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Ligature / Mouthpiece Contradiction?

Author: 2E
Date: 2006-06-13 10:32

Hi there fellow Bboarders,

Well ... I'm pretty new here, so I'm not sure if this has already been covered or not. I'm a student in my final year of school and my set up is as follows ...

Bb Clarinet: Buffet R13
Mouthpiece: Vandoren B40 (looking at upgrading to Pomarico Crystal)
Ligature: BG Revelation
Reeds: Vandoren Traditional (Bluebox) 3/3.5

Anyway, heres my question/problem: I generally place my ligature very high on my mouthpiece to ensure that the reeds secure and doesnt move etc. However this makes the reed vibrate less and produces a "brighter" sound. The ligature is generally on or above the top ligature line on my Vandoren mouthpiece. My teacher told me to place the ligature lower so that it lies on or below the bottom ligature line, when I did this it allowed the reed to vibrate much more freely. However, I didnt really like the sound it produced when I did this!

A seperate music teacher told me that the B40 mouthpiece is used for softer reeds and a mellower sound (generally for students, hence me wanting to upgrade.) Also that the revelation ligature was generally a "brighter" ligature (for soloists.) This is why I guess I didnt like my sound when I slightly altered the position of the ligature on my mouthpiece. I think my set up might be contradicting itself, according to this particular music teacher at least. [huh]

Should I continue with my ligature strangling the reed to get the "brighter" sound Im used to? Or should I place the ligature on the bottom line of the mouthpiece? Should I look at a new ligature or mouthpiece or reeds even!? Your thoughts? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Toohey (as in the beer, yes)

Post Edited (2006-06-13 10:38)

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