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Articles from the 1997/8 catalogue
Articles from the 1996/7 catalogue
This year the shop celebrates it's twentieth anniversary. Below John Myatt looks back.
Most customers think we have been established for ever, especially when they see a
sepia print of our first shop in Bucklersbury, Hitchin, but it was indeed twenty years ago
when I decided to look for a change from the playing and teaching I had done till that
time. A hobby had been running a small printing company called The Cellar Press (it
started in my cellar), and from printing for others I turned to printing my own stationery
and price lists. The attic at my house was converted into a store and the first operation
was by mail order from home or to pupils and colleagues who came to the house. I had a
small display of goods in the violin shop run by my friends Eric and Howard Hill in
Welwyn, which was my only trade address at the start, but it soon became necessary to take
a shop on in Hitchin. I shared the premises in Bucklersbury with Richard Reason Pianos and
Graham de Vere White, repairer (still with me), but the three of us very quickly found the
place too small. Richard took the shop next door which solved our space problems for a
short time and then I took a lease on a larger shop in Nightingale Road, Hitchin, Richard
eventually moving back into the original shop and buying the whole site.
The biggest change of scale came when the large shop next to the first Nightingale Road
site became available. It was built as a grocery store for the local chain W. B. Moss,
taken over by International Stores, and then sold as an office building to the Amalgamated
Engineering Union, from whom we bought it. In order to do this we incorporated as Myatt
Music Limited, with two of my sons Peter and Paul as my co-directors. Paul moved on later
to travel the world, settling in Spain for two years, but joining us again now to produce
this catalogue. Paul had taken over my printing business and has retained his interest in
publishing albeit now by a completely up-dated technology far from our original lead type!
As well as producing our publicity material he controls our website with great enthusiasm,
and during his travels his work was superbly carried out by his brother Andrew.
At Bucklersbury we found it necessary to expand out packing department by the purchase
of a garden shed, occupied by Kay, who could only pack during the hours of daylight and
had to have frequent breaks to warm herself up. Fifteen years later she is still with us
as stock controller and buyer. As a woodwind player I started the business as John Myatt
Woodwind, and Kay helped to develop the brass sales so we soon added the "and
Brass" to the trading title.
I soon learnt that the business had a will of its own and it grew and grew, telling me
after about five years that there was no longer time for teaching or playing. I never
regretted giving them up, although I sometimes look back with nostalgia when friends and
colleagues remind me of the Wigmore Hall recitals we did together, or when an old pupil
such as Martin Ronchetti writes to tell me he has retired now.
The business has not made me rich, and most customers don't believe me when I tell them
that was never my primary motive in starting. The managing director of our largest
supplier once criticised me publicly for having to go to work by bike when I couldn't
afford the petrol for my car, but at the time I preferred to spend the money on more 10-10
clarinets!
I have benefited from many trips to manufacturers' premises abroad, and feel
particularly fortunate to have become friends with leading makers in Germany, France, USA
and Japan.
We never stand still, and this year we have taken on the agency in the UK and Ireland
for Fox bassoons and oboes, and for Pomarico crystal mouthpieces.
When I reached pensionable age some two years ago I thought I could take it easy, but I
am still at the shop three or four days a week, and am always brought to the fore when an
irate customer says his instrument has fallen apart after only ten years use! That is when
I am reminded that my name is still over the door.
Our greatest asset has always been our staff, and we have an extended family of present
and past staff. Some have moved on to work for other companies, giving us new and closer
relationships with our competitors.
Close friends in the music trade have become my boating companions as well, Gordon from
Rosetti's selling me my yacht (which sank this year, so there could have been an ulterior
motive), Lindsey Dawkes taking me for a week's trip by boat to the "Mad about
Music" show at Docklands Arena (and giving me my only Fathers' Day card plus a
terrible cold), and John Balaam joining me for many a trip in Suffolk where we both live.
But of course my main support comes from those boys of mine, Peter, Paul and Andrew,
and Peter has to take the main responsibility for all of my mistakes, which he does with
great patience and total loyalty. We can boast to be the best specialist woodwind shop in
the country, and visitors sometimes embarrass us by saying "in the world".
Certainly we have a heavy concentration of pro staff (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon,
saxophone, trumpet, trombone are our seven specialists) plus two repairers and two off
site, one packer, two counter/reception, one sheet music, three finance, two directors and
one systems manager. Even if we don't always succeed, we try to give the best service
possible, and nobody can accuse us of being under-staffed!
John, Mandy and Graham in the first shop in Bucklersbury c.1980
It is always sad to note the passing of colleagues, customers and competitors, but the
past year has seemed especially full of such events.
BILL LEWINGTON was a dear friend and helped me to set up my business
with advice and supplies, from a minimal investment resulting from the sale of a spare
bassoon. As a customer I had met him at his first tiny shop in Macclesfield Street, and he
set up my trade account twenty years ago in his Shaftesbury Avenue shop. He taught me how
and when to register for VAT, and then showed me how to calculate mark-ups and balance
profits against overheads, in other words, how to run the business. We shared an interest
in politics and philosophy and enjoyed arguing the finer points of Maoism versus Stalinism
and capitalism versus communism. I shall never forget his warmth and generosity.
