Maker

Bagpipes & Flutes | Woowind Workshop Lab. | Repairs

From Piper to Pipe Maker

The journey of Gonçalo Cruz

Born in 1979, in the coastal city of Oporto in northern Portugal, Gonçalo Cruz embarked on a self-guided musical journey. Over the past two decades, he has dedicated himself to studying the “Gaita de fole” – the traditional bagpipe models of Portugal and Spain.

A pivotal moment came in 2003 when he met Mr. Jürgen Ross, a renowned bagpipe maker, at a local festival in Germany. This encounter sparked Gonçalo’s interest in crafting his own bagpipes, leading him to establish his own Gaita-making workshop in the ensuing years.

With a background in design, Gonçalo was uniquely positioned to address the instrument’s limitations that he encountered as a musician and teacher. His pursuit of perfection and passion for the craft soon turned into an obsession, driving him to continuously refine and improve the instrument.

Types of Bagpipes

100% hand made
Gonçalo manufactures the following types of bagpipes

Folk
Instruments

Established models

Bagpipes that became the standard of folk music making in a region

Professional instruments

Design Innovations

Bagpipes that incorporate seamless innovations that make the life of the professional musician easier

Historical Instruments

Replicas

Historically informed replicas of instruments that are in museums and private collections

Design Solutions

For machine made products,
accessories, affordable music instruments,
please visit the GaitaMaker project

Folk Instruments

Tradition

Every piping tradition is a treasure trove of diversity and richness. Gonçalo’s folk instruments are his personal interpretation of this vast cultural wealth. By identifying the most common features of a particular tradition, he handcrafts a single, unique instrument that embodies the essence of that tradition. The result is a truly traditional instrument that is reliable, functional, and tailored to your needs.

Gonçalo is currently developing an online catalog of instruments and their respective prices.

If you’re interested in ordering a custom instrument or would like immediate details, please reach out via email.



Professional Instruments

Design & Innovation

Professional musicians often find themselves straddling the line between early music and Folk/Trad. music. They navigate the exciting cross-fields of “Acoustic” vs “Amplified”, “Big stage” vs “Small venue”, or “Street performance”, playing in conditions or alongside instruments that bagpipes were never originally designed for. Moreover, some musicians who play bagpipes don’t belong to a specific world piping tradition. They may have been born in a place where bagpipes simply aren’t a part of the cultural fabric. Yet, they have music within them, and they need to express their artistic vision.

“Professional instruments” are Gonçalo’s solution for these musicians. They are his interpretation of bagpipes designed to meet the unique needs of these artists.

Gonçalo is currently developing an online catalog of instruments and their respective prices.

If you’re interested in ordering a custom instrument or would like immediate details, please reach out via email.

 

Historical Instruments

Throughout his research, Gonçalo has meticulously measured numerous woodwinds housed in museums and private collections. Using these detailed documents, he can create historically informed replicas upon request (custom order).

If you have access to an instrument you’d like him to measure, or if you’re interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

More Design Solutions

www.GaitaMaker.com
Since 1999, Gonçalo has been deeply invested in solving common issues that pipers typically encounter when playing bagpipes. Over the years, he has developed innovative design solutions and improvements, which he incorporates into his custom bagpipes at the musician’s request.

GaitaMaker is a project founded by Gonçalo, dedicated to researching more of these seamless design innovations that could be applied to most bagpipes worldwide. The project aims to collaborate with other professionals, institutions, and businesses to produce high-quality, affordable musical instruments and accessories.

Address

Helsinki – Finland

Call

+358 45 251 87 27

Email

Info@GoncaloCruz.com