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May 04 2021 
Visiting music shops in person post lockdown
Why we're excited to visit music shops again in person đ
As we all know, many small businesses and high street shops were knocked sideways when lockdown hit the UK, but a year later things are starting to look up…
Music shops have always been âessential shopsâ in our eyes so we were super excited when our Take it away music shop members were once more allowed to throw open their doors ready to welcome back customers!Â
Many music shops have adapted to the times to ensure that lots of their stock is available to buy online, and for some customers this may still be the safest option. If you feel comfortable doing so, supporting your local music shop in person is incredibly important and hereâs why we recommend popping in to see them:
In need of a new instrument or upgrade?
Nothing can compare to the joy of trying out different instruments and seeing how they feel beneath your fingertips. Some even say that itâs the instrument that chooses the musician⊠(Harry Potter fans, we see you.)
Music shop staff have unrivalled knowledge so stop by and ask for their advice however little or big a question you may have. Our Take it away retailers are lovely and are always ready to help – we know that theyâve missed having a chat with customers and musicians alike!Â
Image curtesy of Alan Gregory Music
Looking to refresh your repertoire?Â
Browsing for new sheet music in person and having a peek inside to see what the print is like beats searching online where more often or not you can only see the cover. In store, youâll often be able to see whatâs popular to learn for your level and ask for recommendations too! Also the smell of new books is oddly appealing. (This felt strange to write down but you know what we mean!)
Image curtesy of Just Flutes
Start browsingÂ
Weâve got a brand new search page to make finding the best Take it away music shop member for you super easy!Â
All of our shop members have the appropriate COVID safety measures in place and some have timed booking slots to visit showrooms or try out new instruments, so make sure to have a quick check online before you head over.Â
Either search by location on the map with your postcode/town, or filter by instrument and shop name.
Image curtesy of Bridgewood & NeitzertÂ
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Nov 10 2020 
60 Seconds with… Ebony & Ivory
We’re delighted to introduce Ebony & Ivory, the newest music shop member of the Take it away scheme!
Celebrating 40 years of business, we caught up with the team to find out more about the shop based in Colindale, North-West London as well as their music school which now offers handy online lessons too.
A visit from Ella Henderson How would you describe your shop in three words?
Dedicated to musicians
How did the business get started?
We started about forty years ago when Ajit, who had many years of expertise in piano retail, noticed the need for a dedicated piano shop in north-west London, so he decided to open up the business.
What does your shop specialise in?
Great customer service! Of course. Relating to our instruments, we originally specialised in new and used pianos but we soon broadened our stock to include digital pianos and keyboards, guitars and basses, ukuleles, violins and violas and other instruments. We also carry hundreds of accessories including strings, bows, picks, tuners, metronomes and cases. There’s a great selection of books in store and also a music printing service.
What additional services do you offer?You can come to us for instrument repairs including guitars, amps and keyboards. We can restring guitars, ukuleles, violins and other string instruments and offer setups as well as servicing. We also offer a piano removal service.
Whatâs your favourite item for sale in the shop right now?
Ukuleles – they are a great way to start learning music!
Name a favourite piece of music. (From any genre you like, absolutely no judgement!)
How do you get involved in your local community?
In the basement below the shop we run a music school that teaches hundreds of children and adults to play musical instruments and learn to love music as much as we do. Normally, we hold concerts with our students twice a year where everyone is welcome.
Find out more about our online music lessons here: ebonyivory.co.uk/online-music-lessons
Visit Ebony & Ivory at:
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Sep 14 2020 
60 Seconds with… StringWind Repairs
From repairing and selling brass, woodwind and stringed instruments to making violins in the onsite workshop, there’s lots going on in this music shop!
Nestled in Evegate (just outside Ashford, Kent) we spoke to StringWind Repairs owner and maker Derek Himsley to find out more…
How would you describe your shop in three words?
We solve problems!
How did the business get started?