We were sad to note the passing of GEORGE CHISHOLM and JOHN
WILBRAHAM, two of our most gifted and valued customers. RONNIE SCOTT
was a father figure to all jazz musicians, but perhaps too young to be one to JIMMY
SKIDMORE our local player and presenter, often to be seen in the shop.
Two of our makers of double reed accessories died in the past year:
PAUL LOWDELL has supplied reed cases since we started in business. Having
been an established oboist he became a director of T. W. Howarth, and then ran his own
business as a repairer and supplier of accessories. His cases will still be available as
his widow is carrying on the business.
BARRY GREGSON made fine scraping knives for the maker of oboe and
bassoon reeds. His business has been passed on to a new company so his fine knives will
still be available.
John Myatt
Patrick Sheridan
John Myatt is enjoying his second term as Chairman of BASBWE - the British Association
of Symphonic Band and Wind Ensembles - and he reports that some exciting changes are under
way.
For the first time the Annual Conference was combined with the National Concert Band
Festival, involving a change of the traditional time for the conference. The time,
combination of events and venue proved a great success, and it is intended to continue
this formula next year, learning from our mistakes but confident that this is the way
forward. Book the dates now: 26th to 28th March 1999 at the Royal Northern College of
Music. The extended facilities at the college are ideal, and the staff there from Edward
Gregson down to the bar staff are most hospitable.
It has also been decided that more support should be given to regional festivals, the
first of which is to be held by the East Anglian region in Cambridge from the 11th to 13th
September 1998. See Winds magazine for full details of this exciting event.
The administration of BASBWE and its magazine have taken a new direction with the
appointment of Brendon Le Page as administrator and editor of Winds. I am working closely
with him, and continue to receive wonderful support from the whole Executive Committee,
and particularly from Tim Reynish who has always provided the vision and inspiration to
drive BASBWE forward. Congratulations to him on his retirement as Head of the School of
Woodwind, Brass and Percussion at the RNCM, and on becoming President of the World
Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE). (Incidentally we are working on a
less cumbersome title for our association!)
The BASBWE Education Trust continues to be a crucial means for BASBWE to promote events
and has received some lottery funding. A new application is under consideration and has
been submitted by my co-trustee Charles Hine.
I recommend all readers with an interest in wind band and ensemble music to join
BASBWE. It is already a strong influence on the future of band music in this country and
is the envy of the world, and with more members it can offer even more support and
continue to expand and develop its work.
For more information on BASBWE phone 0870 200 9463.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE...
The 1998 conference was the first to be combined with the National Concert Band
Festival, and it was described in a review in a German wind band journal as "chaotic
but exciting" which seems quite reasonable!
I managed to look in on several recitals and other concerts, such as that given by Paul
Edmund Davies, principal flute of the LSO. If you despair of playing well, perhaps an
investment in the Vivace computer accompaniment system would at least ensure that your
pianist was always perfect: David Campbell gave a convincing demonstration to prove the
point.
I heard a schizophrenic piece of conducting by Clarke Rundell, in which he managed to
conduct a fast march with one hand and a slow waltz with the other, and I waltzed to the
bar in the quickest march time to re-settle my brain. This was followed by the highspot of
the weekend, a virtuoso performance of such violin showpieces as Hora Staccato and Moto
Perpetuo played on the Besson Sovereign tuba by Patrick Sheridan, at such speed that my
lady composer companion and I broke the table we were sitting on in our enthusiasm. She
recovered miraculously from her ankle injury to be whisked away by a Norwegian ophicleide
player, while I consoled myself by finishing her drink. Patrick's CD "Lollipops"
is available from the shop price £13.99 and is quite amazing!
Saturday evening's highlight was a late night performance of Mozart's 13 Wind Serenade
conducted by Tim Reynish and played by a group of RNCM students with special guest Laurie
Taylor on contra-bassoon: the concert was a tribute to Laurie on the occasion of his
retirement.
Only a couple of months later I flew to Manchester for Tim Reynish's farewell concert
and party. When Tim went to conduct he asked me to look after his wife till he finished,
which I did with great pleasure. There were some brief speeches to remind us that Tim was
only retiring as head of the school of Woodwind, Brass and Percussion, and that he would
still be around. The word that seemed to crop up in every farewell speech was
"inspiration" and that is certainly the one word I would use to describe what
Tim has provided in BASBWE, and indeed in WASBE (the World Association of Symphonic Bands
and Ensembles) of which he is about to become president.
John Myatt
We can now boast a more comprehensive range of brass instruments and accessories.
