About Me

I am Matt Miller and live in Pembroke NH.  I am a chemical engineer by training and spent a good part of my life in product development, research and technology application in the world of oil and gas exploration and production.  In parallel, I always maintained a workshop at home where I would design and make functional artistic objects ranging from wood furniture to fused glass decorative pieces.  In 2015, I decided to resume horn playing, but encountered a completely frozen, non-functional instrument in my closet.  This discovery led me to dive into instrument repair, followed by collecting and refurbishing horns to respectable playing condition. 

My interest in horn mechanics and refurbishment evolved into making valvectomy horns as well as fully functional natural horns with tapered entry tapers and crooks.  This interest was amplified at the Kendall Betts Horn Camp (KBHC), which is just an outstanding horn camp full of wonderful participants, staff and faculty--go there if you get a chance.    A particular intrigue of mine was the quality and esthetic of old horns and how to reuse the old bells of otherwise worn out horns in a way that preserved attractive craftsmanship of hand engraved manufacturer logos, a well aged patina, and other features of fine craftsmanship.   

I use bells with unacceptable damage to practice new-to-me techniques or things that I am curious about.  In one case a few years ago, I was making a small natural horn using a heavily corroded bell.  I decided to cut out the corroded portions of the bell into a pinwheel pattern--because, why not?  Once the horn was completed, the pinwheel bell painted, I shared it with a few folks.  They all thought it looked cool and were fairly surprised that it played well.  So, that got me thinking…

Now, I am continually coming up with and making new custom bell designs.  I am also on the lookout for musicians that are interested in either a fun accessory for their horn, or a visually important compliment to their stage presence.  I love making bells that make people happy and feel good about their music.  It is especially enjoyable to collaborate with someone to come up with their own design for a custom bell I make for them.

Thanks for your interest and I would love to talk to you about a custom bell.

Sincerely, 

Matt Miller