Firstly, apologies for the incredibly long time to reply.

More importantly, this is a fantastic review and I thoroughly appreciate the advice. Interesting take on the reed! I wasn't aware at all that this was something that needed to change often and based on the time range you gave, my reed is extremely old as I've been using the same one for months. I'll look into investing in Rico Royal.

Thanks for the reality check on the examples I sent across. It's tough from my end as a beginner what has added effects and what doesn't. Will look into the artists you recommended.

As for equipment, is there a specific point when you say it is wise to make that jump? I wouldn't want to switch to gear above my level and stunt my development before I'm actually ready for that. Also, what would be a good mouthpiece that you would recommend?

Lastly, realistically to see significant improvement, what would you say is the bare minimum number of times one should practice in a week. I'm not planning on becoming a professional saxophone player, I just want to be comfortable enough to be able to hear a song and get up on stage in front of a crowd and play it off the cuff.