Our professional trumpet range is second to none: we are UK agents for the superb New
York manufactured hand made Jerome Callet instruments. Jerome Callet's list of endorsees
now includes members of the Royal Concertgebouw, La Scala Opera, Houston Symphony, San
Sabastian Symphony, Paris Opera, Dizzy Gillespie United Nations Orchestra, Maynard
Ferguson Band, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Cosmic Crew, Contemporary Jazz Orchestra etc! We
are also UK agents for the Los Angeles based handmade Calicchio instruments. From Spain we
have a new range of professional trumpets and mouthpieces by Stomvi, check out their
'Combi System' instruments and mouthpieces! We stock and can arrange trials of the Norfolk
based Taylor trumpets, and of course stock a full range of Bach, Yamaha and Getzen
instruments.
New for this year from Boosey and Hawkes is the range of Besson Sovereign trombones.
The Bb/F tenor and bass trombones features the new Hagman valve and the medium bore tenor
trombone now has three interchangeable lead pipes. All of these instruments come with
choice of brass or red brass bell at no extra cost with two bell sizes available on the
bass trombone. These instruments are a vast improvement on the old models and are selling
well against the competition. On the trumpet front, there is an all new 609 student
trumpet, replacing the 610, and an 800 series professional model now available.
There is a completely new range of french horns manufactured by Joseph Lidl for Boosey
and Hawkes featuring small single homs suitable for children and a 701 half double which
has adjustable finger rings and re-arranged valves.
From Jupiter, a brand that has always represented tremendous value, we have a new model
ergonomic trombone designed with the small student in mind. We also stock their new high
quality student model which we sell for only £225. All of the Jupiter brass now have a
standard type water key to replace the old button type, and come complete with good
quality cases. In addition we are now stocking the new flugel horn which comes with a red
brass bell and a third slide trigger.
To add to our comprehensive range of instruments we will be stocking Getzen and
Edwards. Included in this range will be the highly acclaimed Edward's Bass Trombone with
the dual Thayer valve and a new Getzen cornet designed with help from our own Kay
Hollingsworth. This cornet will be targeted at the British brass band market in direct
competition with Sovereign and Yamaha Maestro brands.
We now have available Sterling euphoniums and cornets manufactured locally in Luton
plus a new range of Myatt gig bags.
November '97 saw a week of events devoted to brass instruments.
We hosted fascinating masterclasses by Besson Sovereign artists Steven Sykes (tuba) and
Roger Webster (cornet, ex Grimethorpe Colliery and Black Dyke Mills).
The highlight of the week was the jazz session on the final day which featured a band
led by our own Nick Walker on sax with top jazz trumpeter and educator Steve Waterman.
Their special guest was BBC Big Band flugel/trumpet man Paul Eshelby playing superbly on
Yamaha instruments and top East Anglian flugel/trumpet man Nick Hill producing some
wonderful sounds on his Taylor flugel whose maker Andy Taylor was also present with a
selection of his superb handmade trumpets and flugels.
Jerome Callet pictured below holding his "Superchops" and
"Jazz" trumpets.
Two important pieces of news dominate what has been happening over the past year.
The first is the taking on of the UK agency for Fox bassoons and oboes (see separate
article) and the second is the reorganisation of the double reed department which sees
Helen Tumelty looking after bassoon sales and, new member of the double reed team, Kate Le
Page, taking care of oboes. Kate studied at Trinity College, London with Stephen Nagy,
then she took a masters in performance at Ithaca College, New York. She is a freelance
player and teacher and organised the national BASBWE conference at Canterbury in 1997.
The Fox distributorship not only hugely increases our stock of bassoons from beginner
to professional level but also adds a new and interesting choice for professional oboists
along with a large range of superb quality double reed accessories. The bassoon and oboe
reeds are highly thought of and very reasonably priced, there is a full range of high
quality reedmaking materials and some superb instrument stands. Our stock of bassoon
crooks is now enormous: as well as the Heckel and Yamaha models we now have the full range
of Fox crooks in stock and a selection of secondhand crooks! Fox is not the only area of
interest as Schreiber have redesigned their 5016 student model and the end result is a
great improvement, an even blowing instrument with a nice full sound: well done Schreiber!
OBOES
The Ward and Winterbourn TW1 and TW1A and the Buffet Artist oboes dominate the beginner
market. The Buffet is our standard rental instrument and is a very reliable, well priced,
covered hole student model, popular with teachers and good value second hand as well as
new. Another very popular model this year has been the Yamaha 421 oboe. Aimed at the
intermediate market it comes with full conservatoire system and thumb plate, a good even
sound and is an exciting, reasonably priced alternative to its more expensive competitors.
New additions to the catalogue in the double reed department are the Wiseman oboe and
cor anglais cases. Aimed at the professional end of the market and made of leather, every
need of the double reed player has been carefully incorporated and considered (see article
elsewhere!)
In the oboe reed section new additions include Nick Winfields' continental reeds, a
mellow sounding easy blowing reed at the same price as Nick's standard reeds; and the
Renard oboe and cor anglais reeds from Fox. These have an American scrape (a long W scrape
with a central spine and a long angular tip), play with little effort required, and are
available in all the usual strengths and a standard and Artist make.
