 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-06-17 23:18
What determines the tone of a ligature? Is it the material it's made from or something else? For example the Rovner Dark and the typical metal, two screw type being brighter.
Thanks!
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-06-17 23:47
You'll get many answers and little agreement. The tone of a ligature is almost entirely determined by the reed it's attaching, the mouthpiece it's attaching the reed to, the clarinet the mouthpiece is attached to, and the player who is playing the whole thing.
For what subtle difference there is from one ligature to another (holding the rest of the system the same), you really have to play them, and then try each at different places along the reed's length, with different amounts of tightness, and in some some cases more than one configuration.
It isn't as if one ligature will be wonderful and another awful by comparison. And then, even if you hear and feel a subtle difference, the question remains, how far away from you is the difference audible?
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-06-18 01:11
I am a "believer" in the ligature as an element in the sound equation. How much difference it makes in the total picture is slight. Given that though, my feeling is that it has to do with HOW the ligature holds the reed; what type of material is touching the reed; and how much of the material is in contact with the reed.
MOSTLY
For example I had very VERY similar results between the Silverstein ligature and the Ishimori leather pouch design with the wooden cradle. You couldn't have two different materials or designs be more different, and yet they are almost identical in the final analysis.
For my money, one of the worst ligatures for response and sound is the Rovner Dark. It is a simple vinyl pouch design, easy to use, virtually indestructible, almost everyone has one and you couldn't pay me to use one.
On the other hand the Rovner Light is pretty much the same ligature with a hole in it so that it only touches the top and bottom of the reed and it is one of the best ligatures out there (only slightly different from its cousin) and I use one regularly.
So it is hard to come up with a 'winning' formula. It comes down to what YOU like after trials. You may wind up finding no apparent difference amongst ligatures at all. And I would say that is probably the best thing that could possibly happen to a clarinet player!
...................Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-06-18 16:32
My feeling is that most of the difference to a player is the response of how a ligature feels to the player. Some ligatures will add or distract high or low frequencies producing a slightly brighter, darker or warmer tone for the player. I know some players that use one or two different ligatures depending of the reed they're using.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-06-18 19:38
Thank you. Think I'll start recording my tone with different reed, ligature combinations instead of just going by what I perceive when I'm playing. What I think is good may not be so to others listening.
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-06-21 00:20
Thanks for the info on the string ligature Silversorcerer, I'll try it soon. Have various string materials since I make bowstrings.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-06-21 05:37
I've tried the string ligature that Silversorcerer recommends, and it actually does work very well. I don't use it too often because it's more work to tie/untie it.
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