 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Joel Clifton
Date: 1999-07-12 17:22
For a few years, I had been using the same ligature. Then one of the screws got stripped, so I had to get a new one. For some reason, the new ligature slipped off the mouthpiece whenever I tightened it. I sanded the smooth part of the reed to roughen it, but that only helped a little. I got a new ligature, and that one did the same thing. All three of the ligatures were the exact same kind. Does anyone know why my earlier ligature had no problem, but the last two did, and does anyone know how to fix this problem?
Joel
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Author: Meri
Date: 1999-07-13 01:21
Since you mentioned that all three ligatures were the same kind, and it got stripped rather quickly, it's probably one of those generic, cheap ligatures, which are poorly made.
Consider trying a different make and/or type of ligature. Inverted ligatures seem to have this problem far less often than regular ones.
Or maybe you are over-tightening the ligature?
If all else fails, use a piece of thread. Be a shoestring clarinetist!
Meri
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Author: clarinetfreak
Date: 1999-07-13 01:34
Perphaps you should try the BG ligatures. I think they are very well constructed and can handle tight screwing.
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Author: Sara
Date: 1999-07-13 01:52
I think you should try out an inverted ligature, I had that problem with a standard metal no-name ligature as well as the buffet one that came with my clarinet. I now use a BG Super Relavation and a Rovener dark as a spare. They both work really well.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-07-13 02:42
Sounds like Bonade ligatures to me...
I've heard some people sand the part of the ligature that touches the mouthpiece... others sand the mouthpiece.. for something less drastic, try a bay black medium mouthpiece patch or a piece or two of electrical tape on the mouthpiece... give it some gripping power.
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-07-13 02:43
clarinetfreak wrote:
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Perphaps you should try the BG ligatures. I think they are very well constructed and can handle tight screwing.
ligatures shouldn't be tightened very tight anyway... just tight enough to hold the reed to the mouthpiece... if you tighten it so much that the threads strip after only a few years, that's much too tight.
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Author: chris
Date: 1999-07-13 07:19
If your screwing your ligature so tight that your stripping it you may also have problems with the reed responding quickly. I had this problem myself, just get the screws snug.You don't have to strangle the heck out of the reed.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 1999-07-14 14:28
Joel Clifton wrote:
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For a few years, I had been using the same ligature. Then one of the screws got stripped, so I had to get a new one. For some reason, the new ligature slipped off the mouthpiece whenever I tightened it. I sanded the smooth part of the reed to roughen it, but that only helped a little. I got a new ligature, and that one did the same thing. All three of the ligatures were the exact same kind. Does anyone know why my earlier ligature had no problem, but the last two did, and does anyone know how to fix this problem?
Joel
Joel -
Ligatures are inconsistent, as you have found. Still, you should be able to tighten one up without it slipping off. Try holding it down with your left hand while you tighten with the right.
Before changing the surface of the ligature or reed, try something less heroic. Whenever a ligature has slipped for me, I've always been able to cure it by putting about 1/3 of a small "Post-It" tab on the top of the mouthpiece (opposite the reed). I keep a pack of the smallest size in my case to stick on the music where there is a fast page turn, and discovered the ligature cure in a moment of desperate improvization.
If you prefer to roughen up something, I wouldn't sand the reed (presumably the bark) to keep the ligature from sliding. Rather, I'd roughen up the inside of the ligature slightly, if only because you do it just once, rather than on every reed.
Try roughening the inside of the ligature only where it contacts the reed. That way, you can only mess up a reed rather than the mouthpiece surface.
With a standard (cheap) ligature, you can rotate the ligature about 60 degrees, so that the screws are at 2:00 o'clock and the reed is held by the two metal bands that usually run along the sides. Reginald Kell did it this way, and so did Benny Goodman, as you can see on some of his album covers.
As to how much to tighten the screws, the best place to start is to make them quite snug (where you feel a noticeable increase in effort to make them any tighter), and then back off 1/4 turn. From there on, it's all a matter of experimentation and personal preference.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: someone
Date: 1999-07-16 15:24
I have the same problem with a Bonad ligature. I heard that is what they are known to do. Is that the type you have? It's not a cheap ligature either.
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