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 String ligatures in North America
Author: AAAClarinet 
Date:   2013-05-20 03:30

I recently tried a shoelace ligature and I am hooked. I love the sound and response of the reed. I even like it more than my Spriggs. I was shocked when my private lessons teacher really liked it also. I was wondering if there are any pro players in North America using string. I know most don't want to deal with the "inconvenience" of tying.
thanks for any replies.

AAAClarinet
p.s. does anyone know where i can find a recording of K. Opperman

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Paul Aviles 
Date:   2013-05-20 10:39

Michelle Zukovski of LA is most notable, but I'd seen several examples over the years. I had used string on and off for many years and I even set up all 22 players in my high school concert band for a notable performance......I was a precocious teenager!

If there are those out there who want a particularly good "slip on" version, the "Vientos Bambu" ligature is a really well made product with a very thick weave and a pull string in the front to cinch it up. I'd say it's very much like an adjustable Pyne.




..................Paul Aviles



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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: clarinetguy 2017
Date:   2013-05-20 11:31

David Pino describes his shoelace ligature in his book, The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing.

I have an old Vibra-string (or Viba-string?) that I used briefly about 30 years ago. It's an interesting concept, but it's nothing special.

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Steve Hartman 
Date:   2013-05-20 11:58

I've been using string exclusively for 30 years but have temporarily employed a metal ligature in case I needed to make a quick switch between pieces for something that I was doing on stage (as opposed to in the pit.) That finishes on Wednesday and I'll be back to my string.

There are several bead stores on 6th Ave. in Manhattan which have a selection of cotton string. I find that synthetic strings tend to slip too easily.

-Steve Hartman
Principal Clarinet
New York City Ballet Orchestra

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Ken Shaw 2017
Date:   2013-05-20 12:22

Steve -

I was about to mention you.

Please give the name or location of the bead store you go to. Most of them I've tried are wholesale only. They don't sell retail because they're not set up to collect sales tax.

Michele Zukovsky gave me a genuine German Blattschnur many years ago, and they're readily available from German suppliers. I tend to use white twine from a hardware store. It's about the same diameter as a Blattschnur or a round shoelace and is about the same thickness as I've seen on your mouthpiece.

Ken Shaw

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Axel 
Date:   2013-05-20 13:11

For those, who want to try a German "Blattschnur": Here is a retailer (there are some others)

http://www.klarinettenblaetter.de/en/accessories-24/blattschnure-67/blattschnur-klarinette-deutsches-system-125cm-10203.html

and here a video, how to do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt_CJyZRAXI

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Steve Hartman 
Date:   2013-05-20 14:03

Ken:

Much to my own surprise, I was able to find the receipts from my two recent purchases of cotton string:

Bead Center 989 Sixth Avenue NY, NY 10018
Toho Shoji (New York) Inc. 990 Sixth Avenue NY, NY 10018

They are right across the street from one another, between 36th and 37th Streets, and they both charge $1/yard.

-Steve

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Paul Aviles 
Date:   2013-05-20 22:33

I agree with Steve Hartman about the 100% cotton. Your typical fabric store only stocks the polyester rat-tail braid. Of course if you run your cording across a cake of beeswax one or two times, the tackiness imparted makes either cording workable. I've heard contradictory information on whether the beeswax treatment is traditional but this is what I was told to do by the clarinetists of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble back in the 70's.


German mouthpieces are still made with an optional "schnur round," which is a raised bumper at the uppermost "line of ligature" making it impossible for string to just slip off as you pull up on your mouthpiece.


Of course no one has mentioned yet that you'd be kinda hard pressed to find a German using blattschnur these days !!!




............... Paul Aviles



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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Neil 
Date:   2013-05-21 01:33

I posted this several years back on making a hand-woven ligature out of a shoelace. If you like the shoelace, you might want to give this a try.

http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=174089&t=174089



Post Edited (2013-05-21 01:35)

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: rtaylor 
Date:   2013-05-23 17:20

Another source for the German version is from Rudolph Pflaumer.
In my experience the material and the diameter of the string can make a difference in the response with the smaller diameter string providing a better response with less damping of the reed.

http://www.sinus-reeds.de/produkte2.html



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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: Psolomon 
Date:   2014-04-23 01:49

I'm considering trying out one of these string ligatures, to see how it compares to my Kaspar.
How much cotton do I get to make a full ligature?



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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: AAAClarinet 
Date:   2014-04-23 02:01

Another thing to experiment with... Try 10-20 wraps around the mouthpiece. I also enjoy using string on bass clarinet. Good luck.

AAAClarinet

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: GBK 
Date:   2014-04-23 02:40

Will Cicola, in his helpful video, wraps the string around the mouthpiece 17 times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt_CJyZRAXI

...GBK

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 Re: String ligatures in North America
Author: ruben 
Date:   2014-04-25 17:20

Lomax makes a ligature that is supposed to reproduce the qualities of string. I think it is successful in doing so and I, personally, don't use anything else. When I go to Germany, I notice that fewer and fewer players are using string: they're getting lazy.

rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com


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