 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bubalooy
Date: 2007-01-02 21:34
My Ligature broke after about 30 years of use. I had a "Harrison?" anyway shaped like an H and gold (plated I assume) and the ligature just broke on what would be the horizontal line of the H. I didn't tighten it particularly hard or anything like that. Anyway, I have been tying my reed on my mouthpiece with a pice of cord for the last few days, and in terms of sound, it works just fine. It is a bit of a hassel to get started but it works well. Perhaps articulation is just a little more difficult, but I couldn't say that with any certainty.
I started looking at ligatures that are available, and I realize that a tiny improvement in "playability" is worth a lot, but ligatures range from about 5 dollars to 85 dollars. My string was almost free. Can anything which has the basic function of holding a reed on a mouthpiece really be worth 85 dollars? If so, I'll probably spend it. Any thoughts?
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2007-01-02 23:42
I am extremely happy with the Vandoren Masters Inverted ligs and they are a bargain. Use them on clarinet and sax (I like the looks of black lacquer ones on clarinet ). They are comparably simple and elegant to the Harrisons but a slightly different design. I have both a Harrison and VD MI on tenor sax and they perform equivalently.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-01-02 23:50
When you're using a string ligature you risk being seated in the strings section next time. ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
Seriously - I don't know. I tried a number no-name metal ligatures, a silver Buffet, Velcro, two different Rovners and a Luyben. For me, they all sound more or less the same (but hearing oneself is a difficult and treacherous thing anyway). So I'm just striving for the most practical and use the one that's least difficult to fit, and that's - for me - the Rovner. <shrug>
I understand there's a lot of metaphysical and religious vibrations and reverb in the various accessories. If a string makes you happy, go for it. If you think only the 85$ hose clamp complements your grandezza, heck, why not?
--
Ben
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2007-01-03 00:15
Only a $500 Backun/Rossi/Bay/Chedeville/Kaspar ligature will do. It must be polonium-plated, by the way. All other ligatures give you the Squidward Sound. I can tell with my ears.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-01-03 00:37
I have a handmade lig from Ishimori in Japan and that cost me over 200 US dollars. I don't use it much anymore.
FYI- some company (rico, I think) currently makes a 'Harrison' model with the 'H' shape. About 40USD I think.
-S
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2007-01-03 00:45
TTT and DS, TKS for good laughs! If price is a consideration, may I suggest using 2 or 3 rubber O-Rings of appropriate size[s?]. No need to worry about infringing the patent [can provide its US #], its more complex, its prob. expired and its doubtful there is a DE or EP equivalent for use in Germany !! Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: sdr
Date: 2007-01-03 00:52
Velcro "cord keepers" from Home Depot -- 50 for $5.00 (25 black ones and 25 gray ones). Also available is rainbow colors to match or contrast w/ you clarinet. Wrap so the "furry" side faces in.
-sdr
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Author: Escsrc
Date: 2007-01-03 09:32
Rubber bands (I kid you not), hair ties, shoestrings, sticky tac and... an Eddie Daniels Rovner. Yeah, price ranges can really be somethin'. I agree with tictactux: use whatever is convenient! I just avoid anything that's "finicky" beyond a moment or two's inconvinience.
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Author: kenb
Date: 2007-01-03 10:32
Viotto mouthpieces tied up with strings,
these are a few of my favourite things...
Now, which of our French boehm custom mp makers is going to be first to start groovin'....
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2007-01-03 13:35
Groovin'......
On a Kaspar afternoon.........
Mouthpieces......
Gonna tie them up real soon............
(Sorry, showing my age again)
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Author: Nathan
Date: 2007-01-03 13:52
I'm a fan of the shoestring method (I use the kind of lace and wrapping technique found in Pino's book with great success). Once you get your wrap down, it doesn't take any more time than getting a "real" ligature on and adjusted, with the screw tension just right. The other bonus I don't often see mentioned about string is that the reed is secure, yet highly adjustable, so you can fuss around with the reed without adjusting the ligature.
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Author: J B Lansing
Date: 2007-01-03 15:25
I had a Harrison ligature that broke in the same (very weak) place. I took it to a jeweler and he silver soldered a little extra piece of white gold across the break. Cost me $25 and it works fine and has for over a year.
J B
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Author: jack
Date: 2007-01-03 16:23
Four ligatures that have been favorably mentioned (you can probably find threads on them) on this board are: BG Super Revelation, various Bay models, Peter Spriggs Floating Rail and Vandoren Optimum. They each have unique characterics and if nothing else, you may be highly entertained attempting to choose one favorite among them. I likem all.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2007-01-03 16:54
"I'm a fan of the shoestring method (I use the kind of lace and wrapping technique found in Pino's book with great success)."
