wilhoit wrote:A semitone at that pitch requires a tube extension of about six inches (neglecting the end correction). A toilet paper roll isn't long enough.
Interesting calculation! Remember that this was over 100 years ago, so it is important to put everything into an historical perspective, where the key bit of information is that at the turn of the 20th century, "paper" typically referred to kraft paper, newsprint, and so forth, which were provided on various types of rolls . . .
In this context, a "paper roll" might be the roll onto which kraft paper used in a delicatessen or similar food shop was rolled . . .
This is a photograph of a modern Bassoon extender made of ABS tubing, but there are more elaborate extensions made by highly skilled craftsmen who design and build Bassoons, although at a considerably greater price than the typical approximately $10 (US) for the simple ABS version available from Forrests . . .
ABS Plastic Bassoon Extender ~ Forrests: The Double Reed Specialists® THOUGHTSPVC pipes filled with absorbing material can be used to control various types of low-frequency standing waves in a sound isolation studio, and as such they are Helmholtz resonators that "absorb" the undesired standing waves to which they are attuned . . .
Rolls of fiberglass insulation and cubes of compressed cellulose tend to work better, since they are not so focused on a small range of frequencies, which is the reason I use rolls of fiberglass insulation and cubes of compressed cellulose as low frequency "treatments" here in the sound isolation studio, which is a room within a room within a room and has a fully floated floor . . .
Yet another curious use of tubes was Quincy Jones having Michael Jackson sing the vocal overdubs for "Billie Jean" through a "six-foot long cardboard tube", which is fabulous . . .
Fabulous!