DOUBLE REED WEEK
We are planning a "double reed week" with various presentations and
promotions, special offers etc: the date has yet to be finalised but will probably be in
the autumn and may well be timed to tie in with Alan Fox's visit. Let us know if you are
interested and we will send details when available.
Recently we took over the agency for Fox bassoons and oboes in the UK & Ireland
from Laurie Taylor who has retired after 27 years.
Laurie will continue his connection by acting as a consultant for the foreseeable
future. A very full stock of the range of bassoons, contrabassoons, oboes and accessories
is now held in Hitchin, and we plan to welcome Alan Fox to the shop to meet customers in
October 1998.
Negotiations for this change took some three years, and we are most grateful for the
help and advice received from Martin Gatt and Gareth Newman. During the negotiations Pete
and John Myatt have worked closely with Laurie Taylor at several exhibitions, and Laurie
has been most generous with his advice to Helen Tumelty, our senior bassoon specialist.
Helen writes on the models we stock: Starting at the cheapest
end of the range we have the polypropylene instruments, made with the same care as the
professional range, and with a surprisingly full sound. These include the "short
reach" model of which Fox was the original designer and manufacturer. Their main
attraction is durability in schools.
The Model 242 is specifically made for the European market and is very popular,
enabling the advanced player with a limited budget to buy an exciting instrument as a
substantially preferable alternative to the similarly priced German models available. The
Model 240 is a quality top level bassoon, with a full and focused sound, ideal for the
player looking for professional quality without paying the top price of the full
professional models.
The most widely used professional Fox bassoon is the 601, but in the short period since
we took over we have seen considerable interest in both the 201 short bore instrument and
the Model II.
It should be emphasised that only instruments bought from the official agents carry the
Fox Corporation guarantee, and that Fox parts are unique and cannot successfully be
replaced by other makes of spare parts.
We are very fortunate in being the exclusive retail outlet for bassoon reeds
made by Michael Chapman. Michael writes:
I have been a professional bassoonist for 38 years, first as second in the London
Philharmonic, then as principal for 14 years in the Northern Sinfonia and, since 1978, in
the Royal Philharmonic. From 1962 - 1964 I studied with the great Italian bassoonist Enzo
Muccetti, and it was from him that I learned to make the reeds I have always played on.
The reeds I make are exactly to his specifications and I continue to use the profiler,
shaper and mandrels I acquired in Parma 35 years ago. In recent years I have become
interested in cane from a variety of sources and I currently use 7 suppliers. Most years I
travel to the south of France to choose my own cane and I identify each source by colour:
- Madame Ghys Antibes Mauve
- Rigotti Cogolin Brown
- Cagliari Cogolin Brown
- Biassotto Frejus Yellow
- Donati Carqueiranne Light green
- MARCA Ollioules Dark green
- Medir Palamos Spain Blue
Wiseman cases are used by members of many of the worlds leading orchestras,
including ECO, CBSO and the BBC Symphony.
These cases are designed to provide the ultimate in durability, protection, ease and
comfort of handling and versatility of use. All are of a tubular design (hinged full
length), thereby offering unbelievable compactness and strength. Each case is supplied
with a large A3-size music pocket, together with tool bags and other accessories such as a
perimeter buckle strap which can be secured around the case for added security. No zips
are used - the cases all feature a simple opening system that guarantees high performance
and durability. Wiseman cases provide superb insulation by use of rubber, foam and
corrugated boarding which traps air all around the outside and inside of the shell of the
case. The instrument joints themselves are held very firmly in each case whilst all
keywork is left unhindered as if free to be played. The shell of the cases and the
materials within it are designed to absorb shock without passing it on to any of the
instrument joints. Each case is provided with a thick leather shoulder strap and padded
leather grip.
Whilst usually carried effortlessly over the shoulder, Wiseman cases can also be
carried by the handles, across the back, or as a rucksack. As well as the cases listed
below, more unusual combinations or requirements can be tailor made with little extra
charge. Cases can be lined with the customer's choice of crushed velvet, colour samples
are held at the shop or can be sent to the customer if a shop visit is impossible.
Woodwind specialists at the shop use Wiseman cases for their own instruments and are
therefore well qualified to demonstrate and advise. All cases feature black leather on the
exterior and crushed velvet on the inside.
The standard range of cases include: bassoon, bass clarinet (plus two clarinets) and
combination cases for the oboe or clarinet families which feature interchangeable inserts.
The combination case models are: double oboe case, triple oboe case, double clarinet case,
triple/quad clarinet case. The range also includes small tubular cases (complete with
wrap-around music pocket & detachable accessory bag) for single oboe, clarinet, cor
anglais, and flute with piccolo. Howard Wiseman.
The year's saxophonic highlight was the visit of US baritone legend and Rico reed
endorsee Ronnie Cuber.
