Guelph, Ont. woodworker says chance meeting led to creation of new musical instrument

A partnership between a woodworker and a university professor has led to the creation of a new musical instrument. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte has the story.

An unlikely meeting has led to a unique creation.

On Thursday, from his home in Guelph, Ont., Fron Reilly showed CTV News a whimsical instrument that has been played by only a few people around the world.

But music wasn’t always his specialty.

“I started a woodworking shop in 1979 because I got interested in clock work,” said Reilly. “Musical instruments, much later on.”

Then, at a concert, he met Jesse Stewart. He heads up the music program at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ont.

“My relationship with Fron started when we just happened to strike up a conversation with one another,” Stewart explained.

Reilly told him about his interest in woodworking and how he was in the process of building some hurdy-gurdies, a stringed instrument that uses a crank-turned wheel.

“I said, ‘Wow, that sounds really neat! I’d love to see them,’” recalled Stewart.

“And I said, ‘Well, what are you doing now?’” Reilly continued. “[Stewart] said, ‘Well I have a couple of hours free.”

The two then got into his van and headed over to Reilly’s workshop.

“[Stewart] said, ‘You know, I’ve been looking for 30 years for somebody to build me a special instrument,’” Reilly recalled.

That’s when their musical collaboration began.

Stewart remembered seeing an instrument, decades ago, that had a special sound. He hoped Reilly could re-create it or come up with something even better.

Reilly accepted the challenge and named his creation “the Fron,” after its inventor.

But, always wanting to improve on his creations, he soon came up with a new and improved version.

“It’s called the Fron2,” Reilly explained. “I just thought there must be some way to simplify this and make it smaller and still retain a unique sound.”

He more than accomplished his goal.

The rotating instrument includes 10 strings, tunes for each string and, in the middle, a circular bridge that is coupled with a drumhead. The strings can be played with a bow, wand or brush.

The acoustic sounds it makes seem to move audiences.

“Some people actually break out in tears,” said Reilly. “They tear up because of the emotional impact of it.”

Stewart calls it a dream come true.

“Getting to hear it again, it was really beautiful,” he told CTV News.

The cost of materials runs about $300, and it takes Reilly roughly two weeks to make an instrument from scratch.

He’s made 11 iterations of the Fron or Fron2 so far and has about 23 people on a waitlist for one.

The instrument has already been used in everything from film scores to spiritual healing.

While new instruments are always being developed, these days they tend to be digital in nature.

The hope now is that a slight step back to acoustic roots for the Fron and Fron2 may actually propel the music industry forward.