Repairs: Voicing

Recorders and other flue-type early winds (such as gemshorns and pipes) require periodic voicing to maintain the sound-producing parts of the instruments in good working condition. The voicings of wooden instruments change due to the moisture in a player’s breath, overall humidity, altitude, salts from a players saliva, food residue, mold, warping, and other factors.

Voicing is normally required when one or more of the following applies:

• You have noticed the instrument does not respond as it used to.
• The instrument has problems speaking in the high register.
• The instrument has problems speaking in the low register (and does not have keys).
• The instrument gets wet quickly or stops working after playing only a short while.
• The tone has deteriorated, becoming scratchy, buzzy, muffled, or uneven.
• The instrument feels stuffy when being played.
• The instrument has gone flat overall.

Recorder voicings are charged at a flat rate. Some take five minutes, others three days. It isn’t fair to you to charge full time for the difficult ones, and it isn’t fair to me to eat them. By charging a flat rate for the service, things even out, and you know exactly what to expect. For more on gemshorns, please see the page devoted to them under Voicing.

Please Note: Yes! I can voice Paetzold square recorders.