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saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, yamaha saxophone, yanagisawa saxophone, grafton saxophone, guitarshop, guitar strings, saxophone reeds, ligature, mouth piece

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Saxophone history has been remarkably free of developmental detours, a testament to the genius of Adolphe Sax and his original design.  One of the more interesting mis-steps was the Grafton saxophone, constructed in England between 1950 and 1967 of acrylic, and utilizing a unique mechanism. Today, these instruments are highly prized by collectors.

The Grafton was developed by Hector Sommaruga, an Italian living in London. The instrument takes its name from the street (Grafton Way) where his shop was initially located in the late 1940’s.  The decision to manufacture a saxophone from plastic was based upon the relative cheapness of the material rather than an improvement in tonal characteristics.  Provisional patent specifications (#’s 604,407 and 604,418) were applied for on September 14, 1945, and a non-working prototype was first shown in 1946.

The instrument was conceived to have a plastic body, bell and key guards, a brass neck (a plastic one would break in attachment) and a mechanism which incorporated  a unique springing system. Many of the posts for attaching the mechanism were cast as part of the body. The moulding was subcontracted to the engineering firm of Dc La Rue utilizing a plastic compound developed by Imperial Chemical Industries.

Hector lacked the necessary financing to complete the project, and he was able to obtain the backing of Geoffrey Hawkes (of the firm Boosey and Hawkes) and  John E Dallas. The instrument was finally offered for sale to the public in 1950, at a price of 55 pounds, about half the cost on a conventional saxophone at the time.

The Grafton was used by prominent saxophonists Ornette Coleman (who encountered considerable mechanical failure with the instrument) Rudy Vallee and of course Charlie Parker who used the Grafton only outside the United States due to a conflicting endorsement agreement

The plastic construction meant that effectively the  Grafton was a failure in its’ time,  for the followingreasons: (1) the plastic construction just didn’t sound like other saxophones and was not compatible with section playing. (2) The design of the mechanism gave a very unfamiliar “feel” to players. (3) the plastic body was very prone to cracking and the key guards snapped off easily. (4) Repair technicians were unfamiliar with the instrument and the necessary parts (particularly the unique springs) were not readily available.

Because of this there are very few Grafton saxophones around and in particular in a totally restored condition like this example; the overhaul was carried out by Roy Wood who is the only surviving Grafton employee and there is a letter of authenticity to accompany this one which is priced at £3000.00

This is how it sounds!

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Ask about our 0% finance offers

It may or may not be back to school time for you lucky young musicians and time to get some music into your life.

We believe in developing musicians from an early age and have a great offer to help Mum and Dad get you going with the amazing Steve Goodson Vespro Alto saxophone package as detailed next door.

In addition to this, we can provide interest free finance to make it nice and easy, in cold and icy January, to get hold of a Saxophone for you without breaking the bank.

The Music Factory is proud to be a registered outlet of Take it away, an Arts Council initiative designed to help more people get involved in learning and playing music. The scheme allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest free.

Take it away is open to everyone (over the age of 18), but primarily designed to help those who might otherwise be unable to afford an instrument appropriate for their needs.

Our priorities are:

• to encourage children and young people to develop their interests and skills in music making
• to inspire new players of all ages to begin learning an instrument
• to enable those on lower incomes to acquire an instrument appropriate to their needs (or the needs of their children)

Ask us for more information in our Bournemouth shop or call us on 01202 590 101 to find out more or email play@musicfactoryukltd.com

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Check out this great story courtesy of http://londonjazz.blogspot.com the fabulous and informative Sebastian Scottney, The Telegraphs’ jazz correspondent, from about  year ago.

Still well worth a few minutes reading to see that even local councils have a sense of humour; check the date in the footer! 

Derek Nash

Long-term Bexley resident, versatile saxophonist Derek Nash (above) has been in touch with LondonJazz.

Nash has run into problems with an album launch from his local council in Bexley.

Nash writes:

I was looking for a good event to launch my new album Snapshot.

