While at music camp last year, all of the oboes were told to put orange peels in thier cases to keep the wood from cracking (the camp was in the moutains *altitide*. The oboe teacher told my friend (a bassoon player) to put orange peels on HER bassoon so it wouldn't crack. She went to open up her case and there were ants all over the bassoon! The bassoon instructor then informed her that bassoon wood does not crack in altitude, unlike oboe wood. Why is this?

Oboes cause worries about cracking because the wood is bored thinner than bassoon wood, and also because there are so very many holes and posts drilled into oboes, and so close together, that cracking is a real problem. Bassoons don't have so many holes drilled into them close together, and their bores are thicker. So they usually don't have those kinds of problems.

What he ^^^ said. BTW HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!!!

ahhh...so it isn't about the wood itself?

how does an orange peel help not cracking? am i missing something?

The orange peels act as a natural humidifier. Clarinets occasionally use them as well.

you know how flautists will wrap a wet sponge in foil and put it inside the headjoint when in altitude to protect the pads? It's the same deal with orange peels and wood. The orange peels have to be fresh though, you can't use the same peel for more than two days at most

ahh. i see. thanks

except instead of protecting the pads, they keep the wood from cracking. Although, when oboes go up into altitude, a tone hole usually gets cracked, thats just normal.