Trinity College - Mosaics Books 1 & 2

Hi everyone,

In todays post I will be talking about the Mosaics books for woodwind players by Mike Mower for Trinity College.

The Mosaics books for woodwind players is made up of two books. These books are available for flute, clarinet and saxophone. The clarinet and saxophone editions are a mixture of compositions by Mike Mower and James Rae.

Book One is for beginners through to Grade 5; and Book Two is for Grades 6 - 8.

Book One features 65 solo pieces, and these pieces vary in length depending where you are in your musical journey. In this book the pieces are no longer than a page in length.

Book Two features 42 solo pieces, and this book is aimed at the more advanced player. Another addition to this book is that includes notes from the composer at the back. I'm not too sure if this is a more recent thing that they have included, because it isn't in my edition of 'Mosaics: Book One'. Most of the pieces that are within this book are a page in length, but some of the pieces go over two pages in length.

What I really like about this series of books by Mike Mower are the daft titles that he has come up with for the pieces. It gives the books some light heartedness, even some of the pieces can be on the more trickier side; especially in the second book.

I can only give my opinions based on the Mosaics books for flute, as they are the only ones that I own. I also don't play either the clarinet or saxophone, which is another reason why I don't have those editions. So, I have no idea on what the books are like with the collaborations between Mike Mower and James Rae.

Books for a Chill & Easy Practice Sessions

Hi everyone,

In this post I'm going to talk about books that you can use for creating a chill & easy practice session.

You may decide that you would like to do a more relaxed practice session, and this could be due to you wanting just to change up your usual practice routine for something a little more laid back or you may just coming back into practicing your instrument after a break away, and you want something easier to start off with.

I've tried to find material thats on the easier side to sight read while at the same time you can have some fun in curating a list of music that is on the more relaxed side of things. To help you get back into playing or if you just doing something different for a change.

Winner Scores All

This book is only available for both woodwind and brass players, but it contains a good mix of music from traditional pieces to musicals. Also, the pieces aren't that long in length and are very user friendly as the key signatures used are on also on the easier side. I've used this book a lot over the years, and its one that I started out with when I was just starting out on the flute. It was a godsend for me last year while I was getting back into practicing, due to ongoing health issue. It helped me to get back into playing, and trying to figure out how high up the stave I could go on any given day.

All the Tunes You've Ever Wanted to Play Book 1

I've got the book that suitable for all C instruments, but I'm sure there's a copy out there for your range of instrument. This is similar to 'Winner Scores All', but it contains a mixture of TV themes, musical theatre and traditional songs. This book is more beginner level, but it will still do the trick of getting back into playing without being stressful.

Hal Leonard Play a Long Series

The Hal Leonard Play a Long series is brilliant, as not only does it cover a wide range of musical interests; but everything within this series is available for most instruments. I'd say that the books in this range are between beginner and early intermediate level. I'm just going off the fact that some of key signatures/ time signatures can be a bit tricky to get your fingers around if your not familiar with them. All of that will come as you progress through your usual learning and development.

James Rae Studies

James Rae are modern studies for woodwind players, and they are fun to learn. There's two books (I think) for all woodwind instruments. Book one is beginner to intermediate level, and book two is more intermediate to advanced with some easier pieces. The James Rae studies are definitely on the more laid back side compared to the usual study books out there. 

If you are interested in learning an easier study, but your not too sure where to go for your chosen instrument I would recommend doing an search on the internet and see if you can find anything suitable for your playing style and ability.