On the Bexley Council website there is an invitation for people to perform at a fairground who can:

“sing, dance, juggle, paint, perform or play the spoons underwater.”

Here is my recent correspondence:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Louise,

I am a Bexley council tax payer, I do all six of the above , that is : sing, dance, juggle, paint, perform or play the spoons underwater. I will do them simultaneously,
as well as play the five wind instruments which I play in the Jools Holland Orchestra.

I wish to launch my new album “Snapshot” at the event, and look forward to
performing at Danson Fair on July 9th.

I assume Bexley Council will be providing the water.

Yours

Derek Nash

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Mr Nash,

We were not expecting to hear from anyone who could do all of these
things. It was a joke. We have taken legal/ health and safety advice.
Our Acting Director of Enforcement will be writing to you

Louise

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Actdir.enforcement@bexley.gov.uk
To: Derek Nash

I have looked at your request, and I should warn you it falls foul of a number of current statutes:

-Your “album launch” is a commercial event and therefore we will have a VAT inspector on hand to calculate the sales you make, and you will have to pay for the hours worked by the VAT inspector.

- If you are appearing with any other musicians we will need names and addresses, and dates of birth, at least two weeks in advance, under Form 696.

-Playing spoons underwater counts as a public entertainment, illegal unless licensed as an ‘indoor sporting event’ under the Licensing Act 2003.

- Playing five instruments means that according to our policy you would need a noise limiter from our official supplier, price £578, and possibly psychological help.

- Due to the audience exceeding 499 people, the licence application for the event requires 28 days public notice.

- If you are performing copyright tunes, you will need a PRS licence, or face possible criminal prosecution.

- The water must meet EC standards of purity and clarity. Our inspectors would need at least a week to analyse samples.

- The presence of children at the event means you will need to be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau, and we will need to validate this, which takes at least a month.

- Metal spoons are no longer permitted due to safety concerns for the performer and spectators. We can send you a list of suppliers of plastic spoons of suitable quality.

- We have had a representation from the Hotels and Catering industry that playing spoons constitutes an offence of incitement to religious hatred against them. There may be a way round this. We could apply for an exemption for baptismal spoons, if you can persuade a representative of a religious denomination to bless the spoons and make the album launch a religious service.

Lipra Sloof
Acting Director of Enforcement
1st April 2009

Visit www.saxophonefactory.com for everything SAX

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Lesson 1

First things first: If you’re a white guy, you’ll need a stupid hat, the more stupid the better and preferably a beret.

Sunglasses are optional, but all the really, really good players wear them, especially indoors.
You’ll also need some “gig shirts”-Hawaiians are good, but in a pinch anything with a loud floral pattern is acceptable, as are T-shirts from various jazz clubs and festivals. The good thing about the latter is that you can get them mail order so you don’t have to go to all the trouble of actually seeing and hearing live music. And sandals are an absolute must, even in winter.

Once you’ve assembled the proper attire you can begin practicing. One of the most important things about playing is being able to convey emotion to the audience. This you do through various facial expressions.

The two emotions you’ll need to convey are (1) rapture / ecstasy and (2) soul wrenching pain and sadness (i.e., the blues). You may find it useful in the beginning to borrow a page from the method acting school. So, for example, to convey rapture, try thinking of something nice-like puppy dogs or getting a rim job from Uma Thurman while Phil Barone feeds you Armour hot dogs with
truffle sauce.

To convey the “blues” try thinking of something really appalling-like ulcerative colitis or Alec Baldwin.

You should practice your facial expressions in front of a mirror at least two hours per day. You may feel a tad stupid at first, but you’ll never get the chicks if you don’t jump around on stage like a monkey-with your face screwed up like there’s a rabid wolverine devouring your pancreas. And, bottom line, getting chicks is really what music’s all about.

Next time people I’ll tell you more about selecting the correct ligature. Oh, and if you’ve got any questions – pop em down below this post and I’ll be coming right back to y’all.

Steve G

ps Don’t forget you check out my range of beginner saxophones and see my video demonstrations right here on this site. Awesome.

