Developed in collaboration between Bernard Overton and Paul Windridge, the Brinklow Pipe is a modern single-reed folk instrument inspired by the historic chalumeau. Designed for players familiar with whistle fingering, it offers a clarinet-like tone without the need for complex cross-fingerings or overblowing. Its range spans nearly two octaves (not fully chromatic) in the keys of C, D, G, and related minor keys (Am, Bm, Em), making it well-suited to much of the folk repertoire. Constructed from hand-turned rosewood, the instrument is notably lightweight compared to a blackwood clarinet, yet retains excellent tonal qualities. The brass keywork is kept to a minimum for simplicity and visual harmony with the wood. Each pipe is fitted with a standard clarinet mouthpiece, reeds, and cork grease, and is supplied in a fabric pouch. The Brinklow Pipe’s design draws on the chalumeau tradition—a cylindrical bore, single-reed woodwind of the Baroque and early Classical period that served as a predecessor to the modern clarinet—while adapting it for modern folk use. Paul Windridge studied woodwind making and repair at Newark College, graduating with distinction. His career includes work for Rudall Carte & Co., Boosey & Hawkes, and over 15 years in Sheehan’s Music Services’ woodwind workshop. He now works independently as a maker and repairer. Bernard Overton is best known for creating the Overton Whistle, a widely respected instrument in the whistle-playing community since the late 1960s.
