect for people playing for the first time in front of others.
“We play a few songs together – then we break for cakes.”
Rob says finding and joining a music group can be especially hard for adults.
“Opportunities to play with other saxophone players can be very limited,” he said.
“It’s true that there are plenty of wind bands, but usually there’s only room for one or two sax players, and you have to be quite good.
“It can be really intimidating to play in front of people as an adult.
The Sax Bandits welcomes adult saxophone players of all ages and abilities – even beginners.
When they’re all together, they make a big sound.
“It can be quite noisy at rehearsals,” said Rob.
“But it’s a great sound – we’re a bit like a choir, in that we have four ‘voices’; baritone, tenor, alto and soprano.
“We play to backing tracks, and learn to perform faithful versions of hit songs.
“But the first time we play anything, it often sounds like a bit of a car crash, to be honest.
“So we have a laugh about it and then get on with improving it.
“That’s the beauty of the group – we can start off sounding terrible, but we work at it for a few months, and eventually we get pieces to performance level, with sometimes as many as 100 of us coming together to play at festivals and events.”
Rob began playing the clarinet as a child, and then moved to the saxophone as a teenager.
He’s been teaching sax for 15 years and is a performer in his own right.
“I love the instrument,” he said.
“It crosses so many genres and styles – you hear it in classical music, jazz, pop solos, dance music, reggae, rock, metal, Indian music – and it’s really expressive, and great to dance to.
“Because it’s the closest instrument to the human voice, it’s perfect for the vocal rock and pop adaptations we work on.”
Sax Bandits isn’t a teaching organisation, but it can complement music lessons.
Members meet up monthly to play, and also benefit from online learning resources, including play-along videos and tutorials.
Rob says that many who have never been in a band before, learn to enjoy playing alongside their fellow saxophonists in a friendly, relaxed, and supportive environment, and become more confident players.
Only a handful of basic music skills are needed to join.
“I’m constantly amazed by how many people hide their saxophone under the bed,” Rob said.
“If they have a working instrument, can read musical notes, and are able to play a chromatic scale (all the notes, preferably in the right order) we’d love them to come and join us.”
Sax Bandits meet in the morning of the first Sunday of the month.
The first session is free.
For information, and to register to join the new Binfield group, people should visit: saxbandits.co.uk.