Biography.
Since taking up the saxophone in 1961, Steve Goodson has appeared with many internationally recognized acts as a sideman, including Dr. John; Solomon Burke; Marcia Ball; Chubby Checker, Joey Dee, Edwin McCain, The Commodores; The Temptations, The Four Tops,  Martha and the Vandellas, Ernie K-Doe, Jesse Hill, Eddie Money; Vince Vance, and many, many others. Steve has been doing saxophone repair and selling vintage horns since 1974. He also has his own exclusive line of Steve Goodson saxophones.
We at The Music Factory bow down to the music legend that is Steve Goodson.

Vist www.saxophonefactory.com for all things SAX!

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Lets get learning!

We have a team of highly skilled, professional music teachers operating from our purpose built teaching facility above The Music Factory in Kinson, Bournemouth.

We would like to offer you a cheeky deal to encourage you to get blowing, playing, strumming, fiddling, drumming, tickling and all other things musical. All you have to do is book 8 lessons and we’ll give you two lessons free!

You can’t say fairer than that and even if you could, you wouldn’t!

Call our main number 01202 590101  for further enquiries or to make your booking and get some lessons free!

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++++++STOP PRESS ++++++ STOP PRESSS +++++ STOP PRESS +++++

9th November 2009 Derek Nash, voted one of the top three alto players at last year’s British Jazz Awards and a member of Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues band came to The Music Factory 9th November to share his prodigious knowledge with budding saxophonists and to encourage more children to take up playing a musical instrument.

Derek has just finished recording his second highly acclaimed album ‘Snapshot’ and performed from this new album on his limited edition range of “Signature” alto and tenor saxophones at an evening performance at Peppinos in Charminster hosted by The Music Factory.

“When I hear Derek Nash doing the brilliant solo at the end with the riffs supporting him I start to move involuntarily”  – Jools Holland

This was a very rare opportunity to meet with and listen to Derek perform in such intimate surroundings as an artist who has performed in front of over 65,000 people at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and to over 100,000 at Glastonbury.

Visit www.saxophonefactory.com for everything SAX

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Britain's Got Talent Julian Smith with the Saxello

The Music Factory made its way up the M42 to visit Britain’s Got Talent star saxophonist Julian Smith at his home in Birmingham.

Julian was delighted to see the range of saxophones we brought with us for him to try out and we were thrilled that he plumped for the Steve Goodson Saxgourmet Saxello – Good choice Julian!

We also had a chance to catch up on how the Britain’s Got Talent star has been doing since he landed in the finals of the ITV competition in  2009. Julian let us in on the secret that he’s about to start recording his first solo album in the next coming months.

Julian Smith, the Saxello playing finalist from “Britain’s Got Talent” who brought Amanda Holden to tears, is to  perform and host an audience question and answer session at the famous “Mr Kyps” music venue in Poole, Dorset.

The gig is set for 5th May, doors open at 8.00pm, and has been arranged in conjunction with The Saxophone Factory and The Music Factory in Bournemouth.

Ticket prices are £15 standing, £20 seated

Tickets are on sale from www.mrkyps.net and they are going fast so dont’ delay, we expect this to be a sell out!

www.saxophonefactory.com is the leading supplier of all things sax!

We have a vast selection on new and used saxophones along with some special collectors items and we don’t just sell them, we play them professionally so we know our onions when it comes to saxes! We stock Yamaha sax, Yanigasawa sax, Selmer sax, Selmer Paris, Selmer US, Chateau sax, Vespro sax, Steve Goodson, Derek nash Signature sax, Grafton sax, Voodoo rex, Saxgourmet, alto, baritone, soprano, tenor and everything else you can think of to do with saxophones. Our online shop is here www.saxophonefactory.co.uk you can call us on 01202 590101 or email play@themusicfactoryukltd.com

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Lesson 2
Selecting Ligatures and Reeds

You may have to spend years and years and thousands of dollars finding the proper ligature, but in the end it definitely will be worth it.

