Welcome to my online resource for advice, care, repair and maintenance for woodwind instruments.
Whether you're interested in buying an instrument, maintaining your flute or clarinet, hints on saxophone repairs or just plain curious about woodwind - you'll find something to interest you here, presented in a clear and relaxed manner.
If you require further information or wish to comment on anything on the site ( or just fancy sharing your experiences ) there's a contact link on the left.

Winter 2010

It's been almost a couple of months now since the Haynes Saxophone Manual hit the shelves - at least in the UK, the rest of the world will have to wait just a couple more weeks before the stores have their stocks - and I've been completely astonished at the response.
I figured there'd be a few people who'd be interested in a signed copy, but since the purchase page went live I've had to re-stock several times - it seems I vastly underestimated the public demand. I'm both thrilled and highly flattered.

It's been fascinating too, to watch the sales figures from retailers such as Amazon. In fact it's almost addictive, which isn't very surprising considering the nice rosy glow that comes from seeing the sales rank takes a hefty hike upwards. In some ways it's a bit like watching one of your children in the sack race on school sports day.
More than that though, I've been delighted by the feedback readers have sent me, or left on bookseller's sites and internet forums - particularly from those who know a thing or two about saxes themselves.
Some readers have been extremely helpful too, in pointing out small printing errors ( now listed on the Errata pages in the sax manual section of the site ) of which, thankfully, there have been very few.
I've been especially delighted by comments from non-playing readers who've picked up a copy belonging to their partner or friends and have found themselves drawn in by it - which, I think, is pretty good going for a technical manual.

It's also generated quite a few emails from readers who have found that looking after their saxophones and performing basic maintenance isn't so hard after all, and the reported results have been very satisfying indeed. It's quite clear that the book is helping players to understand how the instrument works, which is its primary intention, and that the desire for this knowledge has always been there.

If you're keen to buy the book ( and why not!? ) you can purchase it from a number of major booksellers, such as Amazon, Waterstones and W.H. Smiths - and in due course it should appear in general music stores. US and rest of the world stores are due to get supplies in early February.
However, if you fancy something a little more special you can purchase signed and dated copies via this website - complete with a dedication of your own choosing. See the Haynes Saxophone Manual section for further details.

As you might imagine I haven't had much time to do a great deal of writing for the site ( or any repair work, for that matter ), but I've managed to put together a few articles - including one dedicated to the Haynes manual...check out 'The Inside Story'.
If you've ever wondered whether a sax made of brass sounds different from one made of bronze, Myths and Materials should raise a chuckle or two - and see below for details about the other updates.

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So, what's on the site?
There's the Handy Hints section, which contains pages of advice and hints to enable you to care for and perform minor repairs on your instruments. It's worth checking back from time to time as this is likely to be an ever-growing section. For those looking to have an instrument repaired, there's a basic guide to the various levels of servicing.
Latest update: What's in YOUR mouthpiece?!

The Reviews section is the place to find the bottom line on that horn you've had your eye on.
As and when instruments come through the workshop ( or rather, when I have the time! ) I'll post my comments about them here. The emphasis is more on the mechanical side, given that playability is very much a subjective matter - though if I find issues that may affect this significantly I'll comment on them. There's also a section here which offers some advice to those of you about to buy an instrument, new or secondhand - perhaps for the first time, plus some notes on the vintage/modern saxophone debate, and some hints for choosing a pro sax.
Latest update: The Bauhaus-Walstein professional tenor takes a bow, and the Yamaha YAS62 Mark II squares up to the Mark I.
Dressing to the left? Take a look at the unusual Dolnet M70 tenor.

The Misc. section is where you'll find all the articles that don't quite fit anywhere else, including the infamous Black Museum. Two grisly new exhibits...including Frankenstein's baritone!

Brass body - bright or mellow? Silver plate - resonant or warm? Myths and Materials smells a rat.

In Testing...Testing I'll be examining in more detail some of the commonly held ideas appertaining to woodwind instruments. For example...people 'say' you should use a Pad-Saver...but why? And are they right?
Latest update: Kangaroo skin pads and Noyek Reflectors...Hype or Hooray!? And at last, the above-mentioned pad saver test!

In the Glossary you'll find explanations for a great many of the curious words and terms used throughout the site. If you're very new to musical instruments it might help to open this section in a separate browser window so that you can refer to it as you read other sections of the site.
Latest update: Pad clamps.

Notes...from a small workshop is a place where you can get the low-down on workshop life, a chance to pull up a seat and share a cuppa whilst the great issues of, well, anything I fancy really, are mulled over. I won't often publish detailed update notices here...so just drop by and peek in from time to time.
Latest update: Four scintillating articles for this update including the third instalment of the Jazz Etiquette series, and the inside story of the Haynes Saxophone Manual.

All material on this site copyright Stephen Howard Woodwind, unless otherwise stated. 29/01/10

Haynes logo copyright Haynes Publishing Group

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