Tag Archives: reeds

Bulbing a reed stem: troubles with bulbs and cups in Hellenic auloi

In my recent experiments making aulos reeds and pipes based on Hellenic finds, I have encountered some problems which I’d like to share in the hope of sparking a discussion. First, some useful terminology: At the time of Martin West’s … Continue reading

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Phragmites australis vs Arundo donax

So far as I am aware, no aulos player today uses reeds made of Common Reed, Phragmites australis. We all use Giant Reed, Arundo donax. The reason is simple: the doublepipe revival began in a cultural environment that only esteemed Arundo. … Continue reading

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Hichiriki reeds

by Jean Jeltsch, Robin Howell and Barnaby Brown This Japanese hichiriki reed was photographed by the bassoon reed researcher Jean-Marie Heinrich in the 1980s. It bears a striking resemblance to an aulos reed acquired by the Berlin Egyptian Museum in 1894: … Continue reading

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A Louvre deluxe model by Robin Howell

In June 2017, Callum Armstrong upgraded to a deluxe Louvre model, developed for him by Robin Howell in Toronto, Canada. Callum’s first performance playing this ‘Rolls-Royce’ instrument was at the 10th MOISA Meeting in Oxford last July: The photographs above … Continue reading

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Further thoughts on reed making

This tool makes short work of cutting tubes in batches, all the same length. The end stop is adjustable because the length of reed varies from aulos to aulos. After cutting the tubes, I now use a sharp scalpel blade … Continue reading

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More thoughts on reed making

This is the second instalment of Callum Armstrong’s reed-making journey — the first is here.  We made these notes and photos before a London Aulos Group meeting on 6 January 2015. This photo shows three different causes of cracking. Here are our suggested solutions: … Continue reading

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