Blues Scale trick as played by David Sanborn | Great Sax Solos Ep. 3

Hey BetterSax players, we’re back with another episode of great sax solos, and today I’m going to break down the solo from James Taylor’s “How Sweet it is to be Loved by You” played by David Sanborn. First of all before we get started, download the Lesson PDF from the BetterSax shed here. This way you can follow along.

The Trick to “How Sweet it is” played by David Sanborn

This solo is the perfect example of how you can solo along with a pop song. It’s beautiful, bright, rich, and edgy. Exactly what you’d want to hear in this kind of setting. I’m going to show you a super easy trick that you can add to your playing that will get you sounding a little bit more like David Sanborn does in this solo.

So the trick? Playing a blues scale starting on the 6th scale degree when playing in a major key. You could also think of it as a major pentatonic scale with an added flat 3rd,

I go more in depth as to how to play this whole trick and lick in the video above. So watch that for the full breakdown and explanation.

Mouthpiece & Alto Setup

In this video, I’m actually playing on an Aaron Drake Mouthpiece, designed as a direct copy of David Sanborn’s Dukoff. So, it is actually a David Sanborn Drake mouthpiece. It’s absolutely killer. I love it.

Saxophone wise, I am playing on the brand new BetterSax Alto Saxophone. I tell you what, this has really become my main saxophone. Hopefully, to everyone watching, you can hear that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to sound great. I am so excited to finally be able to get it in your hands. At the time of this video, it only costs $649.

Final Thoughts

Looking for more great sax solos? Check out my breakdown of New York State of Mind and Hallelujah! I Love Her So.

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