Recorder Making

Over the last ten years, the expectations of recorder players have greatly increased,
constraining manufacturers to make considerable improvements. Nowadays, a high
quality instrument must have speed of attack in the upper register, power in the lower
register, perfect intonation and refined sound color.
Making recorders is a stimulating experience but demands infinite time and painstaking
accuracy.My workshop is rationally designed and well equipped, so I can create my
instruments with great flexibility: I can switch from making a Rafi Tenor recorder to a
Baroque Soprano with ease.
 

I use a stereoscopic microscope to

check different aspects of
manufacture (sharpness of  cutting
edges, condition of surfaces, porosity
of  different types of wood), which
illustrates my whole  approach to my
work. Nothing is left to chance be it 
the brand of abrasives I use, the
length of immersion  time in linseed
oil, the steel quality of my tools, the
sharpening processes, etc,
everything is tested, checked and
regularly revised.

The design of the instrument.

Many different fingerings and pitches have been used during the history of the recorder.
For practical reasons, the pitches most used today are 415 and 440 Hz. The 460 pitch
applies essentially to Consort Renaissance recorders, used for a specific repertoire. The
most common fingerings are the Baroque, the ancient (or Hotteterre), and the Ganassi
fingering (similar to the ancient fingering on the first octave and a half).
 
Because of this
multiplicity of fingerings
and pitches, more often
than not the recorder
maker must base his
work on historical
models. Some of these
were measured and
drawn with great care
by their manufacturers.
Fred Morgan,
especially, left us
extremely interesting,
precise and detailed
plans.

The conversion of the pitch is done following very simple homothetic mathematical
relations but there is an inevitable modification of the tone of the instrument. Often, the
fingering has to be adapted. Modern fingering (erroneously called Baroque) is
unfortunately unavoidable today. Since recorder fingering has changed so often during
the history of the instrument, was it really necessary to invent this one? I would have
preferred to keep the Hotteterre fingering, since it facilitates playing on instruments
nearer to the originals, but modern fingering is so widespread today that it is unlikely to
be abandoned.

The range must sometimes be increased, as is the case with the Ganassi recorder or
the Renaissance recorder. In his Treatise, Sylvestro Ganassi included a fingering table
for a recorder with a vast range, so it seemed reasonable for musicians to demand such
an instrument.  However, since this range was not entirely used in the examples of
diminutions which followed, we presume it was not that easy to play it. The makers were
thus led to make this flute fit for use over two and a half octaves, but without real
historical justification.

Another problem is the temperament. Our modern ears are used to the homogeneity of
the equal temperament but unequal temperaments bring a color and unique expressivity
to instruments, even in solo works. The electronic tuner is a precious aid but should be
used with precaution. I advise all musicians to use this excellent tool with
circumspection. By its use, we have compelled manufacturers to come nearer and
nearer to using equal temperament, which presents little interest for a recorder.
Deviations of 35 cents between two notes (Do sharp and Mi flat for example) can be
found on a perfectly tuned flute with Mesotonic temperament. Among the best known,
the most moderate temperament is Valotti, which I recommend to you for baroque
instruments if you are a novice.

 
Making the recorder

The wood used must be left to dry for four or five years, more if possible. The ideal is to
have a stock of wood cut or bought by a far-sighted parent. Happily, my father
assembled a stock of boxwood, maple, pear, African blackwood (grenadille), Brazilian
rosewood and bubinga during the years 1975 to 1980. Of course, I renew this stock
regularly for future use.

But length of the drying period is not the only criterion. I attach a particular importance to
letting the wood rest for some months between the diverse phases of manufacture. I let
two or three months elapse between the roughing out, boring, turning and finishing
operations. Boxwood undergoes a specific treatment: it is plunged into hot oil to
complete drying and eliminate the internal tensions which have accumulated during
growth.

Cutting up lengths is done with a

band saw. Strict selection is already
carried out at this stage.

The corners are removed before

turning

 
Rounding off and cutting
lengths are done on a CNC
lathe to guarantee geometric
precision.      This simplifies
the drilling and boring
operations and gives a better
final result.

