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Brass Instruments: Lubrication Advice
6th December 2023Join Sunniva from the Dawkes Workshop as she walks through our suggested lubrication and maintenance tips for piston and rotary brass instruments. These recommendations are based on thousands of brass instrument repairs and access to a wide variety of lubricant solutions. The accompanying video demonstrates how to apply each lubricant and discusses why we recommend it.
GUIDE: How To Test Brass Instruments
16th May 2022We asked professional brass player Rob Blencowe to create a guide for upgrading players to help them try out new brass instruments. This information is intended for players or parents making their first upgrade. Rob uses a Trumpet to demonstrate but the advice is suitable for all brass instruments.
The Best Accessories for Yamaha Brass Instruments
25th August 2021If you’ve invested in a quality Yamaha Trumpet, Cornet or Trombone, it’s a sensible idea to keep it well maintained. Choosing and using the best accessories for your Yamaha instrument will help maintain its finish, keep it playing better and support a stronger resale value.
In this blog we’ll take a look at the best accessories for your Yamaha brass instrument…
From the Workshop: Favourite Tools (Abi)
5th July 2021In this series of blogs we catch up with some of our Repair Technicians and ask them for 3 of their favourite tools, either traditional models or perhaps something they have modified for their own use! This time it’s Abi…
The pInstrument Range
17th December 2020What started with the original Jiggs plastic trombone (the pBone) has now evolved into a full range of plastic musical instruments. From entry level basic pBuzz models to the recently released hyTech Trumpet, the pInstrument range has something for everyone. Whether you are a new beginner or an experienced player. Let’s take a look at the range…
Making pInstruments Carbon Neutral
In this latest blog focusing on sustainability within the music industry, we check out the pInstrument range which has recently been awarded official Carbon Neutral Product status…
Brass Playing Tips | Producing a Good Tone with Georgina Jackson
21st May 2020In this short video & blog, top UK Trumpet player Georgina Jackson discusses some simple ideas to help improve your tone and approach to playing.
Georgina Jackson is a professional Trumpet player and singer. Working for years with many famous faces, such as Frank Sinatra Junior, Nancy Sinatra & Seal. Georgina learned her trade as a lead trumpet player with touring Big Bands in Concert Halls, on Television and Radio broadcasts. She has even performed at the Proms in London both singing and playing!
Silver Polishing Options
28th April 2020As Repair Technicians, or indeed as players, it’s important that we can maintain and refresh the silver plating on our instruments. Unsightly tarnish can slowly develop and become very stubborn to remove. In this blog & video we check out the best options for cleaning and polishing Silver Plate…
Trumpets – Stand Your Ground! Stands for Trumpets
21st March 2020Many trumpet players find themselves doubling – playing more than one instrument at a gig. This ranges from classical and orchestral musicians who might have trumpets in different keys required by the repertoire, to pit musicians playing a part with flugel horn on the same pad. Or maybe you just have a long time to wait before your next entry and don’t fancy holding your instrument for so long! Whatever the case, plenty of trumpeters will require a stand for their instrument. Take a look at the options we offer to keep you from putting your instrument on the floor!
The Learning Never Stops – Brass Training Aids
Whether you’re an old pro or you’ve just started your musical journey, training aids are there to keep you on top of the basics! If a brass player can keep their basic technique top-notch, then everything else will fall into place a whole lot easier. Here are a few products we sell that you can use during practice – or even on the go! – to be sure you build and keep a strong foundation to your playing.
Our Pick: Top 5 Brass Bands in the World
6th October 2019Brass bands are the ultimate in uplifting, joyful music. Brass bands are known for filling the streets with amazing music and uplifting the spirits of people passing by.
Brass bands have a special place in our hearts and we love the music they make, and how they make us feel.
Trumpet Mouthpiece Removal – Beware!
28th January 2019This is a common issue we see in the workshop. Trumpet, or indeed any Brass mouthpieces, get stuck in the instrument due to dirt and moisture. Getting stuck is inconvenient but not terminal. There are a couple of removal tools (more on that later) and any good Repairer can do it within moments. However, what’s not a good idea is to try removing it yourself…with brute force!
This is a cautionary tale of what can go wrong and a video showing how we have to fix the aftermath…
Ultimate Guide: What is a Concert Band?
23rd January 2019A concert band is broadly definable as a relatively large group of brass, woodwind and percussion players who perform in a concert hall. The latter fact distinguishes a concert band from a marching band, and nor is a concert band the same as a symphony orchestra, given its lack of string sections.
Potentially maximising the confusion is the fact that a concert band can be referred to by many other terms. These range from ‘wind ensemble’, ‘wind symphony’, ‘symphonic band’ and ‘wind orchestra’ to ‘wind band’, ‘symphonic wind ensemble’, ‘symphony band’ and ‘symphonic winds’.
