OUR PLAYERS

Started playing sax as a retiral project 17 years ago. Aspired to Stan Getz, achieved Stan Laurel.

Played with Tayside Big Band for past year but barely hung on to their coat tails. Already knew several ASO members through Scottish Saxophone Academy Edzell weekends. Foss suggested I might like to try the last practice day.

Thoroughly enjoyed it and was made very welcome. You might be stuck with me for a wee while.

I fell in love with the saxophone on hearing Paul Desmond play Take Five in 1961 when I was 14. I learned clarinet and played it all my life, had a tenor sax for a few years when I was young but did not return to saxophone until an alto came my way when I was 53. Tenor and baritone followed. When in 2023 I found I was going to be spending time regularly in Banff, I searched online for an amateur music group I could join. I was amazed and delighted to discover the Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra. It is friendly, welcoming and great fun, the essence of enjoyable music making.

I started playing music at a very early age when I was given piano lessons about the age of 5. My teacher then once said that I had a good ear. I was furious as I thought I had two good ears, lol.

At the age of 82, I think I am the oldest member of the Aberdeenshire Sax Orchestra. What I like about the orchestra is the friendliness of the other members and the quality of the tuition. Whatever your level of playing there will be a part for you. Each of the popular instruments such as Alto or Tenor Sax will have scores at three levels of difficulty , from just about beginner to maestro. The tutors are great and are always helpful while insisting on the highest level of performance possible. Come and join us.

For most of my 82 years I’ve been a singer. My partner, Foss, is the sax player. One day, Foss was trying to recruit members for the orchestra and also fancied treating herself to a new sax. So before I’d had time to think up a good excuse not to do it, I found myself signed up and sitting in the back row of the orchestra trying to play her old sax and make sense of the specially written starter parts. Luckily Covid came along a month later and that gave me two years with nothing better to do than learn to play well enough to join in more effectively. I’m a sailor so practicing also has to happen when I’m out on the boat in Australia.

I spent many hours ferrying my children to various music lessons and band practices when they were young. One day while watching them perform a Christmas concert I saw there were adults in the band, Sudden epiphany ! I want to do that! So ,in my mid forties I chose to learn alto sax as it seemed to be the coolest of instruments . I found a teacher, rented a sax and a year later I was playing - badly- in the Christmas concert.
I have found learning the sax a real lesson in life. I learnt piano as a child from a very uninspiring teacher and assumed I was “unmusical”.
Now having been taught by various inspiring teachers and discovering that if you practice you get better, I am sure we can all be musical.
I heard about ASO from a friend and ,having family and friends in Aberdeen decided it would be worth the drive from Glasgow once a month.
Good decision! I have met lots of lovely people and am constantly learning from our talented musical directors. And best of all we make great music together.

When I retired in 2004 after 30 years offshore I decided to learn to play an instrument. I bought a guitar, a piano and a soprano saxophone. I was asked to come back after 2 years and took the most practical, the sax. I was allowed to practice on the helideck only, but there were complaints that I was scaring away helicopters, and the Standby vessel thought that the platform had set off an emergency stations alarm. 


I first started playing the saxophone in my mid thirties. Although I had been very involved with music throughout my school years, with piano lessons, recorder, percussion groups and choirs, I drifted away from playing music until my mid thirties, when, following a major illness which caused serious problems with my lungs, I decided to try saxophone playing, as it was an instrument I had always fancied trying; so as part of my rehab, I thought it would be a fun way to get my breathing back on track.

It was bold of me to attempt to join such a well practiced and well informed group! Put it down, in part, to the encouragement of my friend and neighbour Ian, who perhaps presented well enough for two.
Thank you all for such an enjoyable and informative day; I was truly inspired by the teaching, and by the kind welcome and encouragement from all your members.
The day was a memorable experience. I very much hope that I will return.

Whilst out for a motorbike run when I was 16 years old, I stumbled upon the Rothbury Folk Festival and hearing the fantastic session music, so full of life and fun, I was hooked on playing. Being a poorly paid apprentice all I could afford was a ...

I started playing music at the age of 9 with the oboe, discovered I had a talent and rose through the grades, adding in bassoon when I was 13. I achieved Grade 8 in both when I was 15 and decided to focus on the bassoon. My background is classical and though I chose a scientific career as a geologist, I have continued to play bassoon with various orchestras as I have moved around Britain.

I started playing flute in primary through the Aberdeenshire council lessons and soon after, I picked up the saxophone. Flute and saxophone are very similar fingerings and so learning flute gave me a head start when teaching myself saxophone. I started playing saxophone in school bands and then my flute teacher told me about Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra. I decided to go.