I chose to build a pipe organ. I am still choosing to build a pipe organ, in progress since March of 2023.
Please enjoy these photos and videos of progress so far. If you’re curious as to what in tarnation got up my rear end to make me want to do this, that detail is written out meticulously below the pretty pictures, just scroll down.
Why?
Because I could. And because I think pipe organs are fascinating machines and some of the prettiest sources of music out there. They are literally the largest instrument in the world by a long shot, and yet the fundamental technology is so very old school. Air, controlled by a valve (key), blown through a pipe, vibrating a reed or across a lip, produces a note. You can only have one note per pipe, so for a full keyboard, you have to have 61-88 notes, and then to create harmonies and colors and fullness, you duplicate that, over and over and over, going octaves above and below and in harmony, until you get a cacophony of sound that is nothing less than glorious. This results in a massive machine literally filling up entire rooms, stadiums, or shopping malls, all controlled by one lone operator at a console somewhere.
The reality is that the art of pipe organ construction is very, very old (3rd Century BCE) and has gone through many iterations and yet still remains a bit of an engineering feat and, because I’m an amateur and have never done this before, of course I thought I’d try it and learn through trial and error and error and error and error, because why not?
Specifically, I chose to primarily 3D Print a pipe organ, or at least a good portion of the parts. The pipes would be PVC (because it’s cheap and easier to deal with than melting and shaping lead-tin pipes), the mouths 3D printed, the keys 3D printed, and much of the windchest, valves, etc. would also be printed. The rest would be wood and a bit of metal and springs and bits and bobs.
It also turns out that nobody has tried this before, which is always a good omen. I mean, people have built organs before, but not out of PVC, and certainly not at this scale. I want at least a few ranks (sets of pipes), a pedal board and one manual (keyboard), and stops, etc. to go with it. WHAT COULD GO WRONG!?
“Lots”. “Lots” is the correct answer. It has been nothing short of an engineering puzzle and curiosity and fabricating a lot of things that didn’t go right and I had to redo. I’m only on my…..5th keyboard….and 3rd windchest? I think. I try not to think about the time wasted. 🙂 But I’m learning a lot and having fun, so that’s what counts, right?