Why are reeds made of cane and not bamboo?
October 20, 2023
How to adjust your reed to your requirements?
October 24, 2023
1. Hi Noemie! Can you tell us about your work at Steuer?
At Steuer, I'm in charge of splitting tubes and sawing cane segments. These are the initial stages of reed production. I use cane tubes already selected by diameter according to the instrument.
For example, for clarinets, the tube diameter is between 23 and 26.5 mm, for saxophones, the diameter is greater than 27 mm.
2. Are there any differences for the German and Boehm clarinets, as well as for the different saxophones at this stage?
Yes, we already proceed by instrument sub-categories for clarinets and saxophones. For example, German clarinet models and Exclusive reeds require a thicker wall than the Classic model for the Boehm system. We also distinguish between soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones in terms of tube diameter. So Mother Nature has to provide us with the raw material to produce such reeds.
The cane tubes are then passed through a metal splitter with an arrow-shaped blade to split the tube into four long quarters. At this stage, I check that the tube quarters are perfectly straight. I then saw them into segments to the right length, and if I’m lucky a quarter can give me two or three segments (two or three reeds at the very end of the process).
For example, for the Bb clarinet, a segment length is 69 mm. Next comes the tabling operation.
3. Would you like to add anything for our community?
We couldn't be more grateful for the incredible support from our amazing community of musicians. Thank you for being the heart and soul of our journey. Keep making beautiful music!
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