Material used for making reeds

[dhulipSarma]

What materials are used for making a low read producing low frequencies?

[Clanad]

The Arundo plant (Arundo donax L. ) has been of significance to the various cultures of the Western world because of its role in the development of music. This plant is also known as Giant reed or Persian reed. It is indigenous to the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Later it was cultivated and naturalized in the warmer climatic regions of every major continent. In the past it has been the natural source for woodwind reeds.

However, now there several companies marketing synthetic reed designs, all of which rely on synthetic polymers as their basis. One of the earliest was in the 60's with the invention of Fibercane, a material which is still used to make woodwind reeds. It is a composite made from Dacron polyester fibers and epoxy resins.Besides the fact that synthetic reed fibers are uniform and predictable, they are also much less subject to wear and tear, especially that caused by moisture from the player's saliva or lung vapors. Though some of the newer materials used for bagpipe, clarinet, oboe, or saxophone reeds absorb some liquid the way a cane reed does, they remain much more stable when conditions change. Another condition to which synthetic reeds are much more immune is weather - namely temperature and humidity. (With thanks to University of Southern Mississippi School of Music)