 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ryder
Date: 2008-04-13 16:37
There are lots of opinions on how to tighten a ligature- from a death grip to just enough to keep the reed in place. How tight should one really be on a metal? leather/fabric? I use a hybrid- leather body metal insert. so....hyrids?
thanks
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Author: hans
Date: 2008-04-13 17:08
Ryder,
Avoid tightening too much, because it will limit the vibration of the reed. As the reed swells with moisture, over-tightening can also warp the mouthpiece. On a 2-screw ligature, leaving the lower screw looser than the upper one may provide more freedom for the reed to vibrate.
Hans
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-04-13 17:12
A good place to start is to tighten the screw(s) up snug and then back off 1/4 turn. This seats the read firmly and gives it freedom to vibrate.
However, you need to experiment to find what works for you and the particular reed. There's no right or wrong way.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-04-13 18:19
I'm am both a vice grip guy and an advocate for finding your own answer.
A colleague of mine is an amazing classical saxophone player (and bassoonist) and his ligature is barely on. In fact if he accidently bumps the reed with his lip (a non playing posture) the reed will angle off WAY to one side.
He gets a huge sound which he attributes greatly to this technique of barely tightening the ligature. And boy does that EVER work for him!!!
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-04-13 19:08
I agree with DavidBs first post, it’s an individual preference. It depends on how low you place it on the reed and what type of ligature you use. Metal tends to choke off the vibration more than softer materials. The main thing is to make sure it’s snug enough so the reed sits flat on the facing of the mouthpiece and doesn’t leak. It also depends on the response you’re looking for so experiment. It may even be different with different reeds. ESP www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2008-04-14 13:55)
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Author: marcia
Date: 2008-04-14 01:56
If you are an orchestral player and switching between the A and Bb, it has to be on tight enough not to come off when you remove the mouthpiece from the barrel. Especially JUST before your big solo entry!! Fortunately I have not had that experience....yet.....
Marcia
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2008-04-14 02:10
I find it depends upon the ligature.
On some you can tighten then back off.
But, take the vandoren optimum lig and the plate with 4 little "pins" on it. If you tighten snugly then the 4 little pins may insert themselves into the reed and you end up with just a big flat plate. It took me sometime to properly tighten that plate and it changed my lig tightening forever !! (haha)
Sometimes I try and find the loosest fit with a lig, and then tighten a little bit more. It takes a litle bit of practice but once you get it it's pretty good. Though, it may be too loose if you use the same mpc for Bb and A and swap the mpc (which you could snug up a bit more then). In which case I prefer 2 good mpc and then just swap lig/reed.
==========
Stephen Sklar
My YouTube Channel of Clarinet Information
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Author: Neil
Date: 2008-04-14 02:31
When I got into the tight/loose conundrum I tried a shoelace lig and it gave me exactly what I was trying to acheive. It works good on crystal, btw.
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Author: wrowand
Date: 2008-04-14 19:42
I started playing the clarinet about a year ago so that I could start playing some doubling gigs (I'm an oboist) and I find that the kind of ligature (design and/or materials) as well as how tight it is on the mpc makes a big difference in how well the altissimo range speaks on my instrument. I'm not a good clarinettist yet, but I wondered if those of you who've been playing a lot longer have the same experience.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2008-04-15 04:58
"Warp the mouthpiece"?
Any mouthpiece makers or re-facers care to chime in about "warping" a rubber, ebonite, or crystal mpc with a ligature?
I fear this is another case of clarinet urban myth, but am willing to change my mind if there's anything other than anecdotal information out there.
B.
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