 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Katfish
Date: 2001-11-21 19:59
A while back there was a thread on sring ligatures and Ken Shaw stated he thought round string was better than flat. I replied that I heard no difference and that flat was easier to tie. After much "scientific" research on my part, I stand corrected. The round does sound a little better; quicker responce and more "ping". The flat is still easier to tie. Thanks for the tip Ken.
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Author: werner
Date: 2001-11-21 21:43
Fine. I would like to ad an idea:
You can try a cotton string, and wind it around
reed and mouthpiece with more pressure,
and the next time with not so much pressure, and
the next time with as much pressure as possible.
Try to find out the difference: The different strengt
of winding produces a different responce of the reed.
(You would say 'more or less ping' I guess.)
Try to find out your personal 'winding-strength'.
This is the reason, why i wouldn't use an elastic
string. These strings are doing to much by itself.
They are eleminating the difference in the force
of your winding.
This might be the reason, why an round string
works better for you than a flat string.
And yes: To wind a string the right way is not
an easy thing to do. A strong grip is necessary.
(And this tells me a lot about Sabine Meyer.)
And this is the reason why the string should have a
rough surface: I don't want it to slide through my
fingers.
Have fun.
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Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 2001-11-22 07:26
Yes,
and it is important to control the strength you're winding the string over the reed shaft.
Try 'front peek', that is apply the maximum strength at the 3rd (of approx. 12 loops),
then try 'rear peak', that is begin with soft loops and increase the strength while continuing winding - the first usually works much better than the seccond version.
Then try 'front platau' (maximum maintained approx. from 3rd to 6th loop), or 'twin peaks',
or create other layouts and find what suits best to your reed and mouthpiece combination.
Have fun,
Arnold (the basset hornist)
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Author: werner
Date: 2001-11-22 23:24
hmm .. Arnold .. did you ever think about writing a book
about it?
Sort of 'Zen und die Kunst die Blattschnur zu winden?'
(Zen and the Art of winding the string ligature).
We could start the discussion with whether it is better to
breath in or breath out while winding the first tree loops
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-11-23 01:45
i tried to wind my string ligature on last night with a beautiful woman watching- i got nervous and couldn't get it right. No seriously- i'm one of those people who can't write a cheque out while i am talking to the shopkeeper. I kept trying to hold the reed on with my thumb while i did the first few loops etc, and kept on "thumbling".... i have tied on my reed in front of concert audiences and in the middle of Orchestral auditions and never had this problem before. is this love?
donald
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Author: werner
Date: 2001-11-23 06:39
Sounds very seriously indeed.
Two possible solutions are coming into my mind:
1:) Look instantly for professional help. Don't try
to solve this out by yourself. First you are not able
to wind your ligature, then you aren't able to bind
your shoes anymore and finally you will find yourself
salvering under your bed fearing the sky to crash
your head.
Second solution:
Did you think about inviting her for dinner ?
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-11-23 16:11
Katfish -
I recommended a round shoelace, not for sound but because a flat one would get down to the bottom of the mouthpiece too quickly, and I wanted -- I'm not sure why -- to have only one layer. Also, I got a Blattschnur (German string), which was round.
I'd say try both. Shoelaces are cheap.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-11-23 19:21
my piece of Blattschnur is great, and seems to sound better than normal string or any of a number of things i've compared it to (various shoelaces, nylon binder-twyne etc). i especially find it great for the E flat clarinet- it gives me a sound that will blend just a wee bit more easily. My Blattschnur is from a shop in Hamburg- but is apparently made by Yamaha (although i am sure that there must be many different sources/types available).
donald
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Author: John Scorgie
Date: 2001-11-24 05:03
The German style players I learned from used a rather large diameter round cord (blattschnur?), probably 2 x or 3 x the diameter of the round shoe laces we are familiar with. They wound the cord in one layer only, with a simple loop back at the end and without a lot of pressure in the winding. The round cord is easier to wind in one neat layer than is a flat one.
Although I use a plain old Bonade lig for convenience, I tell everyone who asks that the string lig is at least as good as any other, and I recommend it to anyone who has the patience to wind/unwind one.
IMHO, the popularity of fabric ligs such as the Rovner is largely due to the fact that they combine the convenience of the metal lig with the flexibility and gentle pressure of the string lig. But you can get the same results with a 2 for $1 shoelace.
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Author: donald nicholls
Date: 2001-11-24 21:19
with a sting ligature you can also vary the pressure on different parts of the reed- for example i always wind so that there is more pressure a the "front" of the butt (like tightening the "top screw" on your two screw lig) whereas you can't do this with a Rovner or (as far as i know) any of the single screw ligs. Personally, i like to use my old Bonade about 60% of the time when performing, and use a BG trad when teaching as i swap reeds quite a bit when teaching (i use this as a chance to play in "halfway decent" reeds for a bit prior to working on them, so like to only use each reed for one lesson).
donald
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Author: terry
Date: 2001-11-25 12:04
Arnold's method can be seen at:
http://sterkel.org/wendl.htm
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Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 2001-11-26 06:49
To werner:
He wrote:
hmm .. Arnold .. did you ever think about writing a book about it?
Sort of 'Zen und die Kunst die Blattschnur zu winden?'
(Zen and the Art of winding the string ligature).
We could start the discussion with whether it is better to
breath in or breath out while winding the first tree loops
Answer:
This publication <a href=http://sterkel.org/wendl.htm>there</a> (just as terry said) should be enough for the moment. If there will be too many threads about the string ligature (and the preassure layout) in this board, you could ask Mark to open a new special forum (like the klezmer forum)
Bye, (and happy winding)
Arrnold (the basset hornist)
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