I'm happy to say we have two new pipers in Colorado this month. They both benefited from the new bellows design that I'm making - based on a Cillian O'Briain design. It's much less time-consuming to make than the stitched bellows, and they work just as well. Thanks to Cillian for the help!

Here are some photos of my most recent three chanters.  One fully-keyed chanter in ebony, the other in black wood.  Can you tell the difference?  The chanter without keys is in Indian rosewood.

O'Flaherty's Retreat in October

Hello Folks,

I have been very busy in the shop this spring, and I will have some new photos to post, soon.
Also, in October I will be teaching reed-making at the O'Flaherty's retreat in Waxahachie, Texas.  Here is some info on the retreat:

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2013 O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat Announced

If you love learning and playing traditional Irish music and spending three days in a comfortable, scenic setting being saturated with great teaching and incredible performances sounds like a good idea, you might be interested in attending the 10^th annual O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat that will be held October 25-27, 2013 at the Lakeview Camp and Conference Center in Waxahachie, Texas, about 30 minutes south of Dallas. 

An exceptional lineup of instructors will teach including some of the finest musicians/instructors in the tradition, including Myron Bretholz – Bodhran; Pat Broaders – Bouzouki; Patty Furlong – Button Accordion (B/C & C#/D); Florence Fahy – Anglo Concertina; Brendan Mulvihill – Fiddle; Fergal Scahill – Fiddle; Liz Knowles – Fiddle; Patrick Ourceau – Fiddle; Laura Flanagan and Chris Buckley – Irish Fiddle Fundamentals; John Skelton – Flute; Josh Dukes – Guitar (DADGAD); Jeff Moore – Irish Guitar Fundamentals; Eileen Gannon – Harp; Rebekah Passmore – Irish Harp Fundamentals ; Marla Fibish – Mandolin; Jimmy Keane – Piano Accordion; Cathie Ryan – Singing; Enda Scahill – Tenor Banjo; Jonathan Milton – Irish Tinwhistle/Flute Fundamentals; and Kierann O’Hare – Uilleann Pipes.

In addition to the regular classes, there will be enrichment classes and workshops that address music history, learning by ear, reed making, Gaelic speaking and singing, ceili dancing, music theory, advanced techniques, Irish myths and folklore, session etiquette and more.

The retreat will officially begin on Thursday night, October 24th, with a “meet & greet” BBQ.  Classes start Friday morning and continue through Sunday late afternoon.  Each evening there will be concerts by instructors and mini-concerts during meals with a “farewell” concert on Sunday evening.  On the Saturday night program, there will be a “Texas Tune & Song Tussle” which features friendly competition among student ensembles that form at the retreat vying for “O’Diddley Awards.”  Sessions will be plentiful and organized by levels with some instructor-led and others not.

A variety of lodging options on campus will be available from Thursday evening through Sunday night including lodge rooms, bunkhouses (dorm beds), and RV sites.  Meals will be offered Thursday dinner through Monday breakfast.  The retreat will offer a shuttle service to and from the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport for $15 per trip per person at select times.

Tuition is $225 and just $135 for youth ages 11 to 18.  Tuition covers up to nine 90-minute core classes, three one-hour enrichment classes and three 90-minute workshops.   Meals, lodging and shuttle service may be reserved separately.  A limited number of scholarships are available for those requiring financial assistance. 

If you’re interested, visit the retreat’s website at  http://www.oflahertyretreat.org or call the retreat office at (972) 798-7890 or email info@oflahertyretreat.org.  Online registration begins May 4^th at 9 a.m.   Because there are caps on class sizes, early enrollment is recommended.

The O’Flaherty Irish Music Retreat is produced by the Traditional Irish Music Education Society (TIMES), a 501 (c)(3) organization based in Richardson, Texas.  In addition to the retreat, TIMES also organizes the O’Flaherty Irish Music Youth Camp for children ages 5-17, the North Texas School of Irish Music, the TIMES Trad Camp and other Irish music education programs. 

Earlier this month, I had a great time at Zoukfest, where I led a workshop/seminar on reed-making. I also enjoyed learning a lot about playing and reed-making from the great Irish piper, Mick O'Brien.

Thanks to everyone who attended the reed-making workshop. The Santa Fe weather was humbling, which was good for the sake of learning.

Also, these bellows were completed for Laurent, who now owns the set of ebony drones as well:

Here are the drones with the nice bag cover that my beautiful wife Debbie made for them:

Here is a picture of Laurent with his completed half-set. He plays a lovely Kirk Lynch chanter. I made the rest:

Here is a picture of the New Mexico Pipers who attended the reed seminar, and Mick O'Brien, who joined in:

New drones are born.

These were tied-in for the first time this weekend. I have been working on them a long time... I think the new cane reeds are sounding pretty good, and the set is air-tight. So it won't be long before their new owner will be playing them.

Stitched Bellows

There was a bit of a slow-down of prototype work in the shop after the three chanters were completed. As a result, I spent more time with the family... In the last few weeks, I have been slowly learning to make stitched bellows. Fortunately, I have had an excellent guide. Mr. DM Quinn wrote a very helpful article about making stitched bellows, and I followed it as closely as I could. Now my first attempt is complete, and it's time to post some pictures.

Maple Chanter

Hooray,  The maple prototype chanter is complete!  This chanter is the one I like best, right now.  Here is a photo: