 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Halofreakgirl
Date: 2013-08-27 01:30
I've been playing about 5 1/2 years and recently upgraded from the standard cheap plastic mouthpiece to a Vandoren B45. I have a Buffet E11 clarinet that I absolutely adore, but I am using a basic metal ligature with it that I am not pleased with. When I play it with a Vandoren V12 #3 reed it seems to constrain the vibration and make it feel very stuffy to play. I tried it with a Vandoren Traditional #3.5 and it was a tiny bit more free-blowing but had a terribly stuffy sound. So my question is, what is the best ligature to use for a B45 mouthpiece, and what size/brand reed goes best with it? I tried a Rico Rovner leather ligature and found that it played better on Traditional 3.5's than V12 3's, and loved the dark tone, but I'd like to hear other opinions before I invest in another upgrade.
Thanks!
~Clarinet Is Not A Horn
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Author: gsurosey
Date: 2013-08-27 01:45
Have you tried a few different reeds of the same strength (to make sure you're not playing on a dud)? Do you adjust your reeds of they need it, or always just play them out of the box? Since what you're using is stuffy, I would also try stepping down a half strength and see if that helps. The strengths you're using line up with what Vandoren recommends, but ultimately, whatever works best for you is the best choice.
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Rachel
Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-08-27 02:07
Nothing much in your post suggests that your problem is the ligature. You might experiment with how tight you make it - if there's any noticeable constriction of the sound and response, you may be tightening it too much. Your description of your problem sounds more like a reed issue. You've gone from a stock plastic mouthpiece, which probably has a much more closed tip opening than the B45. So, if you're using the same reeds you had used previously, you'd most likely get a better result from a softer reed.
Ligatures tend to have a much less meaningful effect than reeds on a given mouthpiece. If you still have the Rovner, use that to try some different strengths and models of reed. Try some V12 #2-1/2 and maybe some 56 Rue lepic #2-1/2.
One question I have to ask is why you bought the B45 in the first place if it's uncomfortable to play with the reeds you've been using. Coming from a stock mouthpiece, if you want to play on a Vandoren, I think a more middle-of-the-road facing - maybe an M13 Lyre (not a straight M13) or an M15, might feel more familiar while giving you the advantages of a step-up mouthpiece. B45 is at the open end of the Vandoren spectrum. Lots of players play on it, but it's a fairly big leap in facing resistance from what you probably started with.
Karl
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Author: Halofreakgirl
Date: 2013-08-27 03:50
How tight is the ligature supposed to be? You're probably correct in that I'm over tightening it. I bought the B45 because it was MUCH easier to play with my V12 reeds than my old mouthpiece; however, lately it's had a bright tone quality that doesn't suit my orchestra and no matter how hard I try to blow, the volume stays within a limited range. Thinking the reed wasn't powerful enough, I cracked out some 3.5s that I've had for awhile, but those were much worse. I've noticed that the tips of the 3.5 reeds are at different angles than the V12 3's and don't seem to fit the mouthpiece. I'm not sure if this difference is due to the fact that the 3.5's are traditional as opposed to V12. I thought the only difference between traditional and V12 is that the V12 has a thicker end of the reed, but I could be wrong.
Thank you for your helpful advice.
~Clarinet Is Not A Horn
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Author: hgp_atx
Date: 2013-08-27 03:56
I had a B45 mouthpiece and when I used it (I now usually use my Brad Behn mouthpiece) I found Vandoren Traditionals are generally stiffer than V12s. What I would want to say is if one reed strength gives you a stuffy sound, it's probably too thick to begin with and you should go down in size and not up. So I would recommend a V12 2 1/2 and not a Regular 3 1/2 because that's too thick. However if you got a Rovner Black Ligature a V12 #3 could work, because that makes the mouthpiece more free-blowing and not constricting, like the other ligature.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-08-27 04:38
Remove the ligature and hold the reed on with your right thumb. Rest the bell on your knee and play left-hand notes. If you still feel stuffiness, the problems is with the mouthpiece, or with the mouthpiece/reed combination, not the ligature.
Next, tie the reed on with string, following the photos and instructions at http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Uploads/strnglig.html.
If a metal ligature binds against the edges of the bark, that will degrade the response. Take two needle-nose pliers and bend the metal out and then down on each side so that it doesn't touch the edges. If you can't bend the metal because it's too close to the screws, turn the ligature over or sideways and bend the metal there.
Rovner is a separate company from Rico. The original Rovner Dark and Light models http://www.rovnerproducts.com/products/ligatures/classic/dark-ligature.php are excellent and not very expensive.
Ken Shaw
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Author: cyclopathic
Date: 2013-08-27 05:05
it could your embouchure. Have you tried the paper trick to find where your lower lip should be?
embouchure is important different MPC have a different "sweet spot", you might be chocking reed.
Also have you used new reed, or the one you have used with other MPC? If previously used try new. Reeds supposedly mold to MPC, could be that.
Vandoren recommends 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 Traditional or 3 - 4 V-12 for B45.
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2013-08-27 14:33
I used a B45 five years ago. V12 3 was good out of the box regarding strength. Traditional 3 was good with a bit adjusting. A simple Rovner ligature worked well with this setup. I wouldn't recommend strength 2.5, because the altissimo sounds very thin and sometimes harsh, and the sound doesn't have enough core.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-08-28 16:42
There is no "best". I suggest that you settle on a brand of reed that you like and than try several ligatures to see what works best for "you". That's the only way you will determine what you like the "best".
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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