 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Carol S.
Date: 2009-10-16 02:07
Hi my name is Carol Smith. I am a student in high school and I am very serious about music. However, I happen to be caught in between two teachers. One of them says to tighten my screws all the way, and the other says to loosen them. I use a regular bonade ligature, and I would love your advice!
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Author: xpedx7342
Date: 2009-10-16 02:22
The one who says "tighten all the way" just wants to make sure that the reed stays in the same position. But this person is slightly wrong because by going all he way, you are crushing the reed fibers. You should definitely keep it tight, but loose enough so the reed is not damaged.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2009-10-16 02:40
"all the way" is a very relative term. "All the way" for me might be tighter than all the way for the person next to me.
The tightness does change the way the reed responds, though. I find that I can play a whole tone higher in the altissimo if the ligiture is tighter.
It should be mentioned also that tightening the lig more will cause more strees on it, and it can increase the chances of the lig breaking or wearing out faster.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-10-16 06:01
I tend to tighten it close to "all the way", then loosen it, then tighten it again to where it starts to offer resistance. So half way between all the way and loosened.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-10-16 12:17
Also depends on the ligature too.
I am a "tighten 'til it hurts" person, believing that the reed needs to be firmly ANCHORED to the mouthpiece to get the best vibrations from the business end of the reed.
I have success with this.
There are those (mainly saxophonists) who are on the opposite end of the spectrum, believing that the best vibrations (most vibrant sound) results from allowing the entire system to vibrate as much as possible. One friend of mine kept things so loose that occasionally just carelessly removing the mouthpiece from his face would send the reeding flying to one side. He got a HUGE, amazing sound from an alto!
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-10-16 14:57
Advice varies all over. The instructions that come with the Luyben plastic ligature say to tighten it up extra tight. The Rovner instructions say leave it as loose as possible. The Olegature instructions say to try dozens of variations, each of which plays differently.
The method I learned many years ago, and which works best for me, is to tighten the screws snug -- that is, until you feel a definite increase in turning resistance -- and then back them off 1/4 turn. This ensures that there is no air leakage under the reed, but lets the reed vibrate.
As you use the reed (particularly if you leave it on the mouthpiece all day), the bottom swells slightly, so that the area of the reed in the window (inside the rails) swells down into the window. This swelling should be removed, because if the reed is put on even slightly out of line from the old position, the swelling causes leakage. Run your thumb or fingertip over any outline of the rails on the bottom. If you feel any unevenness, put the reed on fine (400 or 600 grit) sandpaper over glass, press down firmly on the bark area and the top third of the vamp, and sand until the underside of the reed is shiny all over (except for the tip).
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-10-16 21:21
It is an individual thing. My belief is that you should tighten it until it's snug but don't "over" tighten it. You want the reed to sit flat on the facing of the mouthpiece so air or saliva does not get between the reed and the mouthpiece but don't make it so tight that it hampers the vibration of the reed. Snug is the word. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-10-16 23:43
I tighten them until the screws snap, then I throw them away and put a rubber band around the reed and mouthpiece. Or duct tape if I have a roll handy.
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Author: knotty
Date: 2009-10-17 02:46
I just don't understand why you can't glue the reed to the mouthpiece directly.
lol
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2009-10-17 15:46
Several answers have suggested that this is an individual choice - but I don't think anyone said the obvious, that as an individual you choose according to the result you hear in your own playing. Never mind what either teacher tells you, since obviously both think they're right (and may well be, depending on their reasons). How does tightening the screws affect the sound when you play? Not only is there variation in how tight to make the ligature, but also in how tight to make each screw (in a two-screw ligature like the Bonade). It may even be that it all changes with your reed. The final judges have to be your ears. If changing the screw tightness makes an audible difference, go for the better sound.
Sometimes advice is good but the reasons for it aren't obvious. For example, an orchestral player playing a Mahler symphony has to make many changes of instrument, sometimes very quick ones, through the course of the piece. A loose ligature can make this a nightmare. On the other hand, a band clarinet player (or the band director) doesn't have that concern. One ligature in particular, the Gigliotti ligature, uses screws that, either because of their design or the synthetic material they're made of, can actually shear off if you over-tighten them (David wasn't being quite so flighty as he may have thought, or maybe had these in mind). It's a good sounding ligature, but the screws have to be tightened more carefully (with a lighter touch) than on any other ligature I've used.
There are the mental pictures players conjure up in their imaginations of reeds vibrating freely for their whole length (loose screws) or vibrating more intensely and efficiently because they're firmly anchored and not wasting energy flapping against the table (tight screws) but the bottom line is the sound that's produced.
Karl
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2009-10-17 19:38
Well, if you want to look at this from a scientific/physics point of view, the best result would be, in the case of a lig that has two screws, tighten the bottom screw the tightest and the top one a little looser than that. The physics of a reed and the sound it makes, in a nutshell, is that it is made to vibrate with one end stationary or fully anchored and the other one vibrating. So if you want to come at it from the whole-system-vibrating approach, the best thing to do to maximize the CORRECT vibration pattern would be to anchor the end down and leave the rest free to resonate.
-----
Current set-up:
Classical:
Strength 4 1/4 Legere Signature Series
Vandoren M13 Lyre
Jazz:
Strength 3 3/4 Legere Quebec
Pomarico Jazz*
Clarinets:
Buffet E11 Student Model
Buffet R13 Greenline
<http://operationhighschool.blogspot.com
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Author: Dori
Date: 2009-10-17 19:56
"there is nothing you can't fix or make with duct tape and superglue"
I've heard all you need is duct tape and WD-40: If it moves and shouldn't, use duct tape. It if should move and doesn't, use WD-40.
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2009-10-17 20:12
Compared to ligatures with screws, you don't have much variation available with string, preformed string ligatures, or the Selmer slide on spring type. On the other hand, there are players who do well with each of the above. Do whatever works best for you and your set up. If you use duct tape, avoid the WD-40 -- it will effect the adhesive qualities of the duct tape. The most important tools you have to improve your playing are your ears.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-10-18 16:30
I use a two screw lig and tighten a lot but I don't use all my strength. Like others said it depends who. I've seen others tighten all the way and it felt very loose because they weren't strong.
By the way tightening less or more can affect the way the reed plays because it usually changes the tip opening, especially with some ligatures. This is a big part of why someone might prefer to tighten more or less with their setup. With a different player/setup/lig they might choose different so can't generalize how it is best to tighte.
For string it is possible to make a ligature like this: Wrap the mouthpiece with a thin layer of nylon wrap to protect. Put a reed and and shoe lace or string to make a ligature normally. Then smear strong epoxy over the string and also the knot. You can leave the area that contacts the reed with or without epoxy. After it dries it is a string ligature you can put on and off and just move it lower to tighten.
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