It gives a second wind to wind instruments

Jérémie Martin répare les saxophones, les clarinettes et les flûtes. Midi Libre – Manon Baffie

The pieces of a disassembled clarinet: a real puzzle. Midi Libre – Manon Baffie

To locate leaks, the repairer uses a light tube that he inserts into the saxophone. Midi Libre – Manon Baffie

Metal oxidation is not inevitable. After a good cleaning, instruments can regain their shine. Midi Libre – Manon Baffie

Le nettoyage est une étape non négligeable. Midi Libre – Manon Baffie

Comptable à temps plein la semaine, Jérémie Martin est avant tout un passionné de musique. Sur son temps libre, il répare des instruments à vent chez lui, à Montrodat (Lozère).

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“It's hard to stop, it's a bit of an illness.” Jérémie Martin admits it openly: his passion for music is sometimes all-consuming.

A saxophone fan since his early childhood, this 36-year-old resident of Montrodat (Lozère) devotes most of his free time to it, between hosting parties, weddings and concerts with Loz'banda. But the day his saxophone malfunctioned, Jeremy found himself caught off guard: where to take it to give him his voice back ?

Bringing instruments back to life

Rather than going to the nearest repair shop in Rodez, the professional accountant decided to learn how to do it himself! “I wanted to breathe new life into the instruments. I wanted to understand how they work, to immerse myself in the mechanics.“

A year and a half ago, Jérémie Martin decided to use the credits from his personal training account to discover this field. For six months, he went to Saumur, in Maine-et-Loire, for one week per month to train. “Each time, we saw a different family of instruments, describes the Lozérien. We went home with one to repair for the next session.“

Countering the effects of time

Like any mechanical assembly, musical instruments deteriorate over time. The pads that make up the stopper deteriorate, the metal takes on a verdigris tint, sometimes even some wooden parts crack. Not to mention the possible falls.

“Normally, you should have your instrument serviced once a year, specifies the repairer. But this is rarely the case because no one does it in the area and the waiting times are often six months.” If the oxidation is purely aesthetic, other defects can simply make the instrument mute. “Once there is a leak, even a small one, the instrument no longer works.“

A precision job

To solve the problem, there is no other choice but to disassemble it completely. Jérémie Martin then proceeds to a thorough cleaning, first with soap and water and then with products for silverware. Once the diagnosis is established, he tackles any changes to parts and adjustments. “It's very fine. You can spend five to ten minutes on a part so that it holds properly. You can sit for hours on your instrument and think about nothing else. It's soothing.”

Before starting to repair other musicians' instruments, Jérémie acquired saxophones, transverse flutes and clarinets in poor condition to get his hands dirty. He now offers his services to musicians in distress. He notably repaired Bruno's clarinet, the famous Santa Claus, which had broken just before the holidays.

A secondary activity

Jérémie Martin does not, however, have a workshop as such. He repairs everything at home “on a piece of table“, in the evenings or on weekends. He never intended to make it his main activity. So, he decided to give up on brass repairs, which would require too much investment. “It remains a secondary job. I don't think you can live off it in Lozère, but it allows me to be independent on my repairs and to help out a few musicians.”

Information: j.martin48@hotmail.fr