 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2005-04-04 06:51
Having tried many ligatures, I have found that I prefer metal ligatures over cloth ones. Which metal ligature do you prefer when going for a classic "dark tone?" Anyone tried the gold BG orchestral ligature?
Thanks---
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Author: nickma
Date: 2005-04-04 09:13
Bays are wonderful. They don't squeeze the life out of reeds.
Nick
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-04-04 16:43
I still like the Bonades for "security", yes, AND some "darkness", which seems greater with Luybens, Gigli's and [my] inverted Rovners etc. Thots, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: RosewoodClarinet
Date: 2005-04-06 01:02
Dark sound......comes from a player itself in my opinion. I personally like darker sound and want to sound dark, too.
Yes, good equipments help better sound, and they make me more comfortable, too. This makes me to make darker sound easier, but equipments do not make the dark sound. This helps the darker sound, maybe, but the player itself make the sound and MUSIC!!
Also, acoustic-wise, darker sound makes me feel more secured. I see many people, not only clarinetists but also other woodwinds and even conductors, love the dark sound on clarinet. One day, I had such a bad day because I played solo piece so badly, and someone (a flute player by the way...) noticed that I sounded bright. I realized that I was playing such a bad reed(dead reed, I should say.). So, myself as a clarinetist, I try to create the dark sound.......part of my job, should I say???
So, I fix reeds........aaaaagh nightmare!!
And another point, my dark sound is really dark?? I wonder. The reason is that I am thinking of the dark sound as mixture of darkness and brightness (I call "ring."). Projection is also important point here. I am not sure that too much dark sound could carry the sound from orchestra to the audience, or not. Maybe not.
If I need more projection, I look for more vibration on my reed. Good vibration of the reed make the sound more ringing which would carry the sound. Some people might take this the sound being brighter...... I wonder, does anyone have any opinion??
And then, what good ligatures does is that help a good vibration.....I think. So, I try to find ligature which provides a good vibration.
The reason that I adjust reeds and find a good ligature because I would find myself more sucured not to be embarrased in front of the audience or other colleague.
Bonade, BG, Rovner........I play these ligatures accordingly the acoustic of the venue, how reeds work, and how I myself feel.
RosewoodClarinet
Post Edited (2005-04-08 07:09)
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Author: RosewoodClarinet
Date: 2005-04-08 06:58
Well..........How about BG Revelation?? Both world of metal and non-metal ligatures......smooth sounding from non-metal (dark?), projection and responce from metal. Seems like work very well....I thought.
RosewoodClarinet
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2005-04-08 09:45
Yeah Bonade is my choice for everything - I won a few other ligs (Optimum, BG Super Revelation, Ligaphone) and only the Ligaphone comes close sometimes, but I am yet to find a lig. that I can use for everything.
I intend to try the Bay next.
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Author: RosewoodClarinet
Date: 2005-04-08 19:55
Harrison is great, too. I have a very good Harrison ligature in Gold plated, but I don't use this so often since the original ones are not available anymore. I know that Rico is making somethink close.
RosewoodClarinet
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Author: dummer musiker
Date: 2005-04-08 23:00
I like Bonade inverted.
"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
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Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2005-04-08 23:15
I have a Rico GCS Harrison remake. It works well and gives what I think is a nice round, dark sound - with the right reed, obviously.
I've always found the Bonades Inverted Ligs to be to constrictive... I don't feel like the reed vibrates enough. I also have a BG traditional (silver). I think the GCS gives a better sound than the BG, though the difference is small (and may be entirely in my head).
DH - theclarinetist@yahoo.com
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Author: Tom J.
Date: 2005-04-08 23:46
Try a gold or silver plated Brancher Opera ligature, also known as the Leggerio.
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Author: donald
Date: 2005-04-09 22:01
kia ora
my ten cents on ligatures.... It is true that the PLAYER makes the sound, it's also true that the LIGATURE influences the sound.
when i consider the ligature, i think about how it provides only these three things....
ONE- jump/response.... by which i mean how quickly does the reed start to vibrate, is the ligature absorbing energy (which will dampen articulation) or focussing much of the energy (vibration) into the blade of the reed (thus into the sound)?
TWO- how much "total vibration/energy" is present in the tone, the more there is, the more you have to work with to shape your sound.... but if there is too much high frequency sound then you start to develop tone production that aims to reduce the energy in your sound.... (not always ideal)
.... these two properties are fairly straightforward, and quite possibly able to be measured and proven. Different players will come to different decisions on the desirability etc depending on what sound they want to make etc
THREE- is the ligature in any way compromising legato? It would appear to many players that the ligature can actually have an effect on the ability of the reed to change it's mode of vibrations (as it must when playing legato intervals). It seems that this would be rather harder to prove, and certainly the difference between two "good ligatures" (that may have different properties) is smaller than the difference between a "good ligature" and a "bad ligature" (yes, such things exhist).
..... however, once these three properties are dealt with, and a decision made as to what is important to the player, the dark/bright etc sound will come from the player/mouthpiece/reed.
my ligatures? i like lots of different types, and am interested in trying the Rico version of the Harrison if it is made for E flat clarinet.... but i have my own customised "jurassic ligature" (a rovner with the parallel-rail tone plate from an Optimum inserted) and after years of messing around, don't feel the slightest need to experiment.
keep playing the good tunes
donald
(i just re-read my posting- the first two points i make might seem like the same thing, but i'm referring to "energy/sound" at the very start of the note in point ONE, as oposed to "energy/sound" over the duration of the note in point TWO)
Post Edited (2005-04-09 23:49)
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Author: RosewoodClarinet
Date: 2005-04-10 01:43
donald, I certainly agree with you. Nothing to add. My oboe and bassoon friends, one of my best friends, would say same thing. Of course, so do I!!!
Also, I have to tell you that I made my own ligature last week. I cut off the pressure point of the Bonade ligature (where his name is located...) and put this section to the Rovner 1R ligature with superglue. I like this a lot.
RosewoodClarinet
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Author: donald
Date: 2005-04-10 07:45
Rosewood- sounds like you have done pretty much the same thing as me, i hope that your superglue works over time- i have used my lig for hours of gigs and practise over the last 12 months with no problems
the rovner lig i used, by the way, was given to me on my birthday in 1984 by my mother! she sewed garments to sell in her spare time to pay for it!
donald
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-04-10 12:36
Eventhough I can sound the same on pretty much any ligature, I play and recommend the Optimum ligature by Vandroen and this is why. It only has one screw, it doesn't slide when you seperate the mouthpiece from the barrel, it sounds good.
I never liked leather or fabric ligature since they strech over time.
About dark sound I can;t help you since I don't know what a dark sound is.
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