GaitaMaker | Bagpipes
Researching, Designing & Producing solutions for Bagpipes around the worldGaitaMaker | Bagpipes
Researching, Designing & Producing solutions for Bagpipes around the worldAbout GaitaMaker
We are interested in solving common issues that the piper usually faces when interpreting bagpipes.
At GaitaMaker we are devoted to the research of seamless design innovations. These solutions should be as universal as possible, adaptable to most bagpipes in the world.
Our project fosters the involvement of other professionals, institutions and business to produce affordable high-quality musical instruments and accessories.
at GaitaMaker
WE MAKE
… BECAUSE
Creating seemless, innovative, and affordable design solution
GaitaMaker Mission
Researching, Designing & Making Bagpipes and accessories
- Solve universal problems of world bagpipes
- Develop seamless design solutions for existing traditional bagpipes
- Produce affordable high-quality musical instruments
- Answer the playing needs of the professional touring musician and the student piper
- Support scientific research on innovative designs, materials and productions techniques
- Promote the development of piping teaching methods and initiatives
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
The Designers
Zexuan and Gonçalo are the designers behind the GaitaMaker products.
They are musicians and instrument builders.
They identify the problems and design the solutions.
Gonçalo Cruz
was born in Porto, Portugal.
He is a Musician, Researcher & Maker of Bagpipes & Woodwinds.
He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Architecture from Porto, and is currently a Doctor of Music candidate at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki – “Forgotten Bagpipes – The redesign of the Säkkipilli in Finland”.
Gonçalo has worked as a music composer and guest musician on live and recorded performances, interpreting an array of European bagpipes, flutes and whistles.
He has worked as a music composer and guest musician on live and recorded performances, interpreting an array of European bagpipes, flutes and whistles. Although his bagpipes & flutes ground him to the folk music universe, his original compositions are meant as storytelling, always evocative of images, clearly influenced by cinema soundtracks.
Gonçalo has been involved in the revival of local bagpipes in Portugal by researching, playing, teaching and building bagpipes. Since 2012 Gonçalo has maintained a professional bagpipe-making workshop now headquarter in Helsinki. (2019)
Since 1997 Gonçalo has pursued the dream of truly understanding the fabulous world of bagpipes. More than two decades have gone by and Gonçalo Cruz, as a musician, maker of bagpipes, and tutor of young musicians, is undoubtedly one of the most influential pipers of the new Portuguese folk scene.
Zexuan Qiao
was born in Shanghai, China.
He is a guitarist, flautist, piper, music researcher & instrument maker.
He holds a Bachelor’s in interaction design from Glasgow and a Master’s degree in Design for Performance from London. He is now a Doctor of Music candidate at the Queen’s University of Belfast – “Reconstructing Border Pipes: An interdisciplinary study”.
Zexuan has worked as a touring musician on the electric guitar and bass, recorded for electro-acoustic composers, and collaborated with theatre performances on the Chinese flute “Dizi”. He also appeared on BBC Ulster Radio on the topic of fusion between Chinese and local Celtic music cultures.
His increasing passion for European historical flutes and bagpipes led him to perform traversos and small-pipes for folk dancing. He recorded small-pipes for the research project “The musical culture of coffee houses and taverns in eighteenth-century Edinburgh” which resulted in the reenactment of the sound environment of the Cross Keys tavern.
After being a musical instrument conservation intern at the music instrument museum St. Cecilia’s Hall, in Edinburgh, he designed his master’s degree project on printing instruments and composing music for site-specific performances.
After being connected to instruments and music making in Shanghai, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London, Zexuan is based in Belfast since 2021
Zexuan has been playing woodwind instruments since the age of eight. Although only recently taken by small-pipes (2017), he is well on his way to becoming one of the youngest makers and experts on bellows-driven pipes most
CRUZ | QIAO
GaitaMaker is the natural coming together of Gonçalo Cruz and Zexuan Qiao’s, common interests and professional backgrounds.
They are design experts working abroad, passionate about bagpipes and foreign cultures.
Besides the GaitaMaker project, Gonçalo and Zexuan build their own handmade high-end custom instruments under the name CRUZ and QIAO
Contact
Our research, design & product development
works out of Helsinki – FINLAND and Belfast – UK
Our team members travel frequently across Europe on fieldwork and research
So if you wish to visit us or set an appointment, please contact us well in advance.
E-mail: i n f o @ G a i t a M a k e r . c o m
GAITAMAKER (Finland)
Karvaamokuja 4, 2.6
00350 Helsinki
FINLAND
GAITAMAKER (United Kingdom)
Cloreen Park,
BT9 5HN Belfast
UK
For more information please send us an email.