Russell Gilmour
I am a freelance natural trumpet player and a natural trumpet-maker's apprentice. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, I spent a lot of time learning to make bassoon crooks.

The bassoon bocal and the natural trumpet share many specialist tools and construction techniques. Natural trumpet players, like bassoonists, demand exceptional playing characteristics from the crooks we use; a lot of attention-to-detail goes into their design and construction. I hope to use my specialist metalworking skills to produce beautifully-crafted bassoon bocals, inspired by the finest traditions and examples from the 17th to the 21st centuries.