In 2010, I started to learn to play the flute as a distraction from grief. Being an engineer, I thought that I should be able to service it myself so I signed up for a three year course in brass and woodwind repairs at Merton College. The second year was cancelled due to too few students, so I transferred to the second year of the three year violin making and repair course, which I completed in two years. I have been trading since 2011 and my son-in-law has now joined the business as a partner.
What does your shop specialise in?
Following my courses and training, I now repair almost any musical instrument and make instruments in the violin family. We also look for innovative solutions to help the disabled to play music, but this is a generalised answer. I guess we specialise in making people happy âșïž
What additional services do you offer?
We sell a range of instruments (both new and used), offer advice on the choice of instruments, have a range of rental instruments available and advise on the viability of repairs.
Whatâs your favourite item for sale in the shop right now?
Actually, my most favourite instrument, a Yamaha bass clarinet has recently been sold. It had been here a while and I was beginning to think that it may end up as mine!
Name a favourite piece of music. (From any genre you like, absolutely no judgement!)
Difficult to choose one, in memory of my wife either Pachelbel’s Cannon or Three Times a Lady, but I like the Mozart Wind Concertos.
Ok we’ll let you have the three! How do you get involved in your local community?
I support the Pilgrims Hospice by selling donated instruments for them, making sure that they are in playable condition, I also take part in their charity events, such as parachute jumping or walks – I recently did a wing walk!
We’ve also worked on adapting instruments for physically disabled musicians such as an adapted violin for a one-handed player. We very much support the Take it away Inclusive and Accessible Music-Making Initiative.
Visit StringWind Repairs at:
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Jul 01 2020 
60 Seconds with… Nottingham Drum and Guitar Centre
*This article was first published in July 2020*
Born from a long held childhood dream, the iconic Nottingham Drum and Guitar Centre is a one stop shop for all your percussion and guitar needs!Founders David Fletcher and Andrew Cammiss first opened their specialist shop in 1999 and it has grown from strength to strength.
We talked to David to find out more ahead of their reopening on Friday 3rd July post lockdown.Â
How would you describe your shop in three words?
Great friendly store
How did the business get started?
My business partner Andy and I, are both working drummers and have been friends since our teens. Back in 1999, we had the idea to open a drum store in Nottingham and so we opened the Nottingham Drum Centre that December. We had a team of drum teachers in the building too and the business just grew and grew. A few years later we decided to add a guitar department and the store became the Nottingham Drum and Guitar Centre.
By around 2006, we realised we needed bigger showroom premises so the hunt was on. Luckily, we found an ideal building and, after a lot of hard work and many late nights, we moved into our present store on Cranbrook Street, just a stones throw away from the Motorpoint Arena.
What does your shop specialise in?
Drums and guitars, plus offshoots such as marching and concert percussion, and sound healing gongs.
What additional services do you offer?
We do a lot of drum repairs, re-heading, tuning, and also guitar restringing.
Whatâs your favourite item for sale in the shop right now?
That’s such a difficult one… probably the large Meinl Gong as I seem to be unable to walk past it without giving it a hit!
Name a favourite piece of music. (From any genre you like, absolutely no judgement!)
“Variations” by Andrew Lloyd Webber… Incredible music played by awesome musicians.
Do you get involved in your local community? If so, how?
We are very proactive in instrument tuition and have a great working relationship with many great drum and guitar tutors. We’ve also held many drum clinics over the years with people such as Gregg Bissonette, Jojo Mayer, Craig Blundell, Thomas Lang, to name just a few…
We are re-opening on Friday 3rd July and looking forward to getting back to the shop and seeing our customers and friends. This year had started off for us very positively, so we’re hoping to build on that success after the COVID Lockdown. Pop in and see us đ
Visit Nottingham Drum and Guitar Centre at:
Nottingham Drum and Guitar CentreCranbrook StreetNottinghamNG1 1ER0115 8414148
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May 06 2020 
60 Seconds with… Erne Music Supplies
This month we caught up with marching band specialist Erne Music Supplies. Based in Northern Ireland, this family run business has long been associated with flutes and drums dating back to 1890 when the Mullanâs Great Grandfather learned to play the fife and drum. This tradition of playing marching band music has been passed down generation to generation and in 2005 William Mullan stet up Erne Music Supplies! We chatted to William to find out more…
How would you describe your shop in three words?
