 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-01-25 21:44
I had been introduced to the idea of a very loosely bound ligature almost five years ago by a fantastic saxophonist. Have I tried it? no
Just the other day I finally got around to not cranking down the ligature to the point strangling the reed. The idea is to place the ligature upon the reed and just tighten so that the reed can be nudged from side to side. In fact my great saxophone player left his ligature so loose that if he made a sudden diparture from the mouthpiece, the reed would move wildly to one side.
So what did I find? The sound (for me) became more vibrant and open; leaps became much more stable. I find it a wonderful improvement.
NOW
I also find that ligature to ligature there is much less difference since the reed is doing all the work (vibrating that is).
This may account for those of you who argue that ligatures make no difference in sound. With a very loose system, they make very little difference indeed.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Trevor C
Date: 2011-01-25 22:35
My band teacher has been telling us about this. I've yet to try it out though!
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Author: Ed
Date: 2011-01-25 23:44
Quote:
Never overtighten a ligature to the point of it not budging at all (that's my philosophy).
I have a friend who slides the ligature on and does not tighten the screws at all. I don't believe in over tightening, but too loose and it can wreak havoc for those fast Bb to A changes or when swabbing.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-26 00:14
My feeling is that you should keep the iigature snug but not over tight. The reason is that I don't want to choke off the reed but I don't want air or spit to get between the reed and the mouthpiece table. I have found, on my bass clarinet, that if the reed begins to get slightly warped on the back of the reed then putting the ligature up higher and making it very tight presses the reed flat on the table and makes it playable for the time being. I haven't ever tried it on my regular clarinet because my clarinet reeds never warp because of how I prepare and care for them. Even with the bass reeds, which are more prone to warp because they are much larger, it only happens once in a while for me. I don't "polish" the bottom of my bass reeds but do with my clarinet reeds. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-01-26 00:17
The warpage thing is my excuse for clamping down all these years, but I'm telling you I am NOT getting the negatives that I thought that I would.
Yes, there would be problems of slippage if you change at the mouthpiece. DON'T !!!!! Change at the barrel!
.......................Paul Aviles
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-01-26 01:36
Interesting. Sorta makes you rethink the value of a Bois ligature... just slip it on and start playing. I'm willing to give it a shot in the next few days.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: JWeb
Date: 2011-01-26 02:52
So does this have the same beneficial effect on a clarinet's mouthpiece as it does on a saxaphone's? Also, would one have to be more cautious in a passage with excessively heavy tonguing (such as in the early portion of the Poulenc Sonata) to ensure the reed does not get misplaced on the table?
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2011-01-26 11:27
If this works for you, great. My experiences have been the opposite. I never over tighten, but as David and Ed Palanker said, I have the best results when the ligature is firm or snug. Many years ago, I purchased a ligature with strings on the sides, and I think it was called the Vibrastring. The idea was to combine the benefits of string with the ease of a traditional ligature. It was an interesting concept and it generated a lot of comments from other players, but I just wasn't happy with the results. Every so often I take it out and use it. It might work for some, but not for me.
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Author: MartyMagnini
Date: 2011-01-26 11:32
Paul,
I find I get that type of result with My Vandoren Klassik ligature. I usually just slip it on and don't tighten it. And yes, I do have to make my switch at the barrel, not the mouthpiece. I don't find there to be any issues with tonguing, etc. The reed stays on just fine as long as you are playing - I've never had my embouchure move the reed at all. Now, if you do want to switch between horns at the mouthpiece, you will have to allow a few seconds for adjusting the reed, but the good news is that with the ligature on loosely, it's very easy to get the reed set up the way you want - much faster that re-setting your reed with a clamped-down ligature.
I wonder if other who use the Klassik also leave it loose, or if they tighten it down like a traditional ligature.
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2011-01-28 13:28
I learned a lesson when I purchased a Vandoren Optimum lig - the metal one with replaceable plates. One plate had 4 very small "pins" in a sense. If you tightened a bit too much those pins go into the reed. I learned how to put just enough pressure to hold the reed and not have the pins dig in.
I have a Klassik though I don't use it much as I tend to just slip it on/off.
I mainly use a BG revelation and i always make sure that I don't over tightened.
Since then I was playing with how loose I could make the reed on the mpc. I won't go as far as allowing it to move around because it got annoying real fast.
With that I also experimented with a variety of ligatures even adding material, such as cork or felt on simple metal ligatures and inversing them, also how the ligature interacts and pushes against the reed in various location (sides, versus top) and I concocted a "foam" reed marked up with lines to see the pressure points upon it from the ligatures.
in the end this was an experiment for myself. As long as the mpc was nicely finished (table etc) the mpc played well. and not cranking on the ligature made a difference too with more adverse variation it seemed on the ligs that put pressure on the side of the reed.
In the end, like Paul mentions, not cranking down and allowing the reed to vibrate more has it's advantages.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2011-01-28 15:59
If your mouthpiece had a Morse taper on it you wouldn't have to tighten at all... now there's a thought! Actually it can't be that far off as it is...
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2011-01-28 20:05
A few months back, I contributed to a similar discussion. While I normally play with a lightly attached ligature, I occasionally practice with a loosely wrapped flat shoe lace. This allows the reed to move very easily and I use it when I am working on making sure my embouchure remains balanced. I don't perform with it that loose because it would be too easy to accidently displace the reed. However, it allows me to play with a much looser ligature and I like the sound.
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Author: BG ★2017
Date: 2011-01-28 20:21
I have the feeling that those of us who are orchestral and opera clarinetists cannot have the ligature as loose as some because of the constant changing from Bb to A clarinets. I have to choose some very specific ligatures to be able to change frequently and can't always use some of the ligatures that I might like to play on certain occasions.
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