Re: Was Organic-Manic, now Giant Reed
- To: , "Mediterranean Plants" ,
- Subject: Re: Was Organic-Manic, now Giant Reed
- From: J*
- Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 05:12:47 -0800
Rod, what a great story about your father. I sometimes wonder what my
children will remember most vividly about me...
-----Original Message-----
From: Randall, Rod <rprandall@agric.wa.gov.au>
To: Mediterranean Plants <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>; 'reikirk@ksu.edu'
<reikirk@ksu.edu>
Date: Monday, December 13, 1999 10:04 PM
Subject: RE: Was Organic-Manic, now Giant Reed
>> - but isn't this also
>> the traditional material for bassoon and oboe reeds, maybe clarinet and
>> sax as well?
>>
>No sorry Bob,
>
>my father was the principal oboist in the Perth Symphony Orchestra for many
>years
>and he made his own mouthpieces out of real bamboo reeds. He bought the
>reed material from specialist shops and was very fussy about the stock
>rejecting many pieces for the slightest tonal imbalance. Never one to let
>all his hard work making the things go to waste he sold his rejects to
>students and other lesser players who couldn't tell that they had any
>faults. As far as I'm aware at the time he was the only oboist making
>mouthpieces in this state. It took ages so I'm not suprised.
>
>He had this wonderful little specialist plane that he used to shave the
>reeds into the shape required
>and next to our telephone in the cupboard support pillar that went to the
>ceiling he had hammered a huge nail that he used to tension the string on
as
>he tied the reeds to the plug piece.
>
>Many a visitor wondered why this big nail was there...
>
>
>Rod
>> ----------
>>
>
>
