 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: eric293
Date: 2006-10-01 20:02
My Bonade ligature recently broke and I wanted some advice on a new ligature. I kinda want to try something different, even though my teacher still wants me on a Bonade.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Buffet R13-M15 w/ 3 1/2-V12
Attending Interlochen Arts Academy
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Author: bcl1dso
Date: 2006-10-01 20:31
The Peter Sprigg "Floating Rail" Ligature is unbelievable. It is alittle pricey for a ligature but it is worth it.
http://www.pspriggs.com/
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Author: hans
Date: 2006-10-01 20:33
eric293,
There has been plenty of discussion on that topic, which you will find with a search. But in case you don't find the information you want.... the Vandoren Optimum is so easy to use that it gets my vote.
Regards,
Hans (who owns of 3 of them)
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2006-10-01 20:39
If your teacher wants you to play something, you should trust him or her. The people on this board may be wonderful players and teachers, but none of us know how you play, and what your particular strengths and weaknesses are. Therefore, no one here can give you the advice that you need the way your teacher can.
Chris Hill
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-10-01 20:50
-- "My Bonade ligature recently broke and I wanted some advice on a new ligature. I kinda want to try something different, even though my teacher still wants me on a Bonade." --
There are so many ligatures and everyone in the forum will have something to say about the merits of each of them.
What ever you buy, just don't let your teacher see at first. Let him guess what you have. It's interesting how our own preconceptions of how we sound are different from the actual sound as heard by others.
Steve
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-10-01 21:12
You are paying for lessons from a teacher.
The teacher recommends something to improve your playing.
You think that you might know better.
Why take lessons?
...GBK (who either plays a '70's vintage Bonade inverted ligature or a Spriggs)
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Author: FDF
Date: 2006-10-01 22:24
Just because you have a teacher doesn't mean you can't hear. Try a few different ligatures and chosse the one that you think helps you sound your best. Take a trusted friend to help you.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2006-10-01 23:32
Does your teacher have everyone on Bonades or does he/she think the Bonade is particularly good for you? If a, then maybe look around, if b, go with what your teacher says.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-10-01 23:41
Another vote for the Optimum. With the wavy plate, it IS a Bonade. Only the plate (two vertical rails) touches the reed. The Optimum also can screw down quite snuggly, which can offset the effects of somewhat warped reeds without the fuss.
Or get five feet of silk rat-tailed braided cord and start wrapping the reed on to the mouthpiece - next best thing to an Optimum. Only sixty cents.
Trying other equipment should not in any way insult your teacher. He should in fact be excited that he has a student with with curiosity and an ear of his own.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: eric293
Date: 2006-10-02 00:57
Its true, he almost has everyone on a Bonade. I do trust my teacher completely, but if I were to find something I really like and that I sound good with, I think he would give it a chance.
GBK-"You are paying for lessons from a teacher.
The teacher recommends something to improve your playing.
You think that you might know better."
About this, hes not exactly recommending something that will improve my playing, he more or less just wants to keep things the same. He told me the Bonade works, so why change it.
Buffet R13-M15 w/ 3 1/2-V12
Attending Interlochen Arts Academy
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Author: Ed
Date: 2006-10-02 01:56
The Spriggs is a particularly good ligature. The part where it contacts the reed is like the Bonade in concept. The remaining part of the lig is designed so as not to constrict or dampen the mouthpiece and to optimize vibration. Well worth the price.
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2006-10-02 02:53
My upside down Bonade ligature never sounded as good as I thought it should given the two-rail design, so today I took a close look at how much of each rail was actually touching the reed. Not much it turns out, and I was surprised at how irregularly the rails actually contacted the reed.
So I took out a microfile and filed the surface of the rails smooth, exposing the brass under the nickel plate. What a difference in resonance and evenness throughout the range!!
Now I understand people's enthusiasm for these ligatures. I also glued a thin strip of cork under each side the ligature near the screws so their edges wouldn't scratch the mouthpiece and I will not have to tighten the ligature too much.
Now it's a terrific ligature. As good or better than any of the others I own.
Lesson: Bonade quality control stinks. Re-work the ligature to realize its design potential.
b/
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Author: eric293
Date: 2006-10-02 02:59
Thank you for the good advice Bruno. I like getting actual advice instead of criticism.
Buffet R13-M15 w/ 3 1/2-V12
Attending Interlochen Arts Academy
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-10-02 05:17
My favorites, probably in this order - shoe lace, Oleg ligature, regular metal Vandoren ligature. There is no reason not to try other things that your teacher maybe doesn't even know, you might even surprise him with a good find he is not familiar with. As far as I understand in the USA it is very easy to order a lot of things and then return the ones you don't want. How about you order a bunch of ligatures and bring them to your lesson for your teacher to listen too.
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Author: donald
Date: 2006-10-02 09:39
for years i prefered a Silver plated Yamaha ligature, inverted, over the various Bonades that i owned. For a while i played one of these (inverted)with little metal squares soldiered on the bands so it resembled an inverted Bonade with the centre cut out (this work was done in Nelson while i was there on tour, by the guy who made the "one ring"!!!!). This was my "lord of the rings" ligature.
THEN
i got the wavy/bonade like tone plate from a Vandoren Optimum and put it into a Rovner fabric ligature i had from the 1980s- to resemble a BG Revelation. This ligature is now my preferred one, despite me loving my Lotr and Spriggs. This is the "Jurassic Ligature" (because of the age of the old Rovner, and the fact that the Vandoren tone plate looks like a Stegasaurus). I'm never buying another ligature for the rest of my life.
keep playing the good tunes
donald
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2006-10-02 12:29
Based upon good reviews from others on the board I recently purchased a Luyben ligature (plastic), which I like very much. I have also used a Rovner dark which does well also.
Leonard
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Author: saxlite
Date: 2006-10-02 15:15
FWIW- notice David Shiffrin's ligature shown in the high resolution image in the "David Shiffrin's Instrument" posting.......hard to sound better than he does......can anyone identify this ligature?
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Author: Ed
Date: 2006-10-02 18:35
Re Shifrin- in that pic it is a Kaspar. But maybe someone who is up on the latest can tell if that is what he currently uses. Those don't seem to be the clarinets he currently endorses (Yamaha). Years ago, he used a Bay ligature. Of course, keep in mind, he would sound as he does with whatever he chose to play on.
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