GaitaMaker | Bagpipes
We are a non profit platform researching, promoting, teaching and making bagpipesat GaitaMaker
WE MAKE
… BECAUSE
Creating seemless, innovative, and affordable design solution
GaitaMaker is aimed at
Researching, Promoting, Teaching & Making Bagpipes.
- Answer the playing needs of the professional touring musician and the student piper, which ever the bagpipe or piping tradition may be.
- Develop seamless design solutions for traditional bagpipes, that may translate in affordable high quality musical instruments.
- Support scientific research and promote innovative teaching methods and materials.
The Beginnings
Gonçalo Cruz was born in Oporto, in the northern Portuguese coast in 1979.
Developing as a self-taught musician, he spent the last 20 years, studying the “Gaita de fole” - the Portuguese and Spanish bagpipe models. The meeting of Mr. Jürgen Ross (historical bagpipe maker) at a local festival in Germany 2003, led to a close friendship. Over the years, Gonçalo had found a mentor, that pushed him to creating his own workshop, in 2010, devoted to the making and selling of european bagpipes.
Given his background as a designer, Gonçalo soon became obsessed in solving the shortcomings he detected in the instruments, both as a professional piper and teacher.
Soon the workshop was visited by fellow researchers, students and musicians keen on discussing tradition, science and custom musical instruments that suited their needs. This engaging cultural environment also attracted non pipers, music lovers, scholars, designers and engineers, artists and craftsman, institutions and private business, media outlets…
It was clear by now that GaitaMaker extended must further than the limits of the bagpipe making atelier, and touched people beyond the small piper community... It was a cause.
GaitaMaker non profit had been born.
What do we do
We are interesting in the solving of common issues that the piper usually faces when interpreting bagpipes.
Over the years, Gonçalo Cruz has already developed design solutions and improvements, and incorporated them, at the musician’s request, into his custom bagpipes.
At GaitaMaker we are devoted to the research of more of these seamless design innovations that could be made universal, and used by most bagpipes in the world.
Our project fosters the involvment of other professionals, institutions and business to produce affordable high quality musical instruments and accessories.
GaitaMakerTV
YouTube® Channel | Facebook® page | Instagram®
Supported by you – the vibrant piping community – but also by friends and partner institutions, we produce content about the world of bagpipe research and development.
Latest News
An epic piping adventure
We were invited by Terry Costa and MiratecArts to once again collaborate on a cultural event on Pico Island. This time it was the awesome Montanha Pico Festival. Montanha is an off-season opportunity to enjoy the highest Portuguese point - Mount Pico, 2351m -...
How to buy a Gaita
In 1997, I began a painful journey of self-teaching. Impulsively, I just entered a music store and purchase a “Gaita”. This bagpipe has never worked properly, making my learning very difficult. I was forced to buy another instrument soon after - I ordered it directly...
GaitaMaker at Festival Interceltique de Lorient 2017
We were at Lorient this year, and tell you all about it! https://youtu.be/LWlDNnvPu5o
Contact
Our research, design & product development
is currently based in Helsinki – FINLAND
We travel frequently across Europe on fieldwork and research
So if you wish to visit us or set an appointment, please contact well in advance
to organize a meeting for instance in Helsinki or Porto.
Tel. | Ph.: (+358) 45 251 87 27 | (+351) 91 825 49 59
E-mail: info@gaitamaker.com
GAITAMAKER
Helsinki – FINLAND | Porto – PORTUGAL
For more information please call or send us an email.