Posted by Bruce on February 23, 2003 at 22:44:14:
In Reply to: how well do repairmen play? posted by Scott Norberg on February 23, 2003 at 16:52:15:
Good repair work and good playing skills go hand-in-hand.
Minimal playing skills = insensitivity to customers' needs.
Here's an easy rule of thumb: If a repair person plays any well-adjusted instrument sounding as if the instrument has leaks and other problems, how can that repair person possibly check their work utilizing a "play test"?
Being very frank, I (obviously) play the low brass instruments the best but... (making up these definitions as I go along - for clarity)
here are my own skills as they now stand. Some of them may need to be enhanced, but I "get by" well (with others in the shop taking much more responsibility in their "strong" areas) like this:
- trumpet well enough to play, say, the solo trumpet part in a community band rehearsal until my embouchure gives out (about 20 - 30 minutes)
- double French horn well enough to apologetically play some excerpts for a college brass class - with ability somewhat exceeding the apology (particularly with a bit of practice the day before and a very large [wide cup opening] mouthpiece in hand)
- clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxes well enough to find leaks - and with a clear, strong tone that is probably only exceeded by a few high school "All-State" type of kids. (Don't ask me to read music beyond the beginner/intermediate level and play these instruments...I cannot.)
- a "good jr. high" sound on the flute, with the ability to play down to low B on a well-adjusted or even somewhat-leaky instrument
- a two-octave C-scale on the oboe (and with the basic knowledge of when and when-not to use the 8ve key[s])...I limit my own exposure to oboes (rudimentary or structural repairs to "set-up" things for the oboe specialist - when they might be in a severe time jam), as this is definitely a specialty.
- near total ignorance of the bassoon (again, there is a specialist in our shop. Oboe comments would apply. Obviously, I can help with silver-soldering, bocal repairs, and other structural problems.)
- advanced level skills on the guitar and very basic skills on the bowed stringed instruments (but with enough sensitivity and mechanical understanding to cut and shape a bridge to satify many professionals)
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If you don't define good playing skills as "being able to read fast notes", with a good set of mouthpieces you can quickly develop decent skills on most instruments. Once these are developed, its very good to study advanced fingering charts (also ask questions of advanced players) so that one realizes how to "tune" some of the less-used keys on woodwinds.
I've found that, far more than woodwinds, tastes vary greatly on the "set-up" of bowed stringed instruments (string spacing, string height, string contour, peg fit, etc.) and that it is best to discuss these issues with the individual customers.