 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-02-02 00:13
How important is positioning the ligature on the mouthpiece? Most, if not all, mouthpieces have one or more lines. With the variety of ligature styles available, is it left up to each individual to experiment or is there a rule to follow?
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2001-02-02 01:07
I think you just have to fine the right position for your set up. My vary depending upon the mouthpiece and reed. It also varies from one lig to another.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-02-02 03:08
The scribe lines are merely guidelines to get you in approximately the right position. You need to experiment so that you learn what is the position that typically gives you the best sound. Then each time you get ready to play, you will need to adjust the position slightly so that it sounds the best for that day and reed. In other words, it's variable by nature. Watch experienced players. They will play a few notes or warm up for a bit and then may readjust their reed position and/or ligature position before settling down for the session.
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Author: Graham Golden
Date: 2001-02-02 03:27
Hi,
I agree that it does depend on the mouthpiece, reed and ligature to find the correct position. I have found the farther up the reed the ligature is the flatter the instrument plays, and the tighter it is the sharper it plays.
Graham
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Author: William
Date: 2001-02-03 04:00
Mouthpieces with concave tables (like the Chedavelle style mps) are very position sensitive with regards to ligature placement. Flat table mps. are far less touchy, but most players like to place the lig. farther toward the "butt" of the reed to allow freedom of vibration for resonance. With my Ched., I like to postion the Lig. right on the line (using the Optimum with the rail insert) to best take advantage of the "springboard" effect of the concave facing. On my Kaspar, I place the lig. (Winslow with four square pin arrangement) farther down to let the reed vibrate more freely. Ligiture placement is a complex issue requiring much more dicussion than this little entry of mine. What do the rest of you like???????
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Author: Steve
Date: 2001-02-03 04:22
I play on a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece with a Rovner ligature. My instructor taught me to use the reed, rather than the mouthpiece as a guide. He had me fit the ligature so that the top is just below the horizontal line next to where the cut in the cane is made. This seems to work fine (for me, at least) and produces a freely vibrating feel in the reed.
It also helps to hold my thumb at the base of the ligature (on the reed side) and "cant" it toward me while tightening the set screw. (This is explained in a diagram included with the Rovner.)
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Author: John Gibson (the other one)
Date: 2001-02-03 14:24
In Ben Armato's book he says that moving the ligature toward the shoulder of the reed will make a soft reed play with more resistance by impeding vibrations. Moving the ligature towards the butt of the reed will encourage vibration and make a hard reed play more freely. At last summer's clarinet fest 2000 he worked on a reed a bit and when I tried it, he suggested moving the ligature forward. It made a big difference in the quality of the sound.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-02-02 18:03
Fred -
If you had to name two of the best clarinetists in the world, nobody would quarrel if you said Stanley Drucker and Elsa Ludewig-Verdeher. He puts his ligature as far down as it will go. She puts it as far up as it will go.
There's no right spot -- just what works best for you.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-02-02 18:04
Dee and William et al have pretty well answered your ? . Since I seem to prefer the "inverse" ligs, I have tended to move toward the butt of the reed, but haven't found any great difference, maybe because of reed differences!! Don
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