He gave a fascinating anecdote-packed talk about his playing career to an enthralled
audience of 40 baritone saxophonists and then played two sets with a band of top UK jazz
musicians led by our very own Nick Walker also playing baritone!
Ronnie's CV is extensive. In addition to 13 CDs as band leader he has worked with many
leading jazz and rock artists including George Benson, Dr John, Mingus Big Band, Dave
Grusin, Steely Dan, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Horace Silver, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin,
Eddie Palmieri, Average White Band, Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Herwig, Frank Zappa, King
Curtis etc!
It was a great honour to entertain Ronnie and thanks are due to Boosey and Hawkes for
their support.
Sax customers may be interested to know that a new CD release on the Parrot label
(PARCD510) "Latin Under-ground" by The Robin Jones Latin Jazz Sextet, features
our own Nick Walker on baritone sax and as writer of 7 out of the 8 numbers on the CD.
Bandleader Robin Jones and Nick are joined by leading UK jazz trumpeter Steve Waterman and
a top class rhythmn section. If you're into latin jazz and/or Nick Walker this CD is a
must! Available from the shop for £13 inc. P&P.
The past 12 months have seen prices of student saxes dropping to the lowest levels for
at least 10 years.
There seem to be special offers on different models on an almost monthly basis so
please get in touch to check what is currently available as many prices will almost
certainly be out of date by the time you read this!
CLARINET NEWS
Our clarinet specialist Val Cheesman
The Frankfurt music fair this year saw the launch of the new Buffet B10
clarinet.
The aim of Buffet with the introduction of the B10 was to cut the cost of their student
instrument to be competitive with Taiwanese instruments without losing the renowned Buffet
quality. The B10 is acoustically the same as the B12 with the same body and bore and the
same tonehole layout except for the trill keys.
The main savings have been with the mechanism: Firstly the body rings are made of
plastic instead of metal, body rings are only important on wooden instruments and are
purely cosmetic on plastic instruments. The plastic rings are obviously lighter. Next the
pad cups are rounded and save two operations in production. The trill keys are straight.
This gives no negative acoustical effect but gives a better and more direct response and
makes manufacture much easier. The B and C# lever connections are pinned as on
professional clarinets. The older corked connections very easily went out of adjustment.
The pads called Valentino pads are synthetic, made from foam and rubber. They create an
airtight seal, retain their seat, are waterproof, shed moisture and are not effected by
climatic change. Valentino cork has the same acoustical qualities as natural cork, but is
easier to work with Three keys have a new design - the Bb, Ab and C lever. They are more
simple in design and hence easier to manufacture. Lastly the Buffet Logo is printed rather
than stamped and is less expensive to manufacture.
In this day and age where price is all important, Buffet have combined all there skills
and produced an instrument of style and quality to compare favourably price wise with
modern foreign imports.
How Buffet Crampon's Green-Line instruments use a revolutionary
technology that respects both musical performance and the environment.
"I was surprised that the quality of sound of the Buffet clarinets was not
sacrificed by using alternative Green-Line materials. If anything, I find the instruments
are more focussed than the traditional wooden models, whilst retaining the resonance and
bloom associated with the sound of Buffet clarinets.
As a member of a touring orchestra, I no longer have to worry about my instruments
being affected by changes of temperature and humidity, and I know that they won't
crack!"
Lynsey Marsh, Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Traditionally Buffet Crampon's instruments are made of African blackwood: grenadilla
dalbergia melanoxylon is the botanical name, in Kiawahill/Tanzania they call it mpingo. It
is a rare timber species found nowhere in the world except for Tanzania, Mozambique or
India (where it is known as ebony).
Mpingo is a small heavily branched tree which takes some 80 years from the time the
seedling is planted to the time profitable harvesting can be done. However, the most
advantageous exploitation is realised after the tree passes the 120 year age mark.
Apart from the music industry, Tanzania's & Mozambique's celebrated Makonde carvers
use important quantities of mpingo wood to make varied types of carvings for the tourist
industry. Their often savage exploitation of this species of timber has increased
tremendously. The situation has become so serious that the government has in fact had to
act to control the mad felling of mpingo for this industry.
The group Boosey & Hawkes and in particular the group companies Buffet Crampon S.A.
(France) and W. Schreiber (Germany) have an annual need of 40,000 mpingo wood sets which
are imported from Tanzania and Mozambique.
At a time when environmental concerns are present in everyone's mind, technicians and
planners at Buffet Crampon felt it necessary to take into account the diminishing supplies
of this precious wood to make make their clarinets and oboes. They developed an exclusive
high-tech process (patented) that marries 95% mpingo wood powder with carbon fibre in a
revolutionary new material called Green-Line. The powder is obtained by pulverisation of
blackwood pieces. The components are then pressure formed. The process conserves the
precious resources, yet permits the creation of top-of-the range instruments in the best
Buffet Crampon sound tradition. In fact, the Green-Line material has the same acoustic
properties as natural wood. Thus tradition, revolutionary technology (this new production
technology allows for a raw material saving ratio of 1 to 4) and respect for the
environment are united in a more efficient use of natural resources.
