Do any of the following sound familiar to you? And do they actually make you want to look after your wind instrument?
Yet here we are, Edgware BY BBICO, thinking we have the AUDACITY to lecture you too. Here’s the thing – we really care about it. We’re musicians ourselves, and created our range of musical instrument maintenance products because we care about you, your instrument and your planet.
So, this is the first in a series of blog posts all about instrument care that doesn’t harm you, your instrument, or your planet. Frank, candid, straight to the point blog posts designed to give you information, rather than nag (unlike this waffling introduction, but hey, you’ve got to set the scene!)
(If you DO like to be nagged, check out our Instagram. It’s essentially a tirade of #cleanyourinstrument memes, with the occasionally snap of ducks at the pond near our office. Oh, and the odd giveaway here and there.)
Here are our 4 reasons WHY you should want to look after your wind instrument:
Sound
The harsh reality is that a well maintained wind instrument really does sound better. Wind instruments are built to emanate sound waves. For a far more comprehensive breakdown of this, we highly recommend checking out this introduction from the University of New South Wales. For the purpose of this blog, all you need to know is that any lessening of your instruments ability to vibrate is a lessening of its sound. Not ideal. So essentially, if you want to sound better, you’d better get yourself a good instrument maintenance regime.
Function
Another home truth for you – instruments play better when they’re well maintained. Small issues like a sticky pad, a loose screw, or a dent in a lead pipe can greatly impact how your instrument plays. Sometimes we even end up developing bad habits, as we try to overcome our instrument’s mechanical issues. Have you ever picked up your instrument from you repairer, and exclaimed; “It’s like brand new!”. That’s because it’s functioning properly, as it did when it was first taken out of it’s case.
Value
Now, we don’t tent to buy and play instruments as an investment, and the majority of wind instrument will decrease in value as they’re used. However instruments will only maintain their value, or depreciate at the slowest rate, if they’ve been properly maintained. You might not be thinking about selling your instrument right now, but what if you wanted to part-exchange it for a professional instrument at some stage? Or pass it down to your children in the future? Your music store isn’t going to be interested in it, and neither is your child, if it’s in bad shape.
Enjoyment
“Enjoyment?!” we hear you shout. “What’s enjoyable about cleaning?!”. We hear you, and although some of us find cleaning our instrument quite therapeutic, that’s not where we were going with this. As we’ve already established, a clean and well-maintained instrument plays better, and sounds better too. As a result, a clean and well-maintained instrument is inevitable going to be more enjoyable to play than a dirty one that doesn’t function correctly. In turn, you’ll play far more often, and be a better musician for it!
So, there you have it – 4 key reasons WHY you should want to look after your wind instrument. In future posts, we’ll be suggesting ideas of HOW to best do this. If you have any requests, feel free to let us know here or reach out to us on Instagram and Facebook!