I also really like to use a shoe lace. I use a regular flat one like most sports shoes have, and use the most intuitivea technique, which is just wrap it around the mouthpiece and reed and tie the ends when there is a little left.
A lot of times I am too lazy to do this (I disagree that it takes the same time to put a regular ligature and shoe lace) so I use an Oleg ligature which is so far the best I have tried (changed from a Vandoren Optimum which really didn't work for me).
When I don't want to have extra attention (both the Oleg and the shoe lace will do that sometimes) I use a Vandoren Masters ligature.
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Author: Mark Fleming
Date: 2007-01-03 23:01
I just went web shopping for ligatures yesterday for my contrabass. I found a Buffet silver plated for a Bb soprano on sale at a sax site for $3.95. It sounded like the one that usually retails for $25-35. I almost bought one, just to add to my collection. Unfortunately, I can't find the site now.
Mark Fleming
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Author: Mark Fleming
Date: 2007-01-03 23:06
Found the site. Don't everybody order at once. Let Bubalooy get one first.
http://www.saxplus.com/clearance.html
Mark Fleming
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2007-01-04 17:23
David Pino D.M.A in his book "The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing" recomends using a "shoe string" as a ligature.
He was serious,says he uses a shoe string all the time.
The price is right anyway.
Clarinet Redux
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-01-04 18:12
> He was serious, says he uses a shoe string all the time.
That's because they're available nearly everywhere. (as opposed to suitable twines)
NB: The string colour should match the cummerbund colour. When in doubt, use black. Basic etiquette.
--
Ben
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2007-01-05 04:51
"The string colour should match the cummerbund colour. When in doubt, use black. Basic etiquette."
I use a white shoe string, but I never wear a cummerbund.....
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-01-05 13:41
if something happens during performance at least one member of the audience will be happy to hold the reed on the mouthpiece for you.
the resonance is better than any other lig out there. if they are short you will discover new multiphonics and an extended range whail tall people yield a darker sound.
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Author: Bubalooy
Date: 2007-01-06 20:26
Thank you all serious and not. Lots of smiles here. Well I went out and bought a Rovner, which is something I was sure I wouldn't buy, but I find I like it very much playing it with the screw mechanism over the read rather than on the far side of the mouthpiece. It seems to be working for me. I played my last ligature for over 25 years so I hope I'll be satisfied with this one as long. It makes the cost per hour quite small. In the long run I just didn't like the hassle of wrapping the damn string. This is a bit more convenient.
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Author: Al Amir
Date: 2007-01-09 07:56
If you like the shoestring method but you don't like wrapping all the time this method can be helpful. You only need to be a little confident with knots:
http://83.211.108.168/turkshead.jpg shows in a vary bad photo how it works. You can find instructions on this site: http://www.folsoms.net/knots/
looking for turkshead. Since I found out this kind of legature I don't need any other. Of course it takes some times to be able to make the knot and to fast it. But at the end you can regulate the right pressure on the reed and it goes for years.
I can put on some better photos if anyone is interested.
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Author: Al Amir
Date: 2007-01-09 08:55
Sorry GBK but that is NOT the turkshead ligature !!!
Vittorio Cacioppo
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Author: bawa
Date: 2007-01-09 09:16
The last competition my daughter played in, the music school auditorium was not available. So they had to play in a cinema - (movie theatre) of the old-fashioned kind.
There was a green-room under the stage, totally unsound-proof, so you couldn't play in there. Therefore warm-up was arranged in a doctor's consultancy two streets away... it was a showery day so daughter decided to pack her clarinet and remount it in the green-room rather than taking the risk of getting it wet.
Which meant she couldn't really try it out before getting on to stage.
The compulsory piece was Stamitz no.3, and after the first introduction, where the orchestra (piano) has a part on its own, she was whipping out the reed and readjusting it, twice or thrice (I was crawling under the seat by this time) and in the end did it with plenty of time for her re-entry.
I guess one thing that made this possible (I don't recommend the procedure, mind you), is that it was the Vandoren Optimum ligature with just one screw.
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Author: Al Amir
Date: 2007-01-09 09:35
The turkshead ligature is a like a knotted string ligature, so you can whip it out very quikly. You don't even have to unscrew and srew again. The pressure on the reed depends on how deep you push the ligature.
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Author: Al Amir
Date: 2007-01-09 10:29
Sorry, my turkshead was already discuss il 1999 !:
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Klarinet/1999/08/000922.txt
Vittorio Cacioppo
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Author: cuscoclarinet
Date: 2007-01-10 01:34
I've got a selection of mouthpieces and a selection of ligatures and by far my favorite ligature both for convienience and looks is a single screw lig that was on the mouthpiece of an old Harry Pedler clarinet. It fits perfectly on my Vandoren b-45 and is terrificly cute!
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