Green-Line instruments are manufactured according to the artistic principals that have
made Buffet Crampon famous. They are much more stable in varying temperatures and changing
atmospheric conditions than are instruments made of traditional say natural wood. The
average weight of a Green-Line instrument corresponds to the weight of a traditional
professional instrument.
As Green-Line material doesn't crack, now musicians need only be concerned for their
own performance. Many famous musicians worldwide already play on Green-Line instruments.
Stephane Hascoet, woodwind technician at Buffet Crampon
POMARICO CRYSTAL MOUTHPIECES
When John Myatt heard the Quartetto Martesana playing Pomarico mouthpieces on
clarinet, Eb clarinet, basset horn and bass clarinet he was not surprised by the beauty of
their sound as he himself plays on a Pomarico and knows what they are capable of.
An Italian company, they specialise in clarinet and saxophone mouthpieces made of solid
crystal, a very dense and stable material along with ebony wood. Pomarico have been for
many years the only manufacturer of crystal mouthpieces, and have supplied other
manufacturers (we are not allowed to mention Vandoren, Lucien and Buffet). They are now
concentrating on their own designs and will be phasing out the production of crystal
mouthpieces for other companies.
The new range of crystal Bb mouthpieces the "Jewel" range come in four
different tip openings; Emerald=close, Ruby=medium, Sapphire=medium open and Diamond=open.
There are crystal mouthpieces available for alto clarinet/basset horn and bass clarinet,
as well as soprano, alto and tenor saxophones.
The ebony wood mouthpieces come in different facing lengths and tip openings and are
available for soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones as well as Bb and bass
clarinet.
GALPER TONE ENHANCERS
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION BY AVRAHM GALPER
I discovered the Tone Enhancers by chance. Some of the students were leaking air around
the corners of their mouth. I tried to alleviate that by a build up on the mouthpiece at
the corners of the mouth. Since I was trying it myself, I noticed that the sound was much
better and freer. Later I found support for the idea from something that Joe Allard, a
famous saxophone and clarinet teacher wrote. Here it is:
FROM JOE ALLARD'S SAXOPHONE AND CLARINET PRINCIPLES:
"One big misconception that exists about embouchure is the idea that you should use
equal pressure with your lips around the mouthpiece. This creates two hindrances for good
tone.
- We put too much pressure on top of the mouthpiece.
- We create an upward curvature on the sides of the reed.
The reed should vibrate evenly on three rails of the mouthpiece. You can easily see
that with the sides of the lips curving around the mouthpiece, the sides of the reed are
also curved upwards preventing an even vibration against the mouthpiece."
The present Tone Enhancer alleviates the lip pressure on the sides of the reed, giving
it more room to vibrate evenly.
Avrahm Galper
Graham invited me to join his company when developing the revolutionary Lyons C
clarinet. It never happened, but we became friends and I always supported him in
describing the good and bad points as I saw them in his invention. I included articles
with the pros and cons in previous editions of this catalogue, and I included the C
clarinet in articles and talks on instruments specially designed for the very young
player. Later Graham asked me to suggest a suitable player to record his clarinet works on
CD, and I was delighted when he gave me a copy of the resulting recording by Richard
Hosford.
The CD is available together with the music in our sheet music department.
John Myatt
Music tuition in schools has been declining for a number of years as drastic
cuts in public spending hit hard, particularly damaging "peripheral" arts
subjects which are traditionally not rated as on an academic par with sciences,
mathematics and literacy.
This decline could shortly be institutionalised as the government are currently
considering whether music should be a compulsory element of children's education or an
optional extra. We must not let this relegation of music to second class citizen status
occur, we must all as musicians let our opinions be known and it is to help in this
process that we have put this piece together. Most of us have benefited from the UK's
superb system of musical education and it is now up to us to ensure that future
generations will have the same privileges we enjoyed: their future is in our hands!
Our basic premise is that far from being an optional extra music is a vital part of a
child's education with demonstrable benefits for overall academic and personal
development: as such it should be unthinkable that there is even the remotest possibility
that music should not be a central part of every child's formal education. We will
summarise research supporting our proposition and offer a few suggestions on actions we
can all take to save music education for all. Please do act now, as there is no time to
lose.
"School music education has been one of Britain's great glories - people
come from all over the world to observe it... Over the last five years we have seen all
these achievements damaged, beginning with the cuts which deprived whole counties of
peripatetic music teaching. Already since 1993, there has been a sharp decline in the
number of children learning instruments - of course this is greatest among 5 - 11 year
olds, the generation first hit by the cuts. Bear in mind that it is accepted that there is
scant chance that children over 11 will ever start to learn an instrument. Tragically, and
predictably, the decline is almost entirely among children whose families would never be
able to afford music lessons, and this is an area where talent often seems to be in
inverse proportion to wealth or social status. I fear that our musical culture will slowly
and surely decline, by the gradual attrition of lowered expectations... Music is for
everybody, and like many of the other marvels of humanity, needs to be inculcated as early
as possible. This is not some kind of "high culture" limited to the privileged,
but a treasure chest which can and must be made available and accessible to enrich every
life."
