Reeds

This is more of a question than a post because I am very curious to know how others feel. 

Are reeds generally worse to play in the last ten years?

My feeling is yes. 

These days I buy a lot of reeds for all my saxes. Boxes of all the different brands and strengths and quite honestly I find the quality compared to 5-10 years before much lower. 

We've heard many people say that they can only play two or three in a box of ten but these days I find that some boxes are completely unplayable. Time and time again I've found reeds that I wouldn't even expect of the cheapest of reeds. Reeds that not only sound bad but do not even play certain notes. 

In fact in order to verify this I ordered recently a box of orange box Ricos and I found them quite a lot better than some of the more reputable brands. 

Is this only me? So far other sax players have agreed with me and all offered their own views on why. 

How do you feel? Mail me at matt-jazz@hotmail.com or leave a comment here and we can see where this goes. 

Peter Martin - Two minute Lessons

Following on from my last post, another series of podcasts worth listening to are the Peter Martin, two minute Jazz piano video lessons.

Over the continuing series of 40 episodes, they cover large numbers of topics regarding practicing jazz piano. They range from beginner to advanced techniques, and are well worth having a look at for most levels. 

Two minutes is a short time to cover information, and admittedly he proceeds at quite a rate, but if you download the episodes and review them slowly - especially the recorded video - there is lots to learn and work on later. 

As he says. Happy Practicing!

http://www.petermartinmusic.com/category/2-min-jazz/

Robin Sharma - Podcasts

Author Robin Sharma is well known for his book 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' as well as numerous books on Leadership and generally getting the best out of life.

Recently I discovered his 'Mastery' series of podcasts and I was struck by how well a lot of the things he talks about related to music and practicing. 

All of them are well worth listening, and as I have done, worth making notes of some of the key points. He speaks very clearly and his thoughts are well organised so it is not a difficult exercise. 

Many of the things he talks about such as staying creative, getting through difficult times, being world class and generally mastering our chosen paths, all apply to the music field. 

This might not be for everyone. I myself took a while to warm to him. His self confidence can be a little overwhelming in the beginning, but I think there is a lot there to help musicians and artists to get the best out of what they do. 

https://itunes.apple.com/in/podcast/robin-sharma-mastery-sessions/id1068207118?mt=2&i=358981213

Here is the link for Apple users. The Apple podcast player is probably one of the best around for organising and downloading. These can also be played on iTunes.