Traditional instruments to face a challenging future.
When I first began playing Irish music, and for years afterward, I struggled to find instruments I truly enjoyed playing. The availability of quality woodwind instruments for traditional music is very low, and multi-year waiting lists for a new instrument are common, which deters younger musicians from carrying on the tradition, especially as global conflicts and cost-of-living crises continue to worsen.
My goal is to make durable, affordable instruments of uncompromising acoustic quality for the next generation of traditional musicians. Faster construction methods, longer-lasting materials, and designs requiring minimal intervention from the maker will allow the far-flung enthusiasts of these instruments to play with confidence!
In 2016 I started developing my own whistle design, intended to capture the best elements of the vintage whistles and add refinement and tonal depth. In 2022, I officially launched Barter Loch Woodwinds from a small apartment in Seattle.
New methods for old instruments
Lacking the usual tens of thousands of dollars in shop tools required for this line of work, I had to find alternate ways to prototype and manufacture these instruments in a small city apartment.
Through the incredible efforts of the open-source and maker communities, home 3D printing has emerged as a viable method to create either the instrument itself, or the form for making one, with relatively simple tools. Needle files, sandpaper, and a rotary tool are my most heavily used implements at the “shop,” most of which fits on my kitchen table.
I am now working on a composite Rudall-Rose style flute, and several kinds of bagpipe are not far behind.
Hand work still matters
Judicious use of 3D printing, casting, and CNC technology allows me to concentrate careful hand work where it is most needed - voicing and tuning. This allows me to make more instruments more quickly with the same level of care as if I had made them using traditional machine tools, and allows me to divert more time into the final finishing.
I can also change and adapt my designs rapidly to accommodate players with special ergonomic needs, creative requests, or to perform experiments further optimizing the instrument.
A family business
I am incredibly grateful to be supported in this endeavor by my brothers Andrew and Nick. Their metallurgy knowledge and experimentation has resulted in our own custom silicon bronze alloy, which has refined acoustic properties and corrosion resistance.
When not casting whistleheads and fittings, Nick is a professional saxophonist and composer, and is developing his own line of custom sax mouthpieces. Check out his work here!
