Klarinet Archive - Posting 000977.txt from 1997/03

From: "Diane Karius, Ph.D." <dikarius@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Ligatures
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 11:05:40 -0500

Yossi Itzkovich wrote:
>
> Does changing ligature make any difference in the sound?
>
> If the anwer is yes, what should I look for ? How to choose one, and what
> brands are recommended (include prices).
>

I've been using the plastic Luyben ligature for ages, but after the
discussion on the list and some discussion within the section of the
band (dealing with better projection from metal ligatures), I went out
and bought a couple of different ligatures to try on Friday. I found
that yes, changing the ligature made a big difference in the sound
(at least to my ears). The Bonade inverted sounded best to me - the
sound was clearer. Interestingly, to my amateur mind anyways, it
also seems to be forcing me to harder reeds - I've been fighting not
to do that anyways with the V12 #4's so maybe it's not a surprise.
Reeds that sounded okay with the Luyben ended up sounding "soft"
with the Bonade. I haven't fully made up my mind on switching -
tomorrow night I'll get some feedback from some other clarinet players.
I treated it like looking for new mouthpieces - just try a bunch out
and see how they sound.
Diane R. Karius, Ph.D.
Department of Physiology
University of Health Sciences
2105 Independence Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64124
email: dikarius@-----.EDU