Now reeds. Optimally, you’ll want to move to Cuba, grow and cure your own cane, and carve your own reeds by hand. If you’re just a “weekend warrior” however, you can get by with store-bought.

Remember folks that the only place that I recommend you buy your saxophones, ligatures and reeds in the UK is from The Music Factory. Call ‘em on 01202 590 101 or email them play@musicfactoryukltd.com

First, buy ten boxes of reeds -100 in all. Next, open all the boxes and throw away 60 reeds.
Those were unplayable. Take the remaining reeds and soak them in a mixture of 27.8% rubbing alcohol and 72.2% pituitary gland extract for a period of 17 weeks.

Throw away 20 more reeds. Those were stuffy.

Take the remaining 20 reeds and sand each one for exactly 13 seconds with #1200 grade 3M sandpaper.

Throw away 14 reeds. Those squeaked.

Take the remaining 6 reeds and soak them for another 17 weeks, this time however in a mixture of 27.8% pituitary gland extract and 72.2% rubbing alcohol.
Sun dry the 6 remaining reeds for 3 weeks, optimally at an equatorial latitude, and throw away 3 more just on general principles.

You now have 3 reeds that will last you several months if you play each one only 20 minutes a day in strict rotation.
Now, you say you just bought a horn. Although you didn’t say what kind it is I’d sell it immediately and get a different one.

The best one to get would be a Selmer Mark VI made at 4:27 PM on June 14, 1963, serial number 635543. If you can’t get that one though, generally speaking the older and more expensive the better.

The following brands are good: Selmer Paris Mark VI. The following brands suck: any other Selmer, Yamaha, Conn, Beuscher, Yanigasawa, Cannonball, LA, Jupiter, Elkhart, King, Martin, Keilworth, Boosey and Hawkes, Couf, Silvertone, and Holton. On no account should you play the horn before you buy it: go strictly on reputation and price.

So there you have it, another lesson learned. Next time I’ll get along on to actually blow. Until then you can check out my Chateau (previously Vespro) range of beginniner saxophones from The Music Factory to get you started. Enjoy.

Biography.
Since taking up the saxophone in 1961, Steve Goodson has appeared with many internationally recognized acts as a sideman, including Dr. John; Solomon Burke; Marcia Ball; Chubby Checker, Joey Dee, Edwin McCain, The Commodores; The Temptations, The Four Tops,  Martha and the Vandellas, Ernie K-Doe, Jesse Hill, Eddie Money; Vince Vance, and many, many others. Steve has been doing saxophone repair and selling vintage horns since 1974. He also has his own exclusive line of Steve Goodson saxophones.
We at The Music Factory bow down to the music legend that is Steve Goodson.

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Derek Nash Limited edition saxophones now in stock

The Music Factory is delighted to be the sole UK supplier of Derek Nash’s Signature range of saxophones.

As an international recording artist and Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues band member, Derek Nash has worked closely with sax guru Steve Goodson in New Orleans to design his limited edition range.

For the advancing student or weekend professional, the Derek Nash Limited Edition Signature saxophone offers a package of unique features found on no other instrument in its price range: kangaroo leather pads, exclusive speaker key, double arms on the bell keys, extensive hand cut engraving on the bell, bow, body tube and neck, keywork all the way up to high G, and two different necks for two entirely different sounds.

The Derek Nash Signature Alto and Tenor is available exclusively from The Music Factory UK Ltd, 1448 Wimborne Road, Kinson, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH10 7AS

Or call us on 01202 590 101 for more information.

There are only 10 of each model available and retail at £1099 (Alto) and £1199 (Tenor)

Visit www.saxophonefactory.com for all things SAX!

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We cover music grades or why not come and play for fun?

Summer School this year culminated in a round up of our music students’ hard work when they hit the stage to perform as bands at The Champions in Westbourne near Bournemouth. Music students formed funky bands including Hobnoz, Too Young to Shave, PR5 and The Arabian Badgers, honing their skills in guitar, saxophone, flute, drums and more and having fun at the same time!

