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Guide: How to clean your instrument
Hi everyone, after my last post about the cleanliness of brass players instruments, I promised you a guide on how to properly clean your instrument to avoid getting ill from the micro organisms/bacteria that can grow inside. The inside of your instrument is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow and thrive, so follow the steps below to avoid feeling ill after playing. To start, I will be cleaning a Besson sovereign tenor horn and by using step by step photos, I will demonstrate how to clean your instrument at home. The cleaning solution used in this guide is from the B# Cleaning Kit which can be purchased here The first step we will take is removing all the slides and valves from the instrument, also removing the bottom caps of the valves and set them down on a soft surface so that they don't get damaged. The next step then is to disassemble the valves. So remove the finger button, then carefully pull out the top felt for each valve. After that, remove the top cap and the lower valve felt and set them aside if you plan on re-using them, or if you have new felts you can throw them away. Now you can fill a sink or bath with warm water and the directed amount of B# cleaning solution, the solution should be warm but not too hot that you can't place your hand in. It is at this point I should mention that using washing up liquid to wash your instrument is not advised as they can contain salts which will damage the finish of the instrument, which can lead to the instrument needing to be re-lacquered/plated. Anyway, once there is sufficient water in your bath/sink to fully submerge your instrument in, carefully place your instrument and all valves and slides into the water. DO NOT DROP THEM IN!!! As it could damage the instrument and/or parts. Once all the parts are submerged, you can now go and make yourself a drink. Leave the instrument in the water for 1-2 hours. After the time has passed, run a bore brush through each of the slide receivers. After that, grab your valve casing brush and brush through each valve casing, making sure the brush goes all the way through the casing. Next grab your snake brush and work it through the rest of tubing which hasn't already been cleaned. The next step then is to clean the piston valves. You will need your bore brush again for this, brush through every port on each piston multiple times to ensure the ports are clean. Next, run the bore brush through all of the slides, also run the snake brush through the larger slides to ensure the slides are clean. An optional step at this stage is to grab an old toothbrush and scrub the insides of the finger buttons and valve top and bottom caps. Once all the above steps have been completed, rinse the instrument out with clean cold water and allow to air dry. Then we start the reassembly process, firstly putting a small amount of slide grease on all the valve casing threads, and putting the bottom caps on. Next, grease the slides (as shown below) and work each leg of the slide into its receiver. Repeat this process for each slide, wiping off any excess grease. The next thing for us to do is to reassemble the valves. When reassembling the valves, don't forget to replace the top and bottom valve felts (either with new or the ones you took off) Now that all the valves are ready, start putting them back in the correct casings. When replacing the valves in the casings after washing they may require more valve oil. Therefore, apply valve oil generously and work the oil in by initially twisting the valve, ensuring the whole valve casing surface is covered. Pushing the valve up and down will also confirm smooth and quick action. Your instrument is now hygienically clean inside, but may not look it's best on the outside. The final stage of cleaning is to polish the finish of your instrument. It is important that you use the correct polish for the finish of your instrument!! In this instance, the Besson Horn is silver plated therefore I will be using Goddard's silver polish. However, if your instrument is lacquered, you will need a suitable instrument lacquer polish. You can also clean your instrument using a lacquer or silver polishing cloth, which can be purchased in the store here Congratulations, your instrument is now cleaned inside and out.
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Importance of cleaning your instrument
Everyday thousands of brass players around the country head off to their local brass band, big band or orchestra. When doing this lots of thoughts are probably going through their heads, from difficult passages they have to play to what event they may be practising for. But I can guarantee that very little if none at all will be thinking of the cleanliness of their instrument. I am sure that not so long ago many of you heard about the Scottish piper that died from a condition known as “bagpiper's lung” but not so many of you may know that the same condition also goes by the name of “brass player's lung”. As a brass player myself I know how much we all joke around about the condition of some players instruments, but joking around is not what we should be doing. Generally speaking most players don't own their own musical instruments, as they are most likely owned by their local bands or in the case of children by their local school or music service. This then presents it's own set of problems, because they don't own the instruments that they play there is no incentive to keep it in a good condition. What we have then is people playing on instruments that have been played by so many different people that they possibly haven't been cleaned in years or sometimes even decades!!! While you may just think its just “gross” to think about, it isn't just a bad thought. Having your instrument cleaned regularly isn't just a cosmetic improvement. When you blow into your brass instrument you are not just blowing air through, your are creating a warm, moist environment on the inside of it. This type of environment is perfect for germs, mould, bacteria and microscopic organisms to grow and thrive. This can lead to the player experiencing severe health problems, anything from a deep cough and Asthma to Severe inflammation of the lungs known as hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Doctors have actually found bacteria growing in some high school instruments in the U.S called Mycobacterium, which is very similar to Tuberculosis!! The only comparison I can make to that would be leaving food in the fridge for 6-8 months and then pulling it out and serving it to you. Would you eat it? Of course you wouldn't. The issue of not cleaning your instrument has affected many wind and brass players all over the world. In rare cases the inflammation and scarring of the player's lungs is so bad that they have been unable to recover from the disease. I have not written this post to scare anyone, but I have written it as a warning to players old and new, more of a wake up call that playing an instrument that hasn't been cleaned is not good for your health. Either have your instrument serviced by a repair service such as Parker's Music Services or take some time out of your evening or weekend to clean the instrument yourself, the B# cleaning kit is one of the best as it contains a bottle of instrument soak which is a powerful liquid soap that kills germs and removes the bio-film inside your instrument. If you are unsure of how to clean you instrument yourself I am hoping to show you how on next weeks post, fingers crossed with a video how to guide, if my technical prowess can handle it. So, to finish up this weeks post I ask of you, please for your own health keep your instrument well maintained. Thank you for reading. Alex Parker If you have any questions about this weeks post or you have a topic you want us to write about then please don't hesitate to contact us on info@parkersmusicservices.co.uk or to book your instrument for a service or repair contact us on repair@parkersmusicservices.co.uk.
