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Research Question

Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2004-01-27 03:53

Hey. This question is a little abnormal for the board, but I could use some help. I'm taking a political/economic anthropology class and we are required to do a report on a commodity and its effects on the different economies that have a part of it. We can do it over anything we want so I thought about clarinets. Does anyone have any links to information about the harvesting of wood for clarinets and reeds (who does it, how much do they pay get paid versus how much the companies make per product, how does it get from the field to a clarinet/reed factory?), the manufacture of clarinets in different countries and the effects it has on other economies (do actions of european or other makers affect the business of American makers, or vice versa), how can global economic trends be seen in the prices/production/quality of clarinets? If anybody knows of any books, articles, websites, or whatever, that address these or similar issues, I would greatly appreciate it.

I can always do something more obvious like corn or coffee, but I figure if the information is out there, I'd have much more fun studying a commodity that is so personal for me.

Thanks for any help!

Don Hite
theclarinetist@yahoo.com

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Re: Research Question

Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-01-27 10:27

Sounds fascinating. I'm sure Mark C would be delighted to publish your report on this website so we can all read it. I'm only sorry no-one yet seems able to help you.

How much time do you have to spend on this? Is it just an essay, or a major project? If you have lots of time, it would be worth approaching Buffet, Vandoren etc to try to do interviews over the phone.

There are quite a few Google references to academic papers that might help, for example http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Arundo_donax.html.

Don't just read the papers. Contact the authors.

If you have limited time, then I would suggest limiting your scope. Maybe just to Arundo donax, or (much more promising, I think) just to grenadilla. I suspect you will get more credit for an in-depth report on a small topic, than for an overview of a large topic that never gets into the detail.

-----------

If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.

To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.

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Re: Research Question

Author: beejay
Date: 2004-01-27 11:53

You could do worse than starting with:
http://www.blackwoodconservation.org/

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Re: Research Question

Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-01-27 15:46

There was also an excellent public television documentary on the mpingo tree and its use in woodwind instruments. It gets rebroadcast from time to time, though not in the last couple of years. It would definitely be worth contacting the maker (PBS?) for a copy. Perhaps someone on the board recorded it.

Best regards.

Ken Shaw

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Re: Research Question

Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2004-01-27 15:58

Ken Shaw wrote:

> There was also an excellent public television documentary on
> the mpingo tree and its use in woodwind instruments.

The BBC (producers of the documentary) has graciously allowed the Blackwood Conservancy to distribute copies:

http://www.blackwoodconservation.org/videoform.html

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