Klarinet Archive - Posting 000277.txt from 1995/03

From: Bill Hall <b_hall@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Ligatures and reeds
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 1995 21:00:22 -0500

Michael Cassara-

I've never tried the shoestring thing, but I have heard of it before. On
clarinet, I use a Luyben ligature that's made of some kind of clear
plastic. It holds the reed with four small plastic "bumps" that are on
the inside. The two screws that hold it in place are on the top of the
mouthpiece, away from the reed. I haven't used anything else since I got
this in college in the late 60's. Every once-in-a-while I try a metal
mouthpiece just to compare, but I don't like the sound as much. With the
Luyben I get a warmer sound that I like much better.

On alto sax I use a ligature that is made of canvas that is coated with
a rubber-like plastic. It's very pliable and has a single screw, again,
on the side of the mouthpiece away from the reed. I don't know who made
it - I bought it about five years ago - too long to remember, and
there's no markings on the thing. Again, I get a much warmer sound with
this than the usual metal ligature.

Jennifer Adams -

I have never seen the Reeds Australia "Vintage" or "Studio Plus" here in
Texas. I was playing VanDoren's before I switched to Rico Plasticover.
$20US for a box of alto reeds is about in line with regular cane reeds
here, though the Plasticovers retail for $18.50 US for a box of 5.

I might be interested in trying a couple of those reeds, but I'm almost
afraid to say that, because if I like them, I'm buying into something
that may be a lot of trouble to get!

I just bought a medium Bari reed (that's the brand name) for my alto
sax. It appears to be made of a plexiglass-like substance. It has more
consistency of sound than the Rico Plasticovers that I have been using,
and seems to have more penetration. It doesn't seem to have as rich a
sound, though. It has a little different feel than a cane reed (as you'd
expect). The first time I put it into my mouth, I had bad intonation
problems, but after my chops got a little more used to it, I started
playing in tune. I'm not sure yet whether I like it or not. I have found
that I have to try something new for a while to see if it really works,
because I seem to interact with any change I make over a period of time,
and then things seem to settle down again.

Does anyone have any experience with these Bari reeds, and opinions?
Seems this group is not short of opinions. :-)

Bill Hall