Doublereed Archive - Posting 000028.txt from 2004/07

From: "John Peterson" <oboedr@-----.net>
Subj: [DR-L] Re: Instrument Manufacturing
Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 21:53:44 -0400

As Jennifer pointed out, it really does take years of study before one has
the skills needed to build an instrument. Different people get into it in
different ways, though. Most of the people I know who have made oboes were
repairmen first, and after a while they got a chuck of wood and started
building! This is how Ken Decker in Montana started, (although I think he
built a couple recorders first.) Tom Hiniker in Minnesota started this way,
too. I have built only one oboe, and these people, as well as Alain de
Gourdon at Loree and Virginia Benade (the widow of the famed acoustician Art
Benade) were all very generous with their help and advise.

As far as designing an instrument, of course you don't just guess. I read
everything I could find about woodwind acoustics and manufacture, and did
all sorts of measurements on other good oboes, mostly Lorees and Laubins. I
used Loree as a model, although only as a starting point. Many of my
tonehole placements and dimensions were different, a series of educated
guesses based on my research.

When it all comes down to it though, is if you want to build an instrument,
get a chunk of wood and start!

John Peterson

> To: doublereed@-----.org
> From: Luis de la Torre <l_delatorre2000@-----.com>
> Subject: Instrument Manufacturing
> Message-ID: <20040702084310.53905.qmail@-----.com>
>
> I've been curious for awhile as to how people get into
> instrument manufacture? For example, Mark Chudnow told
> me that he learned at the Loree factory in France. Did
> he just go knock on their door and ask for training
> and a job? Did Paul Covey just buy a big hunk of wood
> and try to copy his oboe? I've been curious about the
> whole process sicne I first saw a Rigoutat poster with
> the oboe in various steps of completion.
>

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