 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Pokenerd
Date: 2023-08-27 10:50
For those who make their own reeds- what tube canes do you guys personally use? Im trying to looking for a good source of cane for my reeds as well
Minjun
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Author: ruben
Date: 2023-08-27 21:25
I, personally, don't make reeds, but here in France, I know Rigotti enjoys an excellent reputation. I seem to trecall that Brad Behn uses Rigotti cane, and he knows what he's doing.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Pokenerd
Date: 2023-08-28 03:14
Any recommendations on where to get them? Straight from their website?
Minjun
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Author: ruben
Date: 2023-08-28 09:22
There's no other way. There's not a shop in the world that sells them. The people at Rigotti are very nice and helpful (I don't know whether they speak much English though).
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-08-28 19:30
According to Wikipedia , Anduro Dorax is the cane typically used for woodwind reed making. Here in Spain it grows around river banks and " torrentes " and is an invasive plant . I still have a bit growing in my garden, and while it doesn't prosper without watering, it is impossible to get rid of it without digging out all the tuberous roots.
So basically it's a cane which is commonplace here in the Med and no doubt also in other similar climate places. Basically a weed .
I was a bit surprised to just discover this, as I had somehow assumed that harder Asian bamboos we're used for reed making. Anduro Dorax is a far lighter, less dense, less strong cane that bamboo, but I guess it makes sense that a European cane would be the traditional material for reed making.
Pity you're not here Pokenerd, I could lend you a machete and you could cut yourself a lifetime's supply down by the river in about half an hour.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: kdk
Date: 2023-08-28 22:31
Julian ibiza wrote:
> Here in Spain it grows around
> river banks and " torrentes " and is an invasive plant .
FWIW, arundo donax grows around here, too, in Lower Bucks County, PA, USA. Mostly wild along roadsides (it *is* very invasive, as is bamboo), but at least one outdoor sculpture garden in New Jersey uses it as a stand-in for corn stalks - it isn't as seasonal as corn and gives the impression, if not the exact appearance.
I've never tried to make a reed from local a.d., but from everything I've ever read, the quality of the cane is very different depending on climate. Spain and France have traditionally been considered the best places to harvest cane for reeds, followed by some areas of South America.
Karl
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Author: ruben
Date: 2023-08-28 23:33
Karl and Julian: wild cane doesn't have the evenness and refinement of cane grown with a view to making reeds. The results it produces are less good. It would appear that cane used for reeds benefits from wind, as well as soil and sun of course. There's plenty of wind in the South of France: the Mistral. An old friend from the Duke Ellington orchestra claimed that the best cane in the world came from Cuba! Access to that went out with the arrival of Castro. The cane from Argentina also comes from a windy area outside of the town of Mendoza.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-08-29 00:14
That this cane grows in areas of the US. doesn't surprise me and is maybe good news for the OP. I imagine that between a sufficient base diameter and a suitable hardness for reed making, the conditions under which it grows are no doubt important as you have suggested Karl. This cane grows densely all along the banks of the river near my house, but the river has been dry now for 30 years. Hence this cane is clinging to original habitat conditions that no longer exist.The only change is in the height and thickness that it grows.( probably down by about 25%). It definitely has a seasonal growth period where it's lush and soft and then goes on to laying down carbon and so become good for making things.
Here it's traditionally used for shucking the almonds and carobs from the trees.
It's a lot lighter and by no means as strong as bamboo.
In Spain it's called " Cana" ....well..with the "N" with the squiggle on top so that's pronounced " canya ". A woodwind reed has the same name.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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