Marching Band Specialists
How did the business get started?
We started back in 2005 with the development of our own marching flute (right) which is popular here in Northern Ireland as these flutes weren’t being so widely made. After the success of that instrument we decided to expand into other musical instruments and accessories for Marching Bands. In 2020 we celebrate 15 years in business!
What does your shop specialise in?
We specialise in all musical instruments and accessories for marching bands.
We have supplied equipment to many marching bands in Northern Ireland and Scotland but we also work with bands throughout the World including Her Majesty’s Armed Forces such as the Corps of Drums of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Welsh Guards and the Irish Guards. We work closely with various bands within the Army Cadet Force, Sea Cadets, Air Cadets and the Boys’ Brigade.
What additional services do you offer?
We have our own workshop and we also hold one of the largest music libraries for flute and drum music. My father started collecting old, historic flutes and drums ranging from the early 1900’s which we also have on display in our showroom.
Whatâs your favourite item for sale in the shop right now?We sell a lot of different brands but one of the dealership is British Drum Co and we really love their new Regimental Series Drums which are used by Her Majesty’s Royal Marines.
Name a favourite piece of music. (From any genre you like, absolutely no judgement!)
Arromanches (Military Band March piece)
Do you get involved in your local community?
Yes, we support band competitions by providing a trade stands we also work closely with the Army Cadets, Serving and ex-service personnel.
Visit Erne Music Supplies at:
Tel:Â + 44 (0) 28 6632 4267
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Mar 09 2020 
60 Seconds with… Mark Goodwin Pianos
Mark Goodwin Pianos in Manchester + London is run and owned by Mark and Julie Goodwin. After selling a couple of his uncle’s pianos, Mark released his potential to become a leading national retailer of reconditioned Yamaha pianos and that’s exactly what he does today. They sell modern, upright pianos to people all over the world! Â We caught up with Mark to find out more.
How would you describe your shop in three words?
Definitely the loveliest
How did the business get started?
My great Uncle Ronnie was brilliant at buying old Bechstein grand pianos but not so good at selling them! I made a piano sales website to help him clear some of the twelve grand pianos that were stored on their side in his little house in Rochdale.What does your shop specialise in?
Yamaha Yamaha YamahaWe try to keep around 40-50 Japanese-made Yamaha pianos in stock. We don’t stock Chinese pianos or small pianos or old pianos. We specialise in pianos that are suitable for playing all the way up to grade 8 and beyond. We also specialise in happy customers and refuse to have sad or disappointed customers!
What additional services do you offer?
We offer a “can do” attitude, we try to say “yes” to customers as often as possible and we go the extra mile as standard. We offer 0% finance, free nationwide delivery, a 100-day 100% money-back trial on all Yamaha pianos and we don’t ask for any payment until the piano has been safely delivered inside your home.
Whatâs your favourite item for sale in the shop right now?
I have to say that our Yamaha U3 pianos are our all-time favourite model. Customers love them, they never get returned, they rarely have problems and they go up and up in value.
Name a favourite piece of music. (From any genre you like, absolutely no judgement!)
In our house we’ve learned that Radiohead’s “Everything in its right place” really gets the kids in the mood for tidying up. So I’ll go with that! I apologise to Thom Yorke for lowering his song to a domestic cleaning trigger song.
Do you get involved in your local community? If so, how?
We try to give away as many part-ex pianos as possible. Any piano that we don’t want to put our name to, we give away locally for free including free delivery. We are also setting up a guided tour of our warehouse, workshop and showrooms to local children to help them see behind the scenes of a musical instrument shop to help inspire more kids into playing music and also to inspire more children into self-employment. Get in touch if you’d like to have a look around!
Visit Mark Goodwin Pianos at:
London: 020 7060 5889Manchester: 0161 213 9402
Tell us what you think @TakeitawaymusicÂ
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