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Re: Density machine!?!

Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2010-07-15 12:26

Those density machines look like regular hardness testers. My experience with Cor Anglais is limited - I've only ever had horrible reeds using Glotin pre-shaped cane.

But for the oboe, I've had remarkably good reeds from very soft cane to very hard. HOWEVER, all my (tube) cane dates back to 1994 and older. I remember buying gouged cane back then and the notion of "ripe" cane. It was simply impossible to make a good reed with "green" cane (there was really a greenish reflection on the inside) even if it was hard. Even yellow (as opposed to golden-cream) was not so hot. This notion was shared by everyone in Montreal.

I had tried to sun-dry such cane with no luck. Now, it seems that as long as the cane is flat, all my reeds turn out at least decent and often excellent; the only exception being that type of grain that is so porous and dry that it crumbles with a lot of dust when you break it.

I'm guessing - please comment - that density testers are most valuable to determine how to gouge it. I'm guessing that harder cane is best gouged thinner. I only have one gouger and no hardness tester, so I can't even experiment on this.

Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music

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