On the Serengeti Plain of Africa, conservationists worry that African blackwood (grenadillo) used for woodwind instruments such as clarinets and oboes is threatened because large trees are overharvested.
And woodwinds aren’t the only instruments that are made from wood. (RTWT)
So … I shaped some cane today: 10 pieces of oboe, 4 pieces of EH. I’m wondering how long it takes other people to do this. I think I’m slow! I suspect it took me well over an hour. I’m also frustrated; I hate tossing razor blade after razor blade out, but it seems each piece of cane takes a new one. It seems awfully wasteful. It’s not about the money … it’s about waste. Anyone out there sharpen theirs rather than add to our trash heaps?
While I was shaping I finally tried out the “opera” station on Comcast. It isn’t all opera, but it’s all opera singers. I actually enjoyed the listening experience even though it was a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
At the break, I also met the trombone player. I wish I could remember his name. I went up to him and said I played trombone too. He said, “Great, maybe you will be playing up here one day.” I said I wanted to be in an orchestra. He smiled at me. Then, I innocently said to him, “I saw you puffing your cheeks when you were playing. I thought you weren’t supposed to do that?” He looked at me, smiled again, and said, “Well, you are right. I shouldn’t be. But I am.”
-from the site Frequency Bone (RTWT)
There are several reasons I like this story. 🙂
