Klarinet Archive - Posting 000327.txt from 1994/05

From: Martin Pergler <pergler@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: String ligatures?
Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 17:15:04 -0400

Steven asks about how to use a string ligature, whether you need
grooves on mouthpiece, etc.

I don't know about real string ligatures, but in his book Pino waxes
eloquent about using a shoelace: essentially just take a long
shoelace (keeping the pointed ends...see below) and wrap snugly around
the reed and mouthpiece in two or more layers, then stick the end under
one of the loops and pull through to tighten (not too much)
BTW, I'm strongly paraphrasing, maybe Pino has some tricks I've forgotten.
He claims this gives all the "benefits" of a string ligature while being
much faster. Also BTW, for me it seemed to be most convenient to wrap
from the bottom up on the first layer.

About a year ago, I played around with shoelaces for about three weeks. I
got it so that I could wrap and tie respectably usually in about 10-15s --
much slower than slipping on a plastic lig, but I imagine faster than
string. My trouble was inconsistency. Sometimes I felt really happy with
the sound (let's not debate in this message whether this was for real or
not), sometimes it sounded dead, probably depending on just how "nicely" I
tied it (I didn't figure out what "nice" was). Since I often have to
remove and replace my reed to remove moisture under it, it just did not
seem worth the trouble. Others' experiences may be different.... apart
from other reasons, I'm not very experienced (yet :) )

-------------------------------------------------------
Martin Pergler pergler@-----.edu
Grad student, Mathematics
Univ. of Chicago