Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-05-20 00:03
It was purely by chance that when I bought my (Marigaux) cor in London back in '98, Mike mentioned they were looking for a finisher in Worthing, and as I'm only 15 miles away from Worthing I couldn't see why not. So when I took it to Worthing to have the thumbplate added (and I knew the director there as I'd dealt with them) this set things in motion, and as I wanted to move on from the job I was already doing (which was working in a local music shop as a woodwind repairer) the opportunity couldn't have come at a better time, I went in for a one week trial and was taken on.
If anything, it was a learning curve for me at Howarth as I had the opportunity to develop my own skills - plus the fact the machinery they have makes a lot of jobs I wouldn't have undertaken previously (through lack of equipment) much easier - whereas before, tonehole bushing was a pretty huge ordeal with the set-up the previous company I worked for had (or didn't have!), but with the right machinery and tooling it's much easier to do and the results are much better in terms of durability and quality.
There are instrument repair/building courses (Merton Tech or Newark), though I learnt much more while doing the job itself. From a young age I've always had the urge to take things to bits and work out how the mechanisms worked - electrical appliances, watches, clocks, record players, grammophones, etc. Then I took up bassoon when I was 11, so one day I took it to bits to see if I could put it back together again, then replace some pads and corks. Then I ditched bassoon for alto sax and same applied - took it to bits, put it back together and replaced the palm key pads. Then I bought an old clarinet at a junk sale, bought some pads and cork and got it working - then learnt to replace needle springs. Then started on oboe, took it to bits... then began working in my local music shop while I was 14 and that has pretty much shaped my career as I was never much cop academically.
So skills once learnt will stay with you provided you remain keen - and that applies across the board.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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