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Re: Aged Cane

Author: d-oboe
Date: 2007-08-30 23:51

I like your tomato analogy -

Going with that, I think there comes a point in cane maturing where it loses its freshness - its zing. Obviously that "zing" will change for different people. The bassoonists I've met seem to like fresher, younger cane because it has so much ease of vibration. The stability (i.e. a really clean 3 octave crow) is less of a concern for them. The oboists, on the other hand, tend to prefer the darker, somewhat harder cane - to me that kind of cane is a bit "calmer" and so suits the need for a clean-crowing reed.
After a point though, I can't help but feel all the extra aging of cane is unnecessary. (I.e people aging their cane for over 10 years before using it) The cane doesn't last forever - the cells start to break down.

I have read articles by the "grandfathers" of oboe (Mack, specifically) that all harken back to the days of old when cane was 30 years old before it was used. However, cane harvesting, like any other agricultural practice, has become much more sophisticated with advances in technology. Farmers now have more scientific knowledge available (as opposed to passed-down words) as to when to cut the cane, and how much water, how much light, etc., that the cane needs. I think that the quality of the cane at the time of harvest is much more important than anything else. If quality is a consistent problem for any of you - I suggest you buy from a place that can tell you all the specifics of the cane, but more importantly so that you can look at the cane before buying it.

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