Klarinet Archive - Posting 000332.txt from 2000/06

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mold again
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 23:11:48 -0400

On Sat, 10 Jun 2000 LeliaLoban@-----.com wrote:

> Interesting, because my grade school band director, whose primary
> instrument was clarinet, insisted that the best cane has "speckled"
> bark. I only got to buy my reeds (with my mother's money) two at a
> time as a kid, so I would root around in the store's open box of the
> cheapest Ricos and try to find some with splotchy-looking bark. The
> band teacher said that the weather during the growing season produces
> the speckles.

I think you are looking at the wrong side of the reed. You can get a much
better indication by looking at the "raw" cane on the interior of the
structure. The pattern of "speckling" on the outside of the cane is a
result of the amount of sun that the cane was exposed to while growing.
The amount of discoloration of the bark results from such factors as
whether or not a leaf was covering that part of the cane, the amount of
sun in the growing season, and others. There are many factors which
determine the vibratory qualities of cane, including its density,
hardness, resilience, stiffness, the mineral and particulate content of
the pores, etc. In my experience and my opinion, the appearance of the
bark would have little to do with the final results.

Ed Lacy
*****************************************************************
Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
*****************************************************************

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org