AntHill
19th February 2006, 04:17 PM
Hello. I am new here, but I have been working with bamboo since I was a teenager. So I have information that you may find useful.
Anyway, for those familiar with things like hornpipes, launeddas (from the island of Sardinia), mijwiz (from Near East), and bagpipes, I once made several such instruments from bamboo. Never made a bagpipe, but for making woodwinds the plain stakes used for gardening are pretty good, provided that you can find one that is straight and with long sections. Go for anything from ½"-3/4" O.D. with I.D. between 5/16 and 3/4. Anything at ¼" I.D. is good for really small pipes.
To make the holes in the pipe, I find that drilling a pilot hole in the bamboo and then burning them out with a red-hot iron is the best method. Not only are the holes cleaner, but also the end product looks neater. If using a drill instead, one should use a low speed; at high speeds the bit may catch in the bamboo and break it. Make a pilot hole, then ream out with the tang end of a file or a pointy, sharp knife. Finish rounding out the holes with an appropiately sized standard twist drill bit. Or, simply use an X-acto knife to round them out.
Or, one can use the following method if there is nothing round to work with. On the place where the hole is to be made, take a sharp, pointy knife and make a tiny rectangular indentation thereon, then remove the surface coating. Use the pointy part of the knife to cut the cane, then take out the cane plug from the hole. Finish the hole by cutting away the extra woody tissue until perfectly rectangular. This is the way that launeddas makers cut the holes on their instruments. I find an X-acto knife to be suitable for the job. A pocketknife will also work, but the knife must be sharp and pointy. Since the cane is a bit soft, a sharp knife will be required to prevent it from cracking.
As for the reeds, I find giant reed (Arundo donax) to be the best material, although common river reed (Phragmites australis or P. communis) is also a satisfactory material. However, I find that the former gives a stronger and clearer sound. Also, this material is less affected by moisture than is the latter.
There are different ways to make reeds, but making single reeds is pretty easy, especially when making an idioglot "up-cut" reed. Simply cut a segment of reed, with one end closed, and make a V-notch across the grain, about 1½" (3 cm) from the knot (node) end. Cut away bit by bit until the inside chamber is barely visible. Then take a sharp, thin knife and carefully split the cane, with the grain, right up to about 3/16" (5 mm) from the knot. Then slide the knife out. You should then have a "tongue" split from the rest of the body.
There is also a method for "down-cut" reeds. Simply remember to start the notch near the knot and make the split toward the open end.
I learned the above from trial and error. However, the above instructions are good for starters. Anyone who has made Sardinian launeddas or similar instruments should familiar with this method.
All are welcome to add their opinions. I am sure there are some of you who can make bassoon reeds. I still have difficulty making double reeds using A. donax, even though I do have some experience in doing that.
Also, if there is anyone on this forum that lives in California, I would like to see if I can obtain some dried stalks of A.donax from there. Since the climate there is much like that of the Mediterranean, I wonder if the cane from that State is of the same quality as what comes from the south of France and Italy. If that is so, then California seems to have the best cane in the U.S.
Anyway, for those familiar with things like hornpipes, launeddas (from the island of Sardinia), mijwiz (from Near East), and bagpipes, I once made several such instruments from bamboo. Never made a bagpipe, but for making woodwinds the plain stakes used for gardening are pretty good, provided that you can find one that is straight and with long sections. Go for anything from ½"-3/4" O.D. with I.D. between 5/16 and 3/4. Anything at ¼" I.D. is good for really small pipes.
To make the holes in the pipe, I find that drilling a pilot hole in the bamboo and then burning them out with a red-hot iron is the best method. Not only are the holes cleaner, but also the end product looks neater. If using a drill instead, one should use a low speed; at high speeds the bit may catch in the bamboo and break it. Make a pilot hole, then ream out with the tang end of a file or a pointy, sharp knife. Finish rounding out the holes with an appropiately sized standard twist drill bit. Or, simply use an X-acto knife to round them out.
Or, one can use the following method if there is nothing round to work with. On the place where the hole is to be made, take a sharp, pointy knife and make a tiny rectangular indentation thereon, then remove the surface coating. Use the pointy part of the knife to cut the cane, then take out the cane plug from the hole. Finish the hole by cutting away the extra woody tissue until perfectly rectangular. This is the way that launeddas makers cut the holes on their instruments. I find an X-acto knife to be suitable for the job. A pocketknife will also work, but the knife must be sharp and pointy. Since the cane is a bit soft, a sharp knife will be required to prevent it from cracking.
As for the reeds, I find giant reed (Arundo donax) to be the best material, although common river reed (Phragmites australis or P. communis) is also a satisfactory material. However, I find that the former gives a stronger and clearer sound. Also, this material is less affected by moisture than is the latter.
There are different ways to make reeds, but making single reeds is pretty easy, especially when making an idioglot "up-cut" reed. Simply cut a segment of reed, with one end closed, and make a V-notch across the grain, about 1½" (3 cm) from the knot (node) end. Cut away bit by bit until the inside chamber is barely visible. Then take a sharp, thin knife and carefully split the cane, with the grain, right up to about 3/16" (5 mm) from the knot. Then slide the knife out. You should then have a "tongue" split from the rest of the body.
There is also a method for "down-cut" reeds. Simply remember to start the notch near the knot and make the split toward the open end.
I learned the above from trial and error. However, the above instructions are good for starters. Anyone who has made Sardinian launeddas or similar instruments should familiar with this method.
All are welcome to add their opinions. I am sure there are some of you who can make bassoon reeds. I still have difficulty making double reeds using A. donax, even though I do have some experience in doing that.
Also, if there is anyone on this forum that lives in California, I would like to see if I can obtain some dried stalks of A.donax from there. Since the climate there is much like that of the Mediterranean, I wonder if the cane from that State is of the same quality as what comes from the south of France and Italy. If that is so, then California seems to have the best cane in the U.S.