hey everyone. im currently starting a band. were going to do alot of covers, including hotel california, a nice chunk of carlos santana's tunes, and som eric clapton to name a few. im curious to how the sax can fit in these songs with two guitars and a singer. any info will be helpful.
Hi usn694. Catchy name, just rolls off the tongue, eh? I think a few people here are missing the point - you want to know what a sax-player does in a song that has no sax originally, yes? I was in a similar line-up for many years and 50% of our set would be numbers where I had to work out where and how to fit in, there being no original sax part to work to. Although I never had to deal with Hotel California, thankfully;}.
Definitely avoid playing in verses as you will clash with the vocalist. Choruses are OK but don't follow the melody - either harmonise, like a backing singer, or if you are dead clever, work out a counter-melody - but keep it soft.
If the song has gaps in the vocals, e.g. stuff like Sweet Home Chicago, where 2 bars are sung and 2 bars are instrumental, of course you have plenty of space to put in a flourish or 2. If it's non-stop vocals, keep schtum.
If you have an effects pedal or fancy mixer desk, whack it onto echo or reverb, play long notes and pretend you are a string section - I used to do that in Primal Screams Country Girl to good effect.
Main thing is, always be aware that anything you play should add to the song, as opposed to just making more noise. If in doubt, don't. Less is more and all that.
If you are struggling to fit into the main body of a song, demand a solo - just 16 bars of upfront sax can be more memorable and effective than a whole song of background noodling.