Klarinet Archive - Posting 000819.txt from 1996/04

From: Mitch Bassman <mbassman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Rovner ED ligature
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1996 10:05:40 -0400

Cathleen Renee Orr asked about the Rovner ED ligature and Bay ligatures
and subsequently rephrased her question as follows:
> Does anyone find that certain ligatures are better suited to different
> reeds? Do they give good results with a reed that you found undesireable
> before? I think that the different ligatures I have work well in some
> situations better than others.

Cathleen, I'll share my recent experience with a change in ligature;
inasmuch as we have different mouths, I cannot guarantee that yours will
be the same.

Until about two months ago, I had been using the same Bonade (metal, not
inverted) ligature for about 25 years on my Kaspar (Ciscero) mouthpiece
with Vandoren reeds (3 or 3.5). After I bought and starting using a new
Rovner MK III ligature, I found that several reeds that I had put aside as
unplayable responded remarkably well. I also bought a Rovner MK III to
replace the metal Selmer ligature on my alto sax mouthpiece and had the
same experience.

On the other hand, perhaps 25 years on the same Bonade was just too much
to ask for and I should simply reconsider a recent post (from David
Niethamer, I think) about buying a new ligature every year whether you
think you need it or not. Who knows: maybe I would have had the same
result if I had just replaced the Bonade with a new one of the same model.

--Mitch Bassman
mbassman@-----.com