Growing Cane to Beautiful Music: The Story of Arundo Donax Reed Production
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Growing Cane to Beautiful Music: The Story of Arundo Donax Reed Production
- 1. The Great Beginning From Cane to Beautiful Music
- 2. The Great Beginning Cane field in the south of France-home of Arundo Donax
- 3. The Great Beginning Growing 7 meters high and 6 meters between
- 4. The Great Beginning The root of the plant – called the rhizome
- 5. The Great Beginning Planting the rhizome
- 6. The Great Beginning Early growth provides final diameter
- 7. The Great Beginning Selection by size
- 8. The Great Beginning Nodes and what’s between them
- 9. The Great Beginning Two year growth means it’s time to harvest
- 10. The Great Beginning Winter is harvest time
- 11. The Great Beginning Special tools are used to cut the cane by hand
- 13. The Great Beginning Waiting to begin the process
- 14. The Great Beginning Leaf stripping
- 15. The Great Beginning Sunning
- 16. The Great Beginning For aesthetics only (about 3-4 weeks)
- 17. The Great Beginning Naturally drying for 2 years
- 18. The Great Beginning Step One – after 2 years, the manufacturing begins
- 19. The Great Beginning Step Two
- 20. The Great Beginning Laser and video
- 22. The Great Beginning Elimination of impurities
- 23. The Great Beginning Cutting the reed table to precise tolerances measured in microns
- 24. The Great Beginning Ready for shaping and cutting the tip
- 26. The Great Beginning Making the reed mold - a skill handed down from generation to generation
- 29. The Great Beginning Over 100 blade strokes at a tolerance of just a few microns
- 31. The Great Beginning Ready to cut the tip
- 32. The Great Beginning Measurements to confirm precision and quality
- 33. The Great Beginning Determining the reed strength
- 34. The Great Beginning Stamping And play testing
- 35. Finished
- 38. The Great Beginning Building A Mouthpiece
- 39. The Great Beginning Turning the barrel
- 40. The Great Beginning Turning the barrel
- 41. The Great Beginning Measure, measure, measure
- 42. The Great Beginning Polishing
- 43. The Great Beginning Cutting the facing
- 44. The Great Beginning Precision cutting to tolerances measured in microns
- 46. The Great Beginning Measure and Measure and Measure
- 47. The Great Beginning Hand Finishing
- 48. The Great Beginning Contact Information info@dansr.com www.dansr.com www.vandoren.com www.whyvandoren.com www.whyvandoren.com
- 49. The Great Beginning www.vandoren.com
Editor's Notes
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- There are parts of the world best for growing Arundo Donax, often referred to as Music Cane. Those parts of the world must have a high water table, 300 days of sun per year and a steady breeze to strengthen the cane as it grows so it vibrate properly once it is a reed. Here in the south of France, conditions are perfect to make the world’s most popular reeds. In the background is the Van Doren family villa.\n
- It is important to maintain distance between the rows of cane to provide proper airflow. The gentle breezes of the south of France strengthen the cane so it will vibrate properly once it is cut into a reed.\n
- The root of the cane plant is called the rhizome. Notice the white spots at the end are cane soon to grow.\n
- The root of the cane plant is called the rhizome. Notice the white spots at the end are cane soon to grow.\n
- At six weeks of growth, the cane will reach maximum circumference. It is at this point the Vandoren specialist can determine which will be clarinet, alto saxophone or baritone saxophone reeds.\n
- At six weeks of growth, the cane will reach maximum circumference. It is at this point the Vandoren specialist can determine which will be clarinet, alto saxophone or baritone saxophone reeds.\n
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- The cane will grow for two years before it will be cut. The substantial height occurs in the second year. At two years the density of the cane is perfect for reeds. Longer growth makes the density too think to make quality reeds. Above, the cane being held in this gentleman’s right hand is two years old while the other is one year of growth.\n
- The cane is harvested n the winter time when the sap is still. Cutting when the sap is still will prevent damage of the cane while its being cut. \n
- To insure a quality cut, all cane is cut by hand with a specially designed tool with a razor sharp blade. \n
- Here, you see the Vandoren specialists taking great care to cut the cane and transport it back to the factory for drying.\n
- Carried out of the field, the cane is brought to a staging place where the process begins.\n
- The process is begun by stripping all the leaves off the cane. \n
- The next stop is for sunning. This is not drying, merely the aesthetic process to create the golden color you expect to see when you open the box. If the cane is a little less golden then your last box, it simply means the sun did not change the color as much. This is all aesthetics and does not have impact on the quality of the reeds to produced later.\n
- The next stop is for sunning. This is not drying, merely the aesthetic process to create the golden color you expect to see when you open the box. If the cane is a little less golden then your last box, it simply means the sun did not change the color as much. This is all aesthetics and does not have impact on the quality of the reeds to produced later.\n
- The next stop is for sunning. This is not drying, merely the aesthetic process to create the golden color you expect to see when you open the box. If the cane is a little less golden then your last box, it simply means the sun did not change the color as much. This is all aesthetics and does not have impact on the quality of the reeds to produced later.\n
- The tube is then split into four sections.\n
- The tube is then split into four sections.\n
