Klarinet Archive - Posting 000315.txt from 1994/05

From: Matthias Ferdinand <mferd@-----.DE>
Subj: Re: Ligatures
Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 10:15:19 -0400

My experimenting with ligatures (although limited to saxophones)
often yielded very surprising results. I had used the standard
double-screw metal ligatures that came with my mouthpieces for
years and had no complaints about them, and I could not imagine
how the ligature could affect the sound (unless it was defect).
After one of the metal lig. was cracked, I tried several cheaper
ones and a Rovner, and it made a BIG difference! So I got my
mouthpieces equipped with Rovner lig.s and was happy with them
for some years. Some months ago at a music trade fair, someone
of BG (french maker of ligatures, straps etc.) made me try one
of theirs in direct comparison with my Rovner. It sounded better
again! Warmer, fuller, allowing higher volume. Essentially it
looks like a Rovner ligature, but there is a rubber inlay where the
fabric touches the reed with cutout channels:

R E E D
+--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
+--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+ +--+
! rubber !
+--------------------------------------+

They make another model with a metal inlay supposed to make the
sound brighter (but I could not check it there).
I don't know how these lig.s affect the reed, but my guess is that
the vibration of the tip is continued in the lower part of the reed
at least as periodically changing force that oscillates in the same
plane as the tip oscillates (i.e. up and down). The rubber, metal
or fabric surfaces then react differently to this oscillating force,
resulting in different damping characteristics. Which makes them
sound different.
Another factor might be the pressure you need to exert on the reed to
hold it firm on the mouthpiece and how it is distributed over the
reed.

Matthias Ferdinand (mferd@-----.de)