Music

Where the pros shop
Courtney Pine, saxophonist
‘I play soprano, tenor sax, bass clarinet and flute, and I seem to spend half my life at Howarth’s for reeds, mouthpieces and repairs. I’ve certainly picked up a few parking tickets on Chiltern Street! It’s also great for research – there’s a great collection of sheet music – and the people who do the repairs are brilliant.’

Fyfe Dangerfield, Guillemots
‘Ray Man in Chalk Farm is a kind of through-the-looking-glass world of a music shop. You can guarantee there’ll always be some affordable, weird and wonderful exotic instrument in there that fills you with ideas, be it a zither, a gong which bends pitch or a plastic tube you whirl around your head. They have great Chinese folk music CDs in there, too. And cheap incense! It’s shops like Ray Man that make you appreciate living in London.’
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Adem, singer-songwriter
‘I always feel welcome at Hobgoblin, just off Oxford Street. It’s filled with a huge wealth of different and inspiring instruments from traditional to exotic. The people who work there are passionate about music and are always more than happy to show
me how to play whichever bizarre instrument takes my fancy. It’s perfect for an inspiring browse or an in-depth discussion.’

Steve Beresford, composer and multi-instrumentalist
‘Last time we went to Hobgoblin the two assistants were having a jam. One was blowing a conch shell and the other was banging a small gong. We waited respectfully for them to finish and then bought a toy xylophone.’