Commitment in banding
This week I am going to touch upon a sore subject in many bands up and down the country. The subject of players attendance is at the forefront of nearly every argument between players, musical directors and band committees. It seems that there are 2 types of “banders”. Those that are there for every rehearsal 100% of the time and only miss for 1 of 2 reasons (illness or work) and then there are those that go only when there isn't a better offer. For years bands have tried and tried to get their players to attend more rehearsals and still to this day there is no proven answer to the lack of players attendance. If you think you have a tried and tested answer to your attendance woes then please get in touch on info@parkersmusicservices.co.uk. Moving on I have experienced this problem over the last few weeks, I am the first type of bander, I am the kind of person that commits myself 100% to whatever it is I'm doing. As you may know I play with the BTM band and with the Welsh regional brass band championships around the corner extra rehearsals are being scheduled in. At the same time I was recently asked to conduct the Ammanford Town Silver Band in the contest next weekend. With 2 bands rehearsals to attend and a competition looming I am in rehearsals 6 nights a week!! So when I hear concerns off players from many different bands I can relate to what they are saying. While we are on the subject of commitment, I don't just mean attendance in rehearsals I also refer to the fact that players often don't pull their instruments out of the cases outside of their respective band rooms. Which is a serious problem when competitions come along, as this can cause the bands team ethic to be lost and negatively affect the bands performance on stage. It has been said many times that rehearsals are not for learning your part, they are for putting all the parts together. On a positive note I can safely say that bands around Wales will be experiencing better attendance in rehearsals this week while they put the finishing touches to their test pieces in preparation for their performances on the weekend. As this whole post has been about commitment to the brass band movement I would like to ask a favour of all of you. As you may or may not know Stephen Sykes, a fantastic and well accomplished trombone player has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. As an ex-player of some of the country's top bands, the banding community is pulling together to try and find a donor for him. I am personally asking all of you reading this to have a swab test to help save Stephen. There is going to be a swab station in the Brangwyn hall next weekend so every brass bander in Wales is going to be there. The test only takes a few minutes and is only a cotton bud rubbed on the inside of your cheek. The DKMS swab station will be in the trade stand hall from 9am till late on both days the 18th and 19th. The registration process includes filling in a simple questionnaire and taking a saliva swab as I said earlier, please note that you have to be between 18 and 55 to be eligible. If you are unable to take the test due to not meeting the criteria then you can always leave a donation too. Thank you in advance to everyone who does take the test for your support. If the brass band movement can save this man then there is nothing we can't do. Lets work together and improve the quality of our hobby, lets push up the standard of amateur music, and above all lets enjoy playing as part of a band and to continue our 160 year old tradition. Thank you all for reading. Alex Parker Got a subject you want us to write about?? contact us at info@parkersmusicservices.co.uk and we will write about it.