Again, some pieces go from the workbench to the dustbin as the first turning operation
can reveal hidden faults inside the piece.

Drilling is the next operation. To obtain better centering, the wood turns and the drill
stays immobile. A first cylindrical hole is made with a tool which takes away a great deal
of material, such as an air drill.

With this type of tool precise drilling can be done without generating heat as the
shavings are progressively evacuated by compressed air.

Finishing is done with a special cutting tool called a "reamer". Unlike the classic
helicoïdal drill which cuts at its extremity and can therefore only make a cylindrical hole,
the reamer has a cutting blade along its whole length, making a conical hole with a
excellent finish. The reamer reproduces its own shape inside the drilled hole, thus
making it possible to obtain a bore of complex form. A different reamer is required for
each interior form . Reamers are very important tools, specific to the manufacture of
wind instruments.
 

I make mine in my workshop

where they are turned on a
high precision CNC lathe. The
blades are cut with a milling
machine, a very useful tool to
have in a workshop.

To cut the windway, I use a

machine I have specially
adapted which allows me to
 
duplicate the appropriate
curve inside the head of the
recorder with great precision.

The result is a rough cut close to the final

objective which gives me a good foundation
on which to work.

 
Turning is done by hand for
some instruments or with a
digital command lathe for
others. This complicated
machine executes work of
such high quality that one
forgets how difficult it is to
operate.  Whether or not it is
done by hand, turning creates
the aesthetic appearance of
he recorder but the actual
creative part, which gives the
instrument its individual
sonority, comes much later in
the process.
 

Polishing and staining gives a

unique character to each
instrument. Finer and finer
abrasives (up to grain 1200) are
  passed one after the other and the
piece is then finished with a
polishing paste. The final result
depends in part on the sharpness of
the tools used for turning.

Recorders of simple form like the Ganassi and the Radi can be varnished French
fashion with shellac, particularly if they are in light-colored wood and not stained. Those
more complex in form, like baroque recorders or those in darker wood like African
blackwood are simply polished.

In all cases, the recorder is treated with linseed oil to improve its acoustic qualities and
to limit exchanges of dampness with the air. Staining is done in the old style using nitric
acid, among other things, and following a strict process of preparation and finishing.
This type of stain has shown an exceptional resistance over time as we can see from
historical instruments.

 
The window is cut on a milling
machine, the head of the
recorder being held on a
special support.

I have a 4-axis piloted milling

machine to realize different
operations, notably drilling the finger
holes in the body. Of course, this
  machine is over-sophisticated for
such work but it offers great
precision, notably for drilling at an
angle. Failing this, one can trace the
hole and use a traditional drill press.

I also make excellent rough cuts of blocks for the most common models with this
machine.

 
An excellent result with
a nice, clean cut.    

From this moment on, lathes, drills and other machines are set aside. Now we have the
most time-consuming and interesting part of the work which I do at my desk with simple
traditional tools.

The labium is cut by hand with a

wood chisel and finished with special
tools.

 
 The block is carved in a
piece of cedarwood after two
shoulders have been turned
 
corresponding to the inside
diameter of the head, which
serve as points of reference.

It is dovetailed into the head of the

recorder  to give a perfect fit without
forcing.

The windway is worked with

fine abrasives and the
  window finished with diverse
small tools like fine files and
scalpels.

 
The scalpel is also used to flare out
the holes of the body and foot, which
is one of the methods of tuning the
recorder.

Some types of wood are sensitive to humidity in the first few hours of life of the
instrument and require many adjustments before the wood settles down and stabilizes.

Some aspects of the finished recorder can be judged objectively: ease in the higher
register, stability in the lower register, the pitch. But the sonority, the ease of interpreting
the musical intention and the comfort of playing are much more subjective. This is when
the recorder maker can become really creative, as he models the sound and personality
of the instrument. The regulation of the beak is a work of great finesse, which requires
delicacy and patience.

The recorder is played, tried out then adjusted as often as necessary until it becomes a
unique instrument facilitating easy musical expression and giving the player a real
pleasure.