 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: trophy_wife
Date: 2011-09-13 22:49
I've been playing clarinet for 8 or 9 years now and in the past week my ligature has been randomly coming lose while I am playing. This has never happened to me before. I've tried loosening and tightening it but it keeps falling off. I actually even switched with my friend and his didn't fall off and mine didn't for him. Does anyone know why this might be happening? I am using the ligature that came with my Buffet Crampon R13.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-09-13 22:57
Sounds like the threads are stripped so they won't tighten up anymore.
I recommend you get a Rovner fabric ligature as they're trouble free and only have the one screw which can't be over torqued easily.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-09-13 22:59
Might be that the screw threads (or the mating parts in the ligature) are worn at exactly the spot where you need it with your specific mouthpiece and reed; which would explain why it's working with someone else's setup, just because the latter is a wee bit thicker or thinner than yours.
Just get a new one, either a generic for some $10 or a Rovner-type (leather-like with a single screw) for about $15.
--
Ben
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-09-13 23:01
OMG, two answers that are in sync.
(and the earth moved, and the angels wept, ...)
--
Ben
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-09-14 02:15
Remember that all motion is relative. It's equally likely that the ligature is remaining in place while the reed, the clarinet, and you are moving away from it.
Glad I could help. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about anything at all!
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2011-09-14 02:45
Just to clarify - is your ligature actually loosening or is it sliding up, resulting in looseness since it's ending up around a narrower part of the mouthpiece?
I don't know why yours would suddenly start sliding if it never did it before, but I've certainly had more than one ligature that just wouldn't stay still on a particular mouthpiece. If it is sliding up, you might put a little bit of cloth tape in the back of the ligature (or on the back of the mouthpiece) to provide a little more friction without actually scratching or roughing up the mouthpiece.
Karl
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Author: 2E
Date: 2011-09-14 05:54
Buffet ligatures aren't great, if its stripped and not tightening pick up a BG revolution or similar for less than $60
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2011-09-14 06:23
I've had ligatures that for some reason won't stay in place on a particular mouthpiece. The screws are OK, so I suspect its just a combination of the angle of the beak and the coefficient of friction with that particular combo. I've fixed it by putting a piece of 1mm cork under the non-screw side of the ligature. Glue it in place and trim it to fit, end of problem.
Tony F.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-09-14 11:53
Probably likely that a "comfortable spot" has worn itself at that point of your mouthpiece. Take some fine (400 grit) sandpaper and just swirl it around the inside of your ligature a few times. The tiny (horizontal) lines you have just worn into the inside surface of the ligature will prevent it from moving up and down.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-09-14 12:03
If the screw threads are worn at a certain point, sanding the inside of the ligature won't do much to increase the internal diameter and will at most gain an extra 16th of a turn of the screws.
As it's the stock ligature and has done eight years service, it's probably best to finally ditch it in favour of a better and more reliable ligature instead of mucking around with it as it sounds like it's at the end of its useful life.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2011-09-14 12:04)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-09-14 13:59
Ligature screws are (or at least used to be) made of softer metal than the rest of the ligature, so that if the metal got worn, you would only need to replace the screw rather than the entire ligature.
Take the two screws out and look at the threads. If they are worn down, any repair tech will have a drawer (or a big box) full of junk ligatures and screws. You can usually get one for free, or a few cents.
As 2E says, the stock Buffet ligature is not very good, particularly if it's the design that has a metal plate that presses on the reed.
Take a shoelace or thick string and tie the reed on, using the technique illustrated at http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Uploads/strnglig.html. This plays better than any ligature. Try it to get a target for comparison when you try a new ligature.
An inexpensive ($5) metal ligature (e.g., Martin), in my opinion, works as well as anything. Use needle-nosed pliers to bend the area on either side of the screws so that it does not touch the edges of the reed. That's what Kalmen Opperman did (and what Richard Stoltzman still does).
There's no reason to spend big bucks for a ligature. A $20 inverted Bonade, with the plier adjustments, was good enough for Harold Wright and Robert Marcellus. If you like a fabric/leather lig, get a Rovner Dark or a Rovner Light ($35), both of which work beautifully. I've tried a bunch of the rest, and, in my opinion, you're throwing money away if you spend anything more. Pure placebo effect.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2011-09-14 19:41
I think sometimes when the lubrication is left on the mouthpiece,the ligature
has tendency to slip.
Try to clean the mouthpiece with a clean soft cloth before you put a reed.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-09-14 19:45
Ken: Please don't downplay the placebo effect --- it's the engine that powers many things, large and small --- the retail musical instrument industry, religion, medicine........
Gotta run off now and cut a voicing groove in my bell, talk to you later.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-09-14 20:43
I'm a fan of the Rovner ligature too. Get the basic one he makes. You can make it as tight as you want and it won't choke of the sound or vibration of the reed. ESP
eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-09-14 22:37
Rovner basic is good.
Rovner Eddie Daniels (I think they call it the Versa now) is better (in my opinion), but costs more.
If you can stand the patience to do it up, a shoe string works fine, and is cheap. Just takes a little bit to learn, and a little bit to wind, and you can't mess with the mouthpiece once it's on.
I use the Eddie Daniels cause it gives me a variety of ligatures in one and can be tightened down REAL tight, which is I what I prefer with my legere reeds.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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