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Another way to make the string lig

Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-03-05 23:36

My mother came home one day with a bulk package of shoelaces (dont' know WHY we need 20 pairs of new shoelaces in various sizes and colors, but I took that as a sign from the clarinet gods and stole a pair).

I tied THIS KNOT to begin with (doubling over just enough of the shoelace to make that knot) and slipped that double loop over the reed. Looped it around a few times and tucked in the end. Took a little while, but now I can see why the string ligature is still talked about as the "optimal" ligature. I had the same sound as normal, without the quirks of other ligs (some ligs cause uncontrollably overtones, some tend to make a note "pop out" more often, etc. etc.)

I think I'll stick with this. Although it takes a while to form, I'll just show up to rehearsals a little early and get started.

Just another option on how to make it.

Alexi

US Army Japan Band

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Re: Another way to make the string lig

Author: music_is_life
Date: 2005-03-06 04:35

does that make your sound brighter?

-Lindsie

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Re: Another way to make the string lig

Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-03-06 19:59

Lindsie,

I didn't notice my sound get any brighter, however it was much easier to control my sound. I noticed that with my metal lig (Francois Luois) that notes tend to "pop" out at me, even when I'm trying to gradually start them with just my breath and no tongue (think of the first note of Weber's Concertino). And with my leather lig (Rovner MKIII), it just didn't give me as much expression as the FL lig.

When I tried the string, I didn't notice any of these problems. Which is a good thing. It didn't make me play better (that's a matter of practicing), but more importantly, didn't give me any problems that I notice with the other ligs.

In any event, I never tried it because it always seemed like "too much trouble" (which is probably why all these other ligatures were made in the first place. Cause they're more convenient to slip on and off). Then I was thinking yesterday, "What the hell is so important in my life that I can't spare an extra 30 seconds to just TRY out a string ligature?" So I did. And I like it.

Alexi

US Army Japan Band

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