Quote:

<...> Does anybody out their play more than one instrument during a typical performance ? How's that go over with the crowd ?



I currently play saxophone, wind synthesizer, guitar, and flute on the gig. I could do bass and keyboards, but that's too much to schlep. I used to bring a keyboard or a guitar, but now I just bring the guitar - it's lighter in weight, makes for a better visual, and more difficult to put on our backing tracks.

How does it go over? Great! More often than not a few members of the audience are impressed enough to ask, "How many instruments do you play?"

IMHO playing more than one instrument is good for the show and good for the music. That is, as long as you can play them at least decently.

I started doubling on bass many years ago in a cover band when there was no sax part. The bass player in that band also played guitar, so he would pick up the guitar. I learned each song that I doubled on but didn't consider myself a real bass player. Eventually I had a short tour with Freddie "Boom Boom" Cannon playing bass.

Eventually I did the same on rhythm guitar and keyboards. Learning the part on the instrument. I'm fortunate, I pick things up quickly.

The limited doubling experience on the bass, rhythm guitar and keyboard sparked my interest in them enough to buy a bass, keyboard, and guitar and to seriously apply myself to them. The many hours spent practicing didn't seem like work, but play. And when you apply yourself to a second or more instrument, it's easier than the first one because you bring your knowledge of music theory along with you. I can now double on any of these in a pop band, but would not venture into a jazz jam with anything but my sax or wind synthesizer.

And as Mac pointed out, learning an additional instrument actually helps you play your first instrument better.

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<...> What other types of things do horn players easily do on their instruments that's difficult for guitar players, given the layout of both instruments ? I'm thinking maybe arpegios. I think horn players use these more than (many, not all) guitar players in general. Arpeggios are kind of hard to master on the guitar (if one's teacher does not emphasize and require it - which my early teachers really didn't).



No matter what you play, violin, cello, sax, guitar, trombone, etc., if you are playing melody, it's important to phrase and breathe like a good singer. That is what relates to the audience.

But the differences between wind instruments and guitars are sometimes great. It's due to the instrument, not the player, although the better players can overcome many of the limitations of each. Here are a few of the obvious differences between my main wind instrument (sax) and guitar (piano or synth would take another post).

  • First the most obvious: guitars can play more than one note at a time, saxes cannot
  • Guitar notes decay after being articulated, sax can hold for as long as the player has wind plus change the volume during the hold (guitars can change the volume with a pedal or a finger on the volume knob, but without the sustain, it's not the same)
  • Guitar is a transposing instrument, change keys, move the hand, fingering is the same. Sax fingers entirely different in each key
  • It's more difficult to read music on the guitar than the sax (I don't do TAB, just regular notation)
  • Guitars are slower instruments than saxophones (woodwinds are especially good at speed), but that doesn't suggest that either one makes better music
  • There are plenty of others, and once you pick up your second instrument, your ears will open up even more, and you will learn them


To quote Charlie Parker, "You don't play the sax, you let it play you." The same goes for all instruments. You learn what that instrument is capable of doing, and you use that to play expressively.

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