Why not take a peek at the music students practicing and in action at The Music Factory in our album below or see and hear them perform on video?

Individual music lessons start from £12 per half hour and more information can be found here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3SljXsTpWY

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The Music Factory travelled up to London from Bournemouth to catch up with Derek Nash backstage at Ronnie Scotts for the launch of his new album, ‘Snapshot’. Derek was really excited that we’d brought with us his new ‘Derek Nash Signature Alto’ which he designed in New Orleans with sax guru Steve Goodson.

Here Derek plays the marvellous Steve Goodson ‘Voodoo Rex’ AND gives us a sneak preview his beautifully designed ‘Signature’ model in action -- available exclusively from The Music Factory UK Ltd.

We were really honoured to be able to make this recording as Ronnie Scotts strictly prohibits the use of camera and video, but on this occasion because it was us and Derek we were let off. Thanks guys and thanks to Derek Nash and Ronnie Scotts for making us feel so welcome.

Call in to see this model at our Bournemouth shop or call us on 01202 590 101 for more details

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMwepSMPD5c

Visit www.saxophonefactory.com for all things SAX!

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The Music Factory caught up with international recording artist, alto saxophone player Derek Nash and Rolling Stone drummer Charlie Watts at a gig at The Concorde Club in Eastleigh. Awesome evening with a chance to hang out with the boys backstage. Charlie and Derek absolutely loved the Steve Goodson Voodoo Rex Alto Sax model that we took along to show them. With only 2 Voodoo Rex Alto saxophones available in the UK from The Music Factory, Derek couldn’t wait to get his hands on the model -- see the video to see this very special saxophone in action!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVtEgHc2jDk

Derek Nash and Charlie Watts doing what they do best!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLS3WAtQ1X0

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkBDKmK-h-Q

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The Music Factory is proud to be a registered outlet of Take it away, an Arts Council initiative designed to help more people get involved in learning and playing music. The scheme allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest free.

Take it away is open to everyone (over the age of 18), but primarily designed to help those who might otherwise be unable to afford an instrument appropriate for their needs.

Our priorities are:

• to encourage children and young people to develop their interests and skills in music making
• to inspire new players of all ages to begin learning an instrument
• to enable those on lower incomes to acquire an instrument appropriate to their needs (or the needs of their children)

Ask us for more information in our Bournemouth shop or call us on 01202 590 101 to find out more.

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The Music Factory is now tweeting on Twitter.  As well as finding The Music Factory on My Space and Facebook (don’t forget to also follow The Rat Pack and shop co-founder, Rob Birchall!), you can now follow our tweets at @musicfactoryuk

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Bank Holiday revellers got down and groovy with boys at the Five Ways Hotel in Charminster on August Bank Holiday and enjoyed dancing the evening away to classics including Reet Petite, Do Nothing Until You Here From Me, and The Lady Is A Tramp.

The famous swing band blasted their way through many tunes in their own inimitable way giving pleasure to the large audience.

The band feature, saxophones, trumpet, double bass, electric guitar and vocals and perform many standards form the great swing era; exceptionally weel known in Dorset, they have performed across the country over the past few years.

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SAVE £30
Antoni Debut 3/4 Violin Outfit now £49.99

SAVE £40
Encore 3/4 Electric Guitar and Amp now £59

SAVE £8 and receive FREE 10ft Guitar lead
QT15 Guitar and Bass Tuner now £11.99

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The Brass Monkey’s debuted in Bournemouth at Peppinos in Charminster on Friday 14th August. This is the latest venture to come out of The Rat Pack with funky horns playing all your favourite dance anthems. Two dance crazy sets, one of them full on retro, featuring songs from Beyonce, Kool and The Gang, Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera and heaps more. This is a new concept and in the preview shows it’s been wildly received. Now it’s coming to a bar near you !!

The trio play alto and tenor saxophone along with trumpet, picking up riffs from dozens of great tunes; you know the words so you can sign along to this awesome battery of delicious, musical noise and dance until your legs give way. You won’t want to stop!

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