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Full Scrapheap Orchestra programme is tonight (Sunday 11th Dec) on BBC4, at 21:30.

Just added that to my "record" list in case I forget to watch it - it looks fascinating!

Yes, will be interesting to see if he makes a mouthpiece from scrap. Making the pipe is the easy bit.

Very interesting!

But check this out: Clarinet made of carrot!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWbj7FYEi3M

It proves that the cost of the Clarinet is determined not so much by the material but the technical know-how of it's maker.

I've just added this to the record list, too!!! Looks really interesting! Thanks for the heads up!

Wow. Sounds remarkably clarinet like too!!!

It's on!!!!

Watching it now

Well I am amazed. I never thought it would sound that good. I would certainly have "pulled the plug". It was very interesting and provoked some thoughtful comments on the value of instruments and the values of our society.
Standing ovation from me.

it was a fine programme. On iPlayer until next Sunday night for those of you who missed it.

will have to watch it at some point....

Yes, do - it's worth it!

Also repeated on Wednesday at 1930 and on Thursday at 0200. I'm going to have to watch it soon. I heard some discussion about the programme on Radio 3 or 4 the other day and it sounded really good. Also, I find Charles Hazlewood quite exciting.

viola-mad! Mr. Hazlewood is exciting.

There was an article about Daniel Bangham of Wood, Wind & Reed in the Winter edition of Double Reed News. I was hoping to see more about him making the oboe and bassoon in the programme but we didn't see much. It was interesting watching the musicians first reaction to their 'new' instrument

Oooh, that looks nice... my own blue clarinet...

WWR is our local music shop and Mr Bangham's son went to primary school with me, so we know the family quite well. In the summer I went to get my bassoon fixed at his workshop and was allowed to try both scrap bassoons (only partly made at that point) - one of only 4 people to play it, apparently

I agree, would have been good to see more about the double reed instruments. I loved the tuba though

I wonder if anyone on this forum actually attended the event in the Albert Hall .....

I enjoyed watching it but thought some people could have been a bit more open minded. I think the makers did a great job.

Daniel showed me the Oboe when we went to buy Matthew's flute.

He's actually rather proud of it!

I've known him for the best part of thirty years now since he started fixing Oboes for me so it's rather nice to have the next generation learning a woodwind instrument too. Especially as he does work om mum's clarinets too. (she is an adult learner taking them up seriously after the age of 40).

I wish they would do podcasts of all the deleted bits - there was room for a whole series over 6 weeks for us enthusiasts! So many lessons to learn. The final sound was quite "period" I thought. But I wanted to see more about the making of the wind and brass. I think that all the makers and the players must have taken a lot away from the experience. MORE MORE MORE!

So glad I watched this programme- I enjoyed seeing the journeys that a lot of the instruments made, especially the strings!



I agree- I would have loved to have seen more about how he made those instruments! It was interesting to see how the other instruments were made, but the double reeds sounded really good- it would have been interesting to see how much he had to change his original designs I'll have to try and find that article though...






I thought his instruments sounded amazing! I'm taking my oboe to WWR next week for a service- maybe I'll see the oboes!

Hi OboePiano, hope you get to see the oboes and bassoons Daniel Bangham made. I agree with Dulcet there could have been 6 weeks worth of programmes for us to enjoy. They could maybe have focussed on one instrument maker each week and we could have seen their progress from the earliest prototype through to the 'finished' instrument.

I watched a recording of it the other night. It made a change to see a really interesting programme. I could have done without the formulaic 'reality tv' bits. It would have been nice to see more of the oboe/bassoon and rather less of the percussion.

However, it was interesting. Maybe they'll do a series about instrument makers?

Yes, I would have liked to see the oboe. Obviously because I play the thing but particularly because I would have liked to see how the technical challenges of building one (conical bore for example) were tackled.

It was disappointing to see "proper" valves being used for the trumpets and horns when the poor old violin maker worked so hard to make something genuinely scrappy.

Personally I think they would have been better off creating a scrap baroque band with keyless winds and natural trumpets and horns.

The British double reed magazine had an article about them. The conical bore was obtained by using a golf-club (and weight was a problem with the finished instrument). If you haven't got the magazine and are interested I can go dig my copy out and give you a few more details.

It would be nice to know. I do recall now some mention of golf clubs in the programme.

YEs, I thought the brass and percussion got away with an easy time, relatively speaking. I agree I think a baroque orchestra would have been a more realistic option in many ways, but Mr. Man-in-the-street wouldn't understand that (wouldn't have bothered the BBC in the 70s )

Hi all,

I finally got round to watching it last night. I agree with many of the statements and thought is was a little too reality TV-like. Having said that, what a fascinating pregramme!

I really wanted to see more of the bassoons in particular as they are complicated intruments to make as opposed to the percussion. On an aside, the scrap bassoons reminded me of playing my first school bassoon, though the scrap ones were probably better!

The clarinets sounded great, as did the flutes. I was also very impressed with the sound of the horns, which sounded much like proper horns I think.

The oboe was made from a fishing rod and the bassoon from a golf-club. To get the bore he wanted, he cut them up and then re-assembled them like a telescopic radio arial. He also used bits of windscreen wipers and cutlery but the article doesn't say where or how.

Ah thanks for that. I would imagine the cutlery was used for keywork (as did the clarinet maker).

One of the bassoons had a 'slug' (handrest) made from one of those little souvenir plaster-of-paris dog models

I saw the oboes and bassoons today, and one of the oboes had a thumbrest made from a pencil sharpener the other one was made from part of a computer hard drive apparently!
I got to try one of the oboes as well

Belatedly...I watched this last night. We recorded it when it was on, and haven't had many chances to fit in an hour and a half programme

I really enjoyed it - I think given the time involved, it was reasonable to let the winds and brasses keep their mouthpieces (and valves). I'd love to see it done over a longer period to see what could be done in those areas though. Full points for the ice-cream-stick-reed attempt

As much as I enjoyed it, my husband (a 'non-musical' person) absolutely loved it! I was just hoping he wasn't going to be bored watching it, but he was absolutely transfixed and flabbergasted at the quality of the end result.