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Double Your Fun

© Chris Mindel

The joke goes: How can you tell there's a trombonist at your door? Answer: He's wearing a Domino's Pizza hat. This implies that trombonists are usually looking for work. That is why the saxophone player in the same position would be recognizable by all the instrument cases s/he carries. In order to get work, saxophonists are expected to play more than one instrument. Why?

I don't know. But, according to the book Improve Your Doubling: Advanced Studies for Doublers by Chris Vadala, reed players throughout history have been expected to play more than one instrument. Since the Renaissance. It's our legacy.

The normal instruments that a saxophonist is expected to be competent in are flute and clarinet, as well as their various incarnations (bass clarinet, piccolo, etc.). Reed players are in a very competitive business, and the more instruments you play, the more you can save a recording artist or ensemble money. If you play all three instruments a band needs, then they can get all the sounds they want and only pay one person. So the more diverse you are, the more unusual combinations of instruments you can play, the more work you get. [A tip from Dr. Whittaker of Elon College: If you can double saxophone and oboe, then you will probably always have work. This is an odd and in-demand combination. Think about it.]

Playing multiple instruments also does something for the musician in you. It gives your musical soul multiple voices. Doublers can express all their feelings through music, but they are not contained by one instrument (its range and idiosyncrasies). It also builds your ear up. That is, now you must pay attention to different timbres coming from you, and still make them all in tune. You must keep each instrument in tune with itself, the other instruments you are playing, and the ensemble. Very good practice, indeed!

I am now recommending that everyone purchase the book mentioned above. Yes, it does say advanced. And it is! The musical passages run the gamut of every technique and style for saxophone/clarinet/flute. And they are difficult. I look at them and tremble (I am still a novice doubler, you see). But even for the beginner, there are points to be learned. Near each piece, there is a box entitled "Performance Suggestions." In this box are recommend fingerings, technique suggestions, and other helpful tips. It is an awe inspiring and frightening book, but it gives the expectant doubler a goal. Master this

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