The story of my home made pipe organ (2000)
In 1992, a university student built a pipe organ from scratch, evolving the design with a wind chest and valve system, ultimately creating a playable instrument with improved sound control and usability.
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In the fall of 1992, a university student with no prior music experience embarked on a project to build a pipe organ. Initially motivated by a lack of funds for a synthesizer, the student utilized a woodworking shop to experiment with organ pipes. Early attempts involved using a vacuum cleaner motor, which proved too noisy but provided sufficient air pressure. The design evolved to include a wind chest and valve system, allowing for better control of sound. Over time, the student constructed three octaves of pipes, refining the design for ease of construction and tuning. After several months of experimentation, the organ became playable, despite its precarious setup. The student later replaced the vacuum motor with a quieter blower, enhancing the organ's usability. Following graduation, further refinements were made, including the addition of missing notes and a pressure regulator to maintain consistent airflow. The project not only provided a unique musical instrument but also fostered a deeper understanding of music and engineering.
- The project began in 1992 as a university student's response to a lack of funds for a synthesizer.
- Initial experiments used a vacuum cleaner motor, which was later replaced with a quieter blower.
- The organ design evolved to include a wind chest and valve system for better sound control.
- The student constructed three octaves of pipes, focusing on ease of construction and tuning.
- The project culminated in a playable organ with a pressure regulator for consistent airflow.
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17 commentsIf you're into homemade instruments and the process behind making them, bellowphone is fun one to check out. He goes into detail about his builds and also has performances of himself playing his wacky creations.
I too approve, but I'm sickly envying a pedal keyboard to exercise. I have no place in my home really, I know I could just buy a Studiologic pedalboard with 17 keys, along with SL X SE, but it's quite expensive and space consuming...
Sometimes when we imagine a project, we think about how big it is, and get discouraged -- but this is a good reminder that some of the best projects are small, and thus, are less daunting and more easily tackled!
The _physicality_ of music is maybe the closest thing I can think of to real actual magic. We build these devices to modulate the pressure of air in specific ways so that we can transmit sound. Us humans have got built in hardware that is capable of incredibly fine control of air pressure and hardware for decoding those pressure waves into language - and even sometimes to bypass the language decoding and hit us directly in our emotions.
Take some time to really think about how sound works and how we're able to produce and receive it. It sounds like something out of a fantasy novel!
Also the Baumorgel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weAV0i8fGFE
Question for anyone knowledgeable. I had an idea to take a large block of wood and a router to cut a number of channels. Then put plywood on the top to make a rank of pipes. The lip and throat could be also done with a router.
I imagine the physics of each pipe would work fine monophonically. I think it would work polyphonically but I wonder if there would be interference?
How much does the resonance of the individual pipe contribute to timbre?
The organ which inspired my dreams: https://jehanalain.ch/orgue/
Edit: The Alain Organ, not the Tagliavini, did not check the link closely enough and missed it covered two organs.
I went to a Hauptwerk digital DIY one and it really is better for small and residential use. For one thing, you can have the volume at safe levels!
https://www.npr.org/2025/01/17/nx-s1-5232116/james-mcvinnie-...
I enjoy modular synths and always felt they were essentially pipe organs - with some zzt zzt.
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