 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2016-09-18 04:28
Well, maybe not so much design, as I've been curious about a few things and have a good idea of what I want. But more how the heck to get a prototype?
Is it basically mess around and butcher ligatures on my own until I get something that works?
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: ned
Date: 2016-09-18 05:22
Well...you get this piece of string, say, a shoelace, or something like that and you then...
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Author: ruben
Date: 2016-09-18 13:22
Your post interests me, especially as I have just developed a new ligature for the little company I work for. I puttered about transforming old, unoriginal ligatures and when I had something we liked, we had a prototype made-and it was expensive having it made. Why not look into 3D? I have no experience of 3D copying. Is it used as a means of making prototypes, manufacturing or both?
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-09-18 17:36
I studied briefly with a fellow (named "George") at nearby university and he had a ligature that was homemade ... very simple. Very light gauge brass shim stock, cut to size and old screws cut off of old cheap ligature and silver soldered to it. They had a MP with a reed glued to the table. The ligature was fitted to the MP which was clamped in a vise and a tool with a wheel on the end was used to contour the ligature metal to the reed. The thing was ugly, but apparently worked well.
George claimed that a number of people had done blind testing and they always preferred the homemade ligature. They thought of putting in in production, but when George quit clarinet teaching and went to work on a doctorate in conducting, the project died, I guess.
Try a couple of rubber O-rings. Free blowing and responsive and more volume than most ligatures.
Good luck.
Tom
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Author: ned
Date: 2016-09-19 05:16
Tom wrote: ''...The thing was ugly, but apparently worked well. George claimed that a number of people had done blind testing...''
Don't we, subconsciously or otherwise, fiddle with our mouthpieces and reeds (and ligature) prior to playing? I know that I do.
If this is so, a blindfold test as described, would need to have a proviso to the effect that those folks involved, by necessity, not touch the mouthpiece. This is not withstanding any blindfold which may be applied.
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Author: ned
Date: 2016-09-19 06:18
Tom also wrote this in another post: ''Of course, 99% of her sound is HER, and not whether she is using a Yamaha SEV or a carrot clarinet ...''
Very true, and this also applies to ligatures, be they made of string or gold.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-09-19 12:41
This is a great subject.
I play around with mouthpieces all of the time and of course ligatures. For some reason I tend to like ligatures that hardly weigh anything. What I look for are freedom and vibration. Articulation is so important in the middle and high registers. When you hear a thug before the note speaks when articulating that note for the first time well several things can be wrong and the ligature is one of them. It can be the player, the octave key is too open, pads not sealing, the barrel, the mouthpiece, the facing, tip opening, and the bore of the clarinet. Several other issues can cause this as well. On the Buffet A clarinets it's my opinion that the register tube is too long and needs to be cut shorter and reshaped. Also the hole is too open.
Ligatures can surely make your sound darker, brighter, freer, choke off the vibrations of the reed and the mouthpiece and even the air flow. So this is why I'm always messing around with ligatures. The one I've been using lately is a cheap light weight metal ligature which I gutted out most of the metal with a grinder and used some shoe laces to get that German string ligature feel. The laces are bright green! Yes players ask about it a lot! Glued on with contact cement.
I'm making a new clarinet mold so in 2 months or so I may change ligatures depending on how the new mouthpieces turn out, so you often have to be flexible with trying out new ligatures if you change horns, mouthpieces, your embouchure, have your horns repaired. Don't get stuck playing the same setup, such as your ligature for the rest of your life! It's rude looking, but the cost was $2 maybe? If you like the gold plated $300 ligatures go for it! I've tried them and for $2 the one I have seems to be better. Again, it doesn't weigh much, so the mouthpiece vibrates better. Email me if you want to see a pic at savagesax@aol.com
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: TomS
Date: 2016-09-21 16:51
I assume on the "George Ligature" some trusted individual placed the reed and ligature on the MP for the player. I know moving the reed .005" in any direction can make a big difference, so the test may be flawed to some extent ... but the impression was most favorable for the homemade ligature.
I'll see if I can send George a message and find out more ... frankly, during my brief study with him, I was sweating over fixing my playing to his standards and not paying total attention to matters, at the time, of secondary importance.
Tom
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Author: ned
Date: 2016-09-22 04:17
Hello Bob,
I emailed to the address at the bottom of your post. I don't know if you received it though.
thx
John a.k.a. Ned
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