 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DaphnisetChloe
Date: 2016-06-11 09:10
What are the Ishimori ligatures like? How do they compare to other ligatures, such as the Rovner ones? I'm intrigued by this product.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-11 12:42
They make a bunch of different designs: metal, leather/metal, cord and wood.
The most common are the straight up metals ones which are good. They can hold the reed on really tightly and still allow a great vibrancy to the sound. I find, oddly that ligature placement (up and down along the reed) is critical and it is the only ligature of mine that sounded better a little higher up than what I normally do. For me, I usually place the ligature slightly closer toward the butt end of the reed (center being a point where you see equal amounts of the bark of the reed above and below the