Klarinet Archive - Posting 000388.txt from 2005/01

From: "Shaw, Kenneth R." <krshaw@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Ligatures--Important?
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 17:25:53 -0500

=46or Jane Hur:

Ligatures can make a noticeable difference, but after a while, you sound
once again just like yourself. I've heard Larry Combs play with
everything from a dreadnought Winslow to string, and he sounds the same
every time.

I've tried ***lots*** of them, including expensive ones, which I've
never thought were worth the price.

String costs nothing and for me gives the freest reed vibration. The
downside is that everyone (including judges) looks at you crosseyed and
asks whether you "lost" your ligature. If you use string, just stand up
to the sarcasm. There's an excellent pictorial instruction file, which
has already been mentioned, at
<http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Uploads/strnglig.html>.

You should have a couple of different ligatures. I play mostly on an
inexpensive metal Martin, with the screws on the bottom. It's slightly
altered, so that the metal arches over and around the edges of the reed,
so that it doesn't bind on the sides. It's easy to do with long-nose
pliers. The bending also puts a bit of "spring" in the metal.

If I need a sound with less high frequencies (i.e., in a small ensemble,
where I need to be less aggressive), I use the basic Rovner. I've never
been able to tell the difference between it and the fancier models. The
Rovner Lite is midway in between the regular and metal.

STOP. Try something different, pick one and practice hard.

Ken Shaw

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