 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2007-05-18 23:27
(Disclaimer - I raise Arundo Donax Musicalis genetically transformed cane, cure, and make reeds)
Part of the answer to your question is economic and part tradition but the scientific aspects have been by no means fully explained either.
Usually cane is harvested in the second year + in the cold or dormant months so that as little moisture is present as possible. It is sun cured which reduces the moisture levels and turns it from green to golden color. The cane is then cut at the internodes and put into moisture permeable bags of a standard weight. It is sold at auction and then sent to the manufacturer who will further age it from 1 to 3+ years in temperature and humidity controlled warehouses (ideally ??). The cane is then graded by thickness and diameter and split into semi-circular pieces for manufacturing into reeds. All of this has evolved from an economic and traditional perspective.
The problems arise in warpage because cane grows in a tube and we make flat reeds out of part of the semi-circle and the tubules conducting moisture and the associated structure wants to be circular again when moisture is allowed to flow through the tubules.
Partial reed blanks which were overall larger than the anticipated reed form that were wet and then dried in a cycle (who knows what is best?) and then manufactured might? warp less than reeds manufactured directly from the aged split cane but I do not know of a scientifically designed study to testing this - maybe not.
The historical perspective is that the several year aging process stabilizes the cane sufficiently that warpage is minimal (no proof that I know documenting this) after reeds are manufactured.
The economic part would be the extra steps and time needed to cycle reed blanks through hydration and dehydration before final finishing. Is the potential of reduced warpage worth these extra steps ? - this would have to be proven. I would guess that the answer would be no because of the variability already seen in reeds manufactured presently. Would people pay $40.00 per box of reeds that were not much, much, better than the present $20.00 per box high end reeds? Good question.
If you want to do it yourself that might be a good thing to do - would manufacturers do it - probably not economically feasible.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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cpark |
2007-05-18 21:42 |
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L. Omar Henderson |
2007-05-18 23:27 |
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