Simon Rattle, writing in the Observer 1/2/98
"Instrument tuition got trodden on as the last government rushed into the
nirvana of competition between schools. With Latin and maths that might work, but you
can't do it with music."
Richard Morris,
Chief Executive Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
"Earlier in the year, the power of music enabled the whole nation to
express its grief in Princess Diana's death more poignantly than anything else. The
juxtaposition of Elton John and John Tavener said it all. However, both genres of music
could not have been included in the funeral service unless there were musicians who had
been taught the appropriate skills to communicate the music. The cathedral choir at
Westminster Abbey is a product of the best musical education in the world."
John Witchell,
Hertfordshire County Music Service: Up Beat: Autumn 1997 News Bulletin of HCMS
"The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not mov'd with concord of
sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils."
William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice
We will be relying heavily on secondary sources for this article, most notably the
"The Fourth R" pamphlet produced by The Campaign for Music in the Curriculum, an
umbrella group supported by the Music Education Council, the Music Industries Association
and the National Music Council to keep music as a curriculum subject.
This pamphlet gives a detailed summary of the research which we will be highlighting
later, and is available for £10 (cheques made out to MIA) from Campaign for Music in the
Curriculum, Wix Hill House, Epsom Road, West Horsley, Surrey. KT24 6DZ; or you can find it
free of charge on the MIA's web site: www.mia.org.uk.
The conclusions of the research are that:
Learning music helps children from an early age to improve their:
- Ability in reading, maths, science and engineering
- Speech fluency in native and foreign languages
- Team working and social skills
- Memorising capacity
- Reasoning capacity
- Time management skills
- Learning ability
- Problem solving ability
- Ability to handle performance pressure (stress)
- Artistic ability and neatness
RESEARCH
There are three major areas of research on which the above conclusions are based which
we will try to summarise briefly:
Hungary
Experiments carried out in primary schools in the 1950s concluded that the academic record
of children attending primary schools with a special emphasis on music was significantly
higher than that of children attending the regular primary schools, even where normal
school subjects are concerned. More specifically the research concluded that music
increased memorising capacity, improved reasoning capacity, improved pupils' participatory
skills, improved time management skills and "improved eloquence".
Switzerland
Switzerland's "Music makes the school" project started 10 years ago and involved
tests on 1,200 children in over 50 different classes and aimed to test the proposition
that intensive involvement with music enhances concentration, memory, self expression and
enjoyment of life. One group was given three extra music lessons a week by reducing normal
curriculum lessons by three a week: there was no difference in overall teaching time and
no extra lessons. The findings were that performance in reading and languages improved and
general learning ability was enhanced; social abilities were greatly improved, Maria
Spychiger, one of the researchers pointed out "When children sing or play music
together, they have to learn to listen to one another. Competing behaviour is not
compatible with making music", and finally the music groups were found to be better
motivated and more relaxed.
USA
Dr Gordon Shaw, of the University of California found that music modifies circuits in the
brain including some that have no obvious connection with music "music improves the
hardware in the brain for thinking". Initial studies showed that students who
listened to Mozart temporarily scored 8-9 points higher on a spatial IQ test than those
who listened to nothing or to relaxation tapes; when this research continued over a period
of time the results clearly showed that subjects listening to Mozart every day had results
that improved significantly and two control groups never caught up! A comparison was made
with a group receiving computer lessons rather than music, the children receiving music
training performed 34% higher on tests measuring spatial-temporal activity than the
computer group.
Recent research in Rhode Island involved a study of 96 pupils age 5 -7 who participated
in a music and art curriculum "which emphasised sequenced skill development".
These children progressed more rapidly in maths and reading than two control groups who
followed the normal art and music curriculum. The children in the arts programme lagged
behind academically at the start of the project, but by the end they had caught up with
the control classes in reading skills and were ahead in mathematics. Behaviour and
classroom attitudes also improved significantly by the end of the experiment.
The current state of play
Unfortunately educational trends in the UK see music increasingly as a peripheral
activity irrespective of the political colour of the government. Research summarised in
the Times Educational Supplement in April '98 concluded that "one in five primary
schools in England and Wales is cutting down on music teaching as a direct result of
Government policy. Some are dropping the subject altogether." The TES editorial
continues: "It looks as if the recent widespread introduction of charges for
instrumental tuition is beginning to hit youth orchestras, with dire implications for
adult orchestras."
Research carried out for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music compared
the state of instrumental music in 1997 with 1994 and concluded that there had been a 4%
drop in the proportion of children playing musical instruments (from 45 to 41%), the
decline being among primary and junior school children and almost entirely from children
from social class C1 & C2 families. It also showed a large decrease in the number of
children having school music lessons. Michael Wearne, Chairman of the Federation of Music
Services, commenting in an interesting article in "Ensemble" the journal of the
Music Masters' and Mistresses' Association points out that "The percentage drop in
numbers of children playing as a proportion of all children is 4%, but as a proportion of
children who play is an alarming 8.9%...
