Larry Naylor began a professional music career at a young age and has been at it for 47 years as a woodwind specialist. Realizing, in high school, that one must be a little crazy to rely completely on music performance as a career in our society, his first four years of college focused on pre medical studies with an emphasis in the physical sciences. As an Air Force Bandsman during the Viet Nam era, he realized that music was his life. He served for four years in bands on the West and East coasts and Hawaii.

Earning a B.A. in music and a M.M. in woodwind pedagogy, he taught instrument repair classes, workshops for band directors, applied saxophone, and woodwind doubling at the University of Colorado at Boulder for over 8 years. He has also given workshops for the Lamont School of Music and VanderCook College. He has presented repair clinics for NAPBIRT’s national conventions (National Association of Professional Band Instrument Repair Technicians). He presented a technical clinic for ICA’s ClarinetFest ’97 in which he offered his on-going research in the maintenance and restoration of grenadilla and rosewood instruments. He is a published author in technical journals including NAPBIRT’s TechniCom. Because of his work with his professional society, he functions as a master clinician and a reference repair technician specializing in woodwinds. His approach to instrument repair developed from his experiences as a precision machinist in tool and die for the Boeing Company, a cabinet maker, and his training and experience in the physical sciences and music performance.

When analyzing a client's performance problems, Mr. Naylor easily uses the viewpoints of a professional performer, a mature technician, a teacher, and an amateur scientist. He owns Naylor’s Custom Wind Repair in Englewood, Colorado. NCWR has been in business since 1981.

Besides providing repair services, Mr. Naylor typically offers his clients handouts on various subjects including care and maintenance of grenadilla instruments and bore oiling procedures using his Organic Oil.