Annual "Physical" for your horn

Lots of problems with woodwind instruments tend to sneak up on many players.  You play daily and begin make many minor adjustments as corks wear, pads dry out and leak, and keys start to fall out of adjustment.  Suddenly, it seems like the entire instrument just won't play the way it's supposed to.

Perhaps you should think of taking care of your instrument like you should be taking care of your body, with an annual check up.  I will inspect your horn, replace corks as necessary, clean around the keys, lube the mechanism, and fix minor leaks.  It's quick, relatively inexpensive, and can save you some anxiety by not having  to worry about your horn before the next big performance.

So, give me a call or drop me an email to make an appointment to get the work done.  Usually, I can get your instrument back to you the next day.

Bob Chadwick

chadwickww.com

508-331-5598

80 Bay View Ave. Salem, MA 01970

"Budget Instruments"

In the course of my life as a woodwind technician, I come across many student instruments manufactured by companies other than the ones I grew up with.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, because when these instruments are new and properly regulated, they play OK. The problem I see is that they have a tendency to go out of adjustment very easily. The keywork is generally not as sturdy as your 1969 Bundy Resonite Clarinet, so it can bend very easily. The metal is cheap and the tolerances aren't exact enough.  If you are a typical fifth grader trying to assemble and use one of these budget instruments on a regular basis, bad things are likely to happen.  Students end up working a lot harder to get keys to operate properly and produce a quality tone.  Look, it's hard enough to play an instrument well in the first place.  Why make it more difficult by saddling these kids with inferior equipment?

So, if you are planning to purchase a new instrument for your aspiring musician, be sure to have a professional check out your purchase before you buy.  There are numerous used beginner instruments available which may need some work, but will serve your needs. Very well. You'll save some money in the long run and your young musician will have greater success from the outset. And if you need an instrument serviced, please contact me at Robert Chadwick Woodwind Repair.

My new tool stand

I live in a small house and do my repair work in a room that houses a desktop computer and lots of musical instruments.  The room doubles as a practice room where I keep my Bari sax and bassoon set up so that I can get to them easily.  Because my work bench doubles as a computer station/MIDI studio, I was finding it difficult to store my woodwind tools so that they were easy to access....but....they were in the way when I wanted to use the space for other work...so....I built a three tiered tool holder on a lazy susan base.  It lets me store my tools compactly, and makes it easy for me to find what I'm looking for!

Not bad, huh?

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Diagnose your Woodwind problem

Most often, when your flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe or bassoon  won't work properly,  air is probably leaking from one or more pads.  Usually the leak(s) are small and very hard to detect.  Sometimes you can actually see a spring that has become detached or can see a pad that won't open or close easily.

One way to pinpoint the problem is to slowly play a descending chromatic scale from some open fingered note.  As you go down the scale, you may be able to notice when the problem becomes apparent.  Often times, your problem is some leaky pad above the topmost open hole.

if it's a detached spring,  you can probably reattach it.  If it's something you can't get to, or aren't sure what to do, get in touch with a repair technician.

Just to be safe, if you are in doubt about messing around with your instrument, leave it alone.  You don't want to make the problem worse than it already is.

If you live on the North Shore in the Salem area, give me a call.

Sailing in September

Having grown up and spent my entire teaching career beginning a new school year every September, I'm absolutely loving the month of September, being one of those fortunate enough to have lots of free time.  The days are warm and still pretty long, and the sailing is great in and around Salem Sound.  There are lots of open moorings in neighboring harbors.  It's just a nice time to be on the boat.

in addition, I have some nice weather to get more of those outside jobs done around the house and still find time to practice bassoon or some saxophone and get some instrument repairs done.  

Please let me know if there are any woodwind repair questions I can answer for you....and if you need some work done on your woodwind instrument, now is a great time to get your band instrument in great shape for the coming year. 

Now we get ready for the crazy month of October here in Salem!