Ultimate Guide: What is a Brass Band?
What is a brass band? Well, in essence, it is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a collection of players of brass instruments who perform pieces of music with their brass instruments. However, the history and complexity of the brass band may surprise you.
REPAIR CAM – Trombone Slide Leg Replacement
4th August 2018A local band recently brought this Trombone in for assessment and repair. Unfortunately they had got a large cleaning cloth stuck down the inside of one of the inner legs. In the process of trying to remove it the slide had become buckled and damaged. The slide damage, coupled with the extremely stuck cloth meant that there was only one remaining solution. We had to order in a replacement inner slide leg and remove the old one.
Brass Players – Valve Oil Guide
2nd August 2018For brass players, especially new ones, one of the most-asked questions regarding accessories is about valve oils and lubrications. It has been a couple of years since the new CLP (Classification Labelling and Packaging) rules were brought in which affected all the regulations around bottling and caused some supply issues with certain brands. So, it is high time we rounded up all of the valve oil that is currently available, examine the top sellers and look forward to a returning old favourite…
Meet The Team – Matt (Brass Dept)
Hi! My name is Matt and I am a Brass Instrument Specialist here at Dawkes Music.
Besson Anniversary Sovereign Euphonium BE967T-2M-0
8th May 2018Something a little bit special has arrived on the brass scene, and you’ll want to be quick! Besson turns 180 years old this year and to celebrate, they have very aptly produced a limited edition set of 180 brass instruments. Out of those 180 are 50 euphoniums in a special finish with various unique aesthetic and physical characteristics.
Ultra Pure Valve Oil
20th July 2012
Endorsed by some really big names; Wynton Marsalis, Alison Balsom, Arturo Sandoval our very own Matt Sanders to name but a few! ULTRA Pure oil is a new type of synthetic oil. It is non-toxic and odourless making it the perfect choice for younger players, there is also no trace of the nasty “taste” some oils leave inside the instrument.
Rare Boosey & Co 4 valve Tenor Horn
7th October 2011This very rare Boosey & Co 4 valve Tenor Horn came into the Brass Workshop this week. It was made around 1920 and has been converted to low pitch. What makes it rare is the fourth valve which could have been added to help with tuning. We didn’t know this model existed!
Yamaha NEO YEP642SII Euphonium
13th June 2011“The new standard in Brass Band Instruments” – Yamaha’s tagline for the Neo range of instruments… It rang true for the new neo tenor horn a couple of months ago; it also rings true to this new YEP642SII Neo Euphonium.
At first glance, the new addition to the Yamaha Euphonium range (Neo YEP-642SII) doesn’t seem to have changed much from the Yamaha Maestro. It does boast slightly wider tuning slide bows and a redesigned hand rest, the new emblem is clear on the flawless bright silver plate. It is available in both silver and lacquer and both look exceptionally beautiful, even without the “gold bits” on Yamaha’s Custom range.
ChopSaver Lip Balm – Product Review
26th May 2011It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the brass band world, with the run up to the Spring festival and now in the last week before the Masters. We have been rehearsing solidly most nights for the last 3 weeks and along with my personal practice, and an instrument and mouthpiece change, my lips have taken quite a beating.
Secondhand York Euphonium and Schilke S32 Trumpet – 16/4/11
16th April 2011This past week we have received a couple of excellent professional quality instruments into our secondhand stock…
Royal Northern College Of Music – Festival of Brass 2011
8th February 2011
RNCM Festival of Brass 28-30 January 2011
Dawkes Music were lucky enough to take a trade stand up to Manchester for the Royal Northern College of Music’s Festival of Brass. Being a self-confessed Brass Band “nutter” I volunteered for the job straight away! The weekend consists of plenty of brass band and ensemble concerts and this year, a tuba masterclass with Leslie Neish.
Besson and York Brass Special Offers…
21st October 2010Besson Sovereign Offer:
Buying a Besson instrument just got a lot easier…
We are currently running a special offer on all new Besson Sovereign and Prestige instruments, giving you between £100 to £250 off the listed price!
Yamaha Neo Tenor Horn YAH-803S – New Product
15th May 2010In a market place that has both a loyal and knowledgeable following any new Brass Band instruments are often poured over and scrutinized for any potential benefits. The new NEO range is launched with the arrival of the much anticipated YAH-803S Tenor Horn.
Why Tenor Horn first? Well, you could argue the other manufacturers have somewhat overlooked this instrument and developments and releases haven’t been as common and talked about as Cornet or Euphonium for example. Also Yamaha had a partnership with Sheona White the great soloist and respected figure in the field, why not try and improve this often overlooked instrument. The YAH-803S completes the range of available Yamaha Tenor Horns.