Boudreuax Practice Organ
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

​The Boudreaux Practice Organ is based on the vision Irvin Boudreaux had for his own personal practice instrument. The minimalist tonal and mechanical design consists of four 8’ stops over three manuals and pedal. The action is designed to be as light and responsive as possible. The voicing is gentle and clear to allow hours of practice without fatigue. The case and pipes are made of maple and walnut with a fine furniture quality finish.
 
​The Rohrflute on Manual I has a stopped bass and then the stoppers are drilled out to form the chimney starting at middle C. There is a treble ascendancy so it functions well for solos, and can accompany itself. The Principal on Manual II is voiced evenly throughout the compass. We based this stop off of research from the 1610 Compenius Organ which has all wood pipes. The Gemshorn also based on Compenius' scales is on Manual III. It is voiced with a horn like quality distinct from the Principal. The bass octave is the Spitzgedeckt offset to the left. The Pedal Bourdon is voiced with a full fundamental. It becomes slightly quieter in the treble range.
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Irvin's testimonial:
“Playing this instrument is pure joy. The organist faces the pipes, which are literally a couple feet away from the player, and the sound reaches the ear immediately...which allows the organist to hear every nuance in the pipe’s speech and his (her) touch. With the pipes arranged in major thirds, the sound appears to come from all directions (which it does), and soon you realize phrasing and the resolution of technical problems become second nature...
The biggest problem first-time players have is that EVERYTHING you put into the instrument is immediately sent back to you...including mistakes!  Never have I played any instrument that helped you clean up your technique so quickly.”
 
​The organ action is modular so that it can be configured for one, two or three manuals. It is the simplest possible construction. The tail of the key lifts the pallet directly below it. This meant that gravity holds the pallet closed when the key is at rest.  A very light spring was added to increase the repetition rate. With the valves on the key centers, the air flows from the pallet box through tubes to each pipe. The tubing serves as a key channel and simplifies the mechanical action. There are no action squares or rollerboards.  The result feels just like harpsichord action with a light, crisp, responsive action.