I specialize in saxophone solos for songs in hip hop/rap, pop, and more. I have played in musical scenarios such as musicals, session recordings, jazz bands, symphonic orchestras, and chamber ensembles. I have been a musician in various ensembles under world-renowned musicians such as Ted Sperling, Dr. Jason Noble, Paul Cohen, and more.
Shivam Patel is a Chicago-born woodwind doubler (flute, clarinet, & saxophone) currently studying and pursuing a career in New York City. He first started his career classically on just the saxophone, playing alongside his high school concert and acclaimed jazz bands. During that time he was called to play in his first musical, The Little Mermaid. Shortly after, he started being called to play in the pit orchestras for local high schools and theatres. His instrumentation adapted alongside the shows he was playing, leading him to pick up the flute as well. He is now studying at New York University alongside their amazing faculty and is currently a musician in the NYU broadway orchestra, NYU saxophone orchestra, and the NYU Wind Symphony where he took part in five world-premieres.
Being a flexible addition to any ensemble, Shivam has been playing in diverse ensembles for over eight years. He has played in musical scenarios such as musicals, session recordings, jazz bands, symphonic orchestras, chamber ensembles and solo recitals. He has been a musician in various ensembles under world-renowned musicians such as Ted Sperling, Dr. Jason Noble, Jennifer Jolley, Timothy Ruedeman and Paul Cohen.
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Credits
Interview with Shivam Patel
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Hip/hop/rap generally. I have also done some funk, rock, as well as some other genres. My specialty is in classical music in the in-person freelance world but online I generally do other genres.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: There was a rap recording I did a few months ago that a student producer needed done; I played flute on it and the overall song mixed with my instrumental was surprisingly good and it has since been my favorite solo.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I am currently recording a large piece I commissioned last summer, which should be done before 2024.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: There are some amazing musicians on here; I do not know any of them but the advice I would offer would be- make sure the person you hire is professional. It's pretty common for people on here to say they play the saxophone and they only ever play it occasionally.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital, just because it's easier. When it comes to quality, definitely analog but that's not very realistic anymore.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: You will be satisfied with what you recieve, no matter how many takes it takes.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The flexibility is amazing. As a freelancer jobs are very sporadic so the ability to these recordings when I want is nice.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: "How long will it take?" Depends on the job, but after receiving all the details of the job I can usually get you the recording in 24-48 hours.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Many people think that since I play both flute and saxophone I am sacrificing technique one or the other; that is simply not true. As odd as it sounds, picking up flute has taught me so much about playing the saxophone. In terms of some techniques, when you're learning another instrument the way you approach some fundamentals are different so you now see it in another point of view which can ultimately help you in another instrument if applied correctly.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Typically when I get a job I ask clients to give me all the details of what they want regarding the details of the song, a sample (if it can be given), tempo, time signature, mood, etc., and then proceed to ask them what they want regarding the structure of the recording (a solo, a repeatable motif, etc.) and then finish off with any ideas they want to incorporate into the recording.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Be as specific as you can regarding what you want; like many musicians here, we only want to see you succeed and want to hold up our end the way you imagine.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My flute, alto saxophone, a metronome, a tuner, and an iPad.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been playing in the pit orchestras for musicals since high school and have been doing it in college as well. I play in premiere ensembles right now in college including chamber ensembles, broadway orchestra, saxophone orchestra, and more. I have been doing this for about eight years now.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I'm personally not a fan of this question simply because every song is so different in tempo, mood, vocals, and all of that really influences how I change the style of my playing for that specific recording.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I have always dreamed of recording for some A list rap artists like Kendrick Lamar or Eminem but also on the other end of that would absolutely love to record for some K-pop groups like Aespa, BLACKPINK, ITZY, and such.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't ever settle for less than you can imagine. Stretch your song out to its full potential.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I would say my playing. I have very high standards when it comes to session recordings that I believe everyone should uphold; instruments can play such a big role in how a song does and I believe as a musician we need to simply hold up our end of the bargain to make sure it does as well as it can.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I have played many genres and have studied a few of them very closely so I can bring my expertise of that to the table. I also own a business creating custom music products for clients so I have extensive experience communicating and figuring out what a client wants easily as well.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: My work process is more outside of the job. Keeping all my instruments ready at any time for a recording is a bit difficult but I manage. I mainly practice fundamentals and such just to keep my overall technique and tone high.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I record with two small diaphram microphones or a condenser microphone, depending on the scenario. I record all of this in a soundproof booth (Studiobricks booth), so no unwanted sound leaks into recordings and the recording environment is perfect for recording raw files.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Some of the studio musicians who have inspired me have been some of the greats like Dan Higgins, Gary Gray, Gary Foster, Gene Cipriano, etc.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Typically the jobs I have done so far have been solo lines but have also recorded small repeatable riffs and such. I either improvise over a given track or record a pre-written melody that my clients or their producers write and do this on either the flute [or piccolo] or saxophone [sopranino, soprano, alto].