- The tube is then split into four sections.\n
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- Before the cane enters the process of cutting, all impurities are eliminated from the surface of the cane. The use of corn kernels gently cleans the surface of the cane. \n
- The first cut is to create the table. Using very precise cutting tools, the table is prepared. A perfectly flat table is the basis for the quality of vibration of a reed. Warped tables will prevent the reed from sitting flat on the mouthpiece which in turn, will prevent the reed from vibrating freely. The Vandoren reed resurfacer is one tool musicians use to restore the tables of reeds that have been played to their original flat condition, thereby lengthening the life of the reed.\n
- After the table is cut the first cut on the top is created. After this the reed will be placed in the most advanced cutting machines in the industry. By the way, the brown spots on the cane in the photo on the right are caused by leaves laying against the cane while it was growing. This part of the cane bark gets less sunlight and therefore is darker, or brown. It has no effect on the quality of the reed. It will play a beautiful as the one in the photo on the left.\n
- One the first cut is completed, the reeds are loaded in a magazine that fit into the cutting machine. Notice that this is done by hand so they can evaluate the reed. Many reeds are discarded at this point. Over 85% of an average yearly output is discarded before it becomes a reed.\n
- One the first cut is completed, the reeds are loaded in a magazine that fit into the cutting machine. Notice that this is done by hand so they can evaluate the reed. Many reeds are discarded at this point. Over 85% of an average yearly output is discarded before it becomes a reed.\n
- The next three screens show the most precise cutting machines in the industry. Using diamond tools that can cut to a precision of 4 microns, these machines make between 100 and 120 cuts to create the heart and and rails of the reed. Notice that this machine works in a single motion–from back to front just as hand made reeds are made. Not all machines in the reed industry do this and certainly few machines in the world are as precise as these.\n
- The next three screens show the most precise cutting machines in the industry. Using diamond tools that can cut to a precision of 4 microns, these machines make between 100 and 120 cuts to create the heart and and rails of the reed. Notice that this machine works in a single motion–from back to front just as hand made reeds are made. Not all machines in the reed industry do this and certainly few machines in the world are as precise as these.\n
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- After the reed has passed through the cutting machine the tip is left to be cut. It is only at this point in that we know what the strength will be. Because it is a natural substance, we cannot “order up” a few hundred #3 reeds. The flexibility is determined by the cane itself. By the way, the tiger marking on this reed makes it look beautiful, but there is no way knowing what it can do until a artist plays it.\n
- Precise measurements at many points in the manufacturing process insures that Vandoren reeds are the very best that can be made.\n
- The magazine that’s in the picture on the left is dropping reeds into a cutting machine so the tip can be cut. After the tip is cut, the reed moves onto a very precise computer-controlled machine that measures the flexibility and assigns a reed strength. The computer samples temperature and humidity into an equation with the flexibility in order to determine the strength. Once the range is selected, it drops into one of the trays you see below in the photo on the left. Strengths are zones of flexibility. There may be in one box of #3 the whole range of flexibility we choose as that strength or merely a sampling. Reeds are boxed by machine so there’s no way of knowing what the flexibility range will be.\n
- Just before it drops into the tray, a stamping machine places the Vandoren name and strength number on the reed. Vandoren specialists (all playing musicians) tests a sample of each batch to insure quality.\n
- As you advance as a player, you’ll begin to have a better feeling for the reed that works best for your mouthpiece and for the sound you’re looking for. The diagram above shows the three clarinet reeds from Vandoren. Each modifies the amount of wood in the heart, the cut of the tip and the thickness of the cane for different sounds. Experimentation is the best way to find what works best. All Vandoren clarinet reeds are available in individually wrapped flow packs so you can try a few to see what you like without buying a whole box. Have your teacher listen to the difference and pick the one that fits your needs the best.\n
- As you advance as a player, you’ll begin to have a better feeling for the reed that works best for your mouthpiece and for the sound you’re looking for. The diagram above shows the three clarinet reeds from Vandoren. Each modifies the amount of wood in the heart, the cut of the tip and the thickness of the cane for different sounds. Experimentation is the best way to find what works best. All Vandoren clarinet reeds are available in individually wrapped flow packs so you can try a few to see what you like without buying a whole box. Have your teacher listen to the difference and pick the one that fits your needs the best.\n
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- After the beak, tip and table are cut, the mouthpiece is polished to a shiny black. The table is not buffed to insure the precision of the cut stay in tact.\n
- Vandoren craftsmen finish the window and rails by hand to exacting specifications. Every mouthpiece Vandoren makes is hand finished.\n
- For more information consult our web site for additional “how to” information\n
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