Because the decline is concentrated into the 5-10 age range, future decline across all
age ranges is likely to accelerate because of the small and reducing likelihood of
starting at all after age 11... The fewer children start in the lowest age range, the
fewer will ever play at all. The habit of non-playing becomes built into the system. It is
demonstrably the worst possible scenario".
What can I do?
Hopefully for the reasons listed above as well as out of a love of music you may feel
motivated to act try to help to preserve music in schools by supporting the campaign to
keep music as a compulsory curriculum subject and fighting any plans by your local
authority to reduce funding of music tuition. If so a few suggestions as to possible
actions follow:
- Write to David Blunkett, Minister for Education
- Write to/lobby your local MP
- Write to/lobby the chairman of your local councils education committee
- Write to/lobby your school's head teacher and the chairman of the governors (if you have
a child at school!)
- Write to/lobby your local councillor
- Write to the local press/contact local radio at every available opportunity
- Contact well known local musicians/businesses to ask for support
- Organise a petition among local schools/parents etc.
The Music Industries Association has just published "Let the Children Play",
an excellent guide to how to mount an effective campaign against the threat to
instrumental teaching services. It runs through organisation, planning, actions etc. and
is available price £10 (including postage) from MIA, Wix Hill House, Epsom Road, West
Horsley, Surrey. KT24 6DZ
If you have been reading this article as part of the John Myatt Woodwind and Brass
catalogue, you obviously already have an interest in music whether as a player, teacher,
student or parent: please take a few minutes to campaign for continuing state funded
musical education.
Pete Myatt
1997 and 1998 have been very busy years for the flute trade with advances in
technology allowing several companies to bring down the prices of their flutes.
Yamaha still seem to dominate the market, but the margin by which they do so is
diminishing. This is not due to a drop in quality on their part, quite the contrary in
fact. Yamaha have always had a reputation for quality at reasonable prices and I have
rarely had cause to dispute this. The reason, at least as far as I can tell, is that there
are so many good new models on the market.
March of this year saw the launch of the new Buffet 6000 series. Having invested
millions of pounds in designing a new style key, cut from one piece of metal as opposed to
the usual three, and re-designing the height of the keys in relation to the tone holes
they have "given birth" to what, on initial inspection would appear to be a vast
improvement on the old 800 series, and having played a couple of the new models, they are
looking good, and playing nicely.
Regular customers may be aware of my liking for the Jupiter flute. It's free blowing
headjoint, accurate padding, and superb finish make it almost impossible to beat in its
price range. However, things are about to get even better with the imminent launch of
their new student model. Features include a solid silver lip-plate and riser as standard,
(providing a much warmer, more sonorous, solid tone than the present model), a new
stronger key mechanism (due to its higher nickel content) and a heat tempered footjoint
tenon. On paper this is now a serious contender with the likes of Trevor J James, Pearl
and Yamaha. I've tried it and I like it!
September will also see the launch of the Jupiter "di Medici" range. This
will consist of two flutes both manufactured using the old Altus tooling. Both models will
have pointed key arms and will be available with silver head (model 911) and silver tube
(model 1011). They will be available in open hole and closed hole E-Mech option. I have
had the opportunity to try both of these flutes and they are very good, what's more they
cost two thirds of the price of similar models.
Another company to make improvements to its existing model is Armstrong. With
redesigned, stronger keywork, re-shaped touchpieces and new "No.4 cut" headjoint
(among many other improvements) this is a far cry from the Armstrong flutes of the past
and in my opinion they have gone a long way toward getting it right.
Miyazawa have always offered fantastic flutes. Their MS70 and MS95 have a deserved
reputation for providing a combination of warmth, response and brilliance. April of this
year saw the arrival of their new range; the 101, 201, 301, 401, semi hand made and hand
made models, available in almost any specification. They are every bit as good as the
previous range but with the addition of traditional style key cups and pointed key arms
they now provide a responsive touch that is second to none. They are quite simply a
delight to play.
Trevor J James & Co. go from strength to strength since the introduction of their
Performers series and are constantly looking at ways to improve on what is already a very
good series of flutes. Pearl remain as trustworthy as ever. Their unique tone quality and
excellent manufacturing skills keep them at the top end of the student/ semi-pro market.
Mateki are now available again after a short absence, these professional Japanese
instruments are well made and provide a nice even tone throughout the whole playing range.
Sankyo & Muramatsu still seem to dominate the professional market (although Miyazawa
are very close behind). Altus should not be cast aside either, being an excellent
professional instrument.
At the end of the day, the best flute is the one that you get on with regardless of
other peoples' opinions. Come in to the shop where I will be happy to show you any of the
dozens of models that we stock.
Des Taylor, Flute Specialist
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