Difficult time crossing river in Scotland inspired saxophonist originally (6)
I believe the answer is:
crisis
'difficult time' is the definition.
'crossing river in scotland inspired saxophonist originally' is the wordplay.
'originally' says to take the initial letters.
The first letters of 'crossing river in scotland inspired saxophonist' is 'CRISIS'.
(Other definitions for crisis that I've seen before include "unstable period" , "Crucial stage in a series of events" , "Situation of extreme danger or difficulty" , "Emergency - decision time" , "Period of dire trouble" .)