 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jacob R
Date: 2023-04-03 20:51
Genuine question.Does the ligature affect tone?I believe I have a cheap ligature and was wondering if switching to a Vandoren would improve tone quality.
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Author: Gerwin
Date: 2023-04-03 21:39
Some say ligatures don’t make a difference. Earspasm makes a very good argument for the shoelace being as good as anything. He’s an expert, and I usually have no reason not to believe him. However, I tried it myself, and a Vandoren Optimum made a huge difference in the ease with which I good make a strong tone. Even my wife heard the difference from two meters away.
My embouchure is probably not nearly what his is, so your milage may vary.
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Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2023-04-03 23:08
My short answer would be yes, the ligature does affect tone - but don't expect great differences.
Roughly speaking and in my opinion, what usually affects tone from most to least, would be 1) you yourself, including your skill as a player, 2) your mouthpiece, 3) your reed (not counting bad specimens or too hard or too soft ones, just different kinds), 4) your clarinet, and 5) your ligature.
Also remember that a certain brand, model, price level, what someone else is using or similar doesn't automatically translate to an improvement for you from what you already have. If possible, try before you buy and make your own judgement based on that.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-04-04 00:46
Here is an easy/cheap experiment. Next time you play, tighten the ligature down firmly. Listen to what that sounds like; feel how that responds. Now, loosen the ligature as much as possible......just so that the reed is not falling to the floor. Listen and feel.
The difference amongst most ligatures falls within these parameters. It has to do with how much or how little the reed is allowed to just do its thing which is to vibrate.
Some materials make a difference as well. I've found that when using Legere reeds, plastic ligatures have a surprisingly vibrant result. I don't think anyone would baulk at spending $25.00 on a Luyben ligature and yet these may be the best ligatures for plastic reeds.
So even the way a ligature binds the reed (so many different designs) can make subtle differences (positive and negative and must be experimented with if you are interested). But it really boils down to "vibrations." Leave them loose; change and clean at the barrel; save lots of money.
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed
Date: 2023-04-04 02:25
Perhaps they can make a small difference in sound and projection, but I always find that the larger effect is in the feel and response, which may be more noticeable for the player than the listener. I always think of the ligature/mouthpiece/reed interaction as an equation. Finding a more responsive ligature may be better for a slightly resistant mouthpiece and vice versa.
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Author: donald
Date: 2023-04-04 07:43
Something to think about....
There is no such thing as the perfect ligature.
There IS such a thing as a BAD ligature.
There are many GOOD ligatures, they're all just slightly different.
In my opinion, the BG Duo is the one that covers the most bases (and if I had to live the rest of my life with only one ligature, this would be it). I won an international competition with a Yamaha Silver ligature turned upside down (so the screws on top, metal bands holding reeds). Played the worse concert of my life with a silverstein, but it wasn't the ligatures fault.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2023-04-04 23:31
Mitchell Estrin writes:
"Assuming it fits well, the next point is that the screws should always be to the right as you are looking down at your instrument when in playing position."
Pretty right-handed way of looking at it!
I'm more comfortable with the screws on the right side, too, but I can't really think of a reason why they --need-- to be that way. Do left-handed people have the same opinion? Especially left-handed beginners?
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-04-04 23:52
That is an odd statement from Estrin.
I actually have an old BG silver Tradition with the screw on the left side. I don't know if this was a custom "one-off" but it's still a good ligature even though I'm right handed.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2023-04-05 00:17
Karl,
Hahahaha!
As it just so happens - the screws on my ligature are on the left...because I put the ligature on backwards from how it is intended - and I even added a thin piece of cork to the ligature to keep it from slipping off my crystal mouthpiece. Gasp! Oh the horrors.
It is amazing how important equipment becomes if we give it power over us. Placebo effect alone produces something like 30-50% results, right? It seems that belief might play a larger role in certain aspects of clarinet playing than does science.
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: lydian
Date: 2023-04-05 00:55
A poor ligature can deaden your tone. However, the stock 2-screw ligature holds the reed just fine, assuming it's a good fit. So you're not going to sound any better on a fancy ligature, just different. If you play too bright now, then you might think a stretchy ligature sounds "better", but changing how you blow would also make you sound "better".
My 2 cents: stop chasing gear and go practice. That's the number one guaranteed way to sound better. When the ligature doesn't give you the result you want, then you'll want a different mouthpiece, then different reed, then different clarinet. It never ends. Since Earspasm can make a shoestring sound fantastic, that should prove to you that it's the player, not the gear. It's a lesson that most refuse to accept.
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Author: crazyclari
Date: 2023-04-06 09:37
Hey of note its worth listening to the whole of the earspasm you tube he does not say it make no difference.
My opinion ligature make little difference to the listener but as noted above can change response etc. The material the ligature are made out of probably have the most impact the old pure nickel ligatures (not nickel plated brass) are great of course there are better.
We all have our sound model depends what you like, what you want etc...
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Author: Hugues Fardao
Date: 2023-04-07 20:46
I think there's a point : leather VS. any other ligature. I found leather gives less treble. I usually play with a M/O Black, but I already played with standard no name double screw, Selmer classic, rubber band from a mouth mask, office rubber band, I tested JLV ligature............ same sound. But with a leather one, the tone was darker.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-04-08 00:11
I think that ligatures definitly have some influence on sound , but they also affect what the player feels through the mouthpiece . This is something which may not actually translate into sound, but has its value in providing sensual feedback . I suspect that often, strong preferences regarding ligatures have as much to do with this factor, than that of the actual sound influence itself.
Being a player you never hear things the same way as a listener because you're in some degree of tactile contact with the frequencies and so naturally working with that relationship.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2023-04-08 00:38
I have an inverted 2 screw ligature engraved Vandoran, Paris, France, and with a letter R inside a circle. It works well, and I am wondering if there is anything special about it ?
Alan.
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-04-08 12:58
Given that a mouthpiece is a small thing suspended on its vibration dampening cork tenon , the addition to it of a type of mass with a particularly contact in the form of the ligature is bound to affect the frequency response of the mouthpiece body, and hence its relationship with reed vibration . I imagine that this is largely the principal behind ligatures like the Silverstine, i.e. , not only in how they secure the reed, but also in their metal anchoring mass, presumably to boost frequency response in the mouthpiece......kind of like those concrete blocks inside washing machines to dampen the high-speed spin and focus the energy .
To what degree all these relatively new ligatures on the marker offer a significant upgrade , or to what degree they feed off the " Quest for the Holy Grail" I'm not sure ........ Probably a bit of both .
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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