Background behind Parker's Music Services
Hey everyone!!! welcome to my blog here on www.parkersmusicservices.co.uk. First of all I am going to tell you all about myself and how I came about starting up Parker's Music Services. My name is Alex Parker and I'm from a village near Pontardawe in the Swansea valley. I have been a previous member of 2 of the local bands before working my way up to playing with the B.T.M Band as their Principal cornet player. Before them I started off playing at the age of 7. When I was first shown a trumpet I was immediately intrigued as to how someone would play it. Shortly after seeing a trumpet I began having lessons with a great peripatetic teacher Wayne Pedrick. After a few years of lessons I progressed into the Cwmtawe youth band, working my way up from 3rd cornet all the way to solo cornet. My playing had improved and I was soon asked to help out a local community band to which I was so pleased about. The first time I helped out the Gwaun Cae Gurwen band was actually the first time I ever marched and played at the same time. After helping them out a few times over the course of their spring gigs I inquired about joining the band, the musical director at the time was Glyn Davies and he informed me that the only position available in the band was soprano cornet, I gave it some thought over a couple of days and decided to take him up on the offer and made the move to soprano cornet in the spring of 2007. I was very happy to gain a first place in my first competition with the band. It made me sure that my playing would improve by being around a fantastic group of players. After just a couple of months with the band I was attending my very first lower section national championship competition! Competing in the 4th Section, I was amazed as to how many bands there were around the country. With a not to shabby performance of Roman Tryptich we came away with a disappointing 15th place, as Allan Ramsay and David Hirst thought our interpretation was not to their taste compared to the other bands in the section. Over the course of the next 4 years with Glyn Davies at the helm the band gained some great results eventually moving up to the 2nd section. In the spring of 2011 a new chapter opened as Glyn departed G.C.G a new conductor was brought in by the name of Colin Hogg, at the same time I decided it was time for me to improve on my musicality, and what better way than to jump in the deep end and conduct a band myself? So for my first contest with the baton I decided on the test piece “Impromptu” by Eric Ball, with a tidy performance in the 3rd section I was happy to come away with a result of 5th out of 6. The band improved over the next couple of months under my direction to gain a 3rd place in the National Eisteddfod. Shortly after that G.C.G lost another conductor and once again the band was advertising and receiving applications to fill the M.D spot. Because of my time with Ystradgynlais band I decided I would submit an application to take the band, but to my dismay the band wanted me to stay on as a player but to move from soprano to principle cornet. I agreed to continue as a player and thus Malcolm Read was brought in as the new M.D. With the band having lost a couple of players through the year Malcolm had a tough job of trying to get the band back up to scratch. Shortly after his appointment the band started to improve with a couple of excellent ex-players returning to fill the gaps, which led to the band coming 2nd in the Porthcawl miners competition that year. The time with Malcolm Read didn't last long though, after some health issues Malcolm stepped down as M.D but this time the band had another conductor in mind. Jeff Hutcherson from the B.T.M band was asked to come and conduct the band, little did I know then that the biggest kick up the backside was waiting for me after meeting him. Shortly after Jeff's appointment as M.D I was asked to help out B.T.M on a regular basis, due to rehearsals clashing with Ystradgynlais I was at a crossroads. Do I carry on as a conductor? Or do I focus on becoming a better player? I look back on those questions I asked myself and I am sure today that I made the right decision. With Jeff personally helping me to improve I was starting to feel like I needed more of a challenge in band rehearsals, and it didn't take long for me to say that I wanted to join a higher section band. With the B.T.M Principle cornet leaving the area I was offered to stand in for the rest of the year, after a couple of weeks the band attended the Wychavon festival of brass and came away with a fantastic 6th place in the Championship section I decided to join the band on a permanent basis. To this day I still attend over 90% of G.C.G rehearsals as I feel that there are not enough players in the area to go around the number bands (more of that subject for another post) It was in 2015 that the idea of repairing instruments attracted my attention, it was after an incident while cleaning the 4 basses in G.C.G that led to me wanting to be able to repair instruments. After a lot of researching on the internet I eventually landed on Trevor Heads website. All the reading on the internet had brought me to the conclusion that his repair courses were exactly the thing I needed to begin my repairing career. I sent Trevor an email and paid the course fees, upon meeting Trevor I knew he was genuinely a very nice guy and was only too happy to help me learn and improve my techniques so that I can fix instruments to a great standard. On completion of Trevor's course I started to invest in tools and other supplies that I'd need for starting up my own instrument repair business, and approximately 2-3 months later I was repairing my bands instruments. Fast forward to September 2015 and I officially started my own repair business, mainly local authority and brass band repairs but it was a start. Since then my customer base has grown and so has my reputation. I like to go out of my way to make sure that every customer I have is satisfied with everything that I do. It was finally then last month that I launched the website and online store side of my business. On the 19th February 2017 I launched www.parkersmusicservices.co.uk and although I don't have a massive stock of products yet, I will personally go out of my way for any customer, whether they are a musician or a brass band, wind band or education authority. If you are still reading this then I applaud you, the musical side of my life doesn't always make for interesting reading but now you know all about me and the background of Parker's Music Services. This blog won't be about me it will be about you the players, from cornet and horn down to euphonium and bass I intend to fill this site with product reviews, brass band news and interviews with your favourite musicians. So from me Alex Parker I thank you for reading and bid you a good evening.
Launch of Website and Online Store!!!
Hello everyone!! We have embraced the technological revolution and joined the internet. The online store will be always expanding especially over the next couple of months as our suppliers get back to us, so feel free to visit the site as often as you like to see if there's anything new you like. If there's anything we haven't put on the store yet why not get in touch by emailing us at info@parkersmusicservices.co.uk. www.parkersmusicservices.co.uk