Question:
Singing/sax mindset
I wonder if any of you experience the same thing that I have for years.
I am a vocalist/saxophonist (not to mention a really, really cool guy) and I have always had a mindset issue going from vocals to sax and back. I have found that if I'm playing a gig that requires me simply to play saxes and flute I'm good to go; but if the gig requires vocals + instruments my instrumental playing is pretty challenged. It's hard to get in and stay in the groove mindset when the concentration is broken and lyrics come into play.
Just curious if anyone else has dealt with that, and if so, how do you deal with it?

Answer:
In a covers band I switch between vocals (usually backing vocals) and sax all the time. Do you consider your first instrument to be vocals, or sax? (for me, it's the sax).
I find it necessary to use a cheat sheet to remind me what I do on each song (vocals, alto, soprano, and/or other noises generated via keyboard + synth). For some songs, I include on this cheat sheet a reminder on the lyrics. I find this cheat sheet makes it easier to remember what to do, and thus probably makes it easier to focus on each song as I play it.
Maybe you can tell us more about what you feel when you feel challenged by switching?

Answer:
Hey Rodelliot,
I started singing at blues jams basically because it allowed me to call tunes I like rather than playing Mustang Sally all the time--and because my idol has always been Eddie Vinson, who did the singing/sax thing better than anybody IMHO (although there's always the incredible Louis Jordan :) ).
I agree 100%. What I find especially hard--impossible really--is to do interesting/creative accompaniment when I'm the singer. I mean, beyond the obvious fact that I can't accompany myself:), I find that when I'm singing I can't listen to what the other players are doing and think of what kind of stuff to play along with them when I'm not singing. Also, I very often choose to do songs because they have cool horn section lines I want to play--like Ray Charles' Mary Anne for example--and having to sing makes it really hard to do the lines. There's also the simple physical problem, often, of arranging mics, monitors, etc. on a busy bar stage to allow me to get at the vocal mic and the sax mic. Not a huge problem, but a distraction--which is I think what you're talking about.
I guess it's a trade off. Playing while singing is harder, and a limitation for sure, but very often the singer gets to call the tune. I play blues pretty much exclusively, and so I often do Cleanhead's thing, which is to take my solo right off the top or, if the song has a cool riff, to take a chorus or even two at the beginning to just play it. Although unorthodox, this really helps me get into a song that I haven't done much and that I'm thinking about mostly in terms of the horn section riff, if you know what I mean. Lucky for me, the guitarists I play with are really good and will usually double the section part pretty well if I set it up this way.
Great question. I'd love to hear about other folks' playing and singing experiences too.
rory

Answer:
I did the same thing as rleitch, I started singing because I wanted to call tunes. When I sing and play the sax, I put the singing first and the sax second. As far as I'm concerned, when I'm singing, I'm in charge, and when I'm playing the sax, I'm one of several instrumental soloist. And that's considering that I've only been singing at the jams for a couple of years and playing sax a lot longer than that.
The other night I sang "Jump, Jive, and Wail" for the first time. I was so intent on the vocal that I completely forgot to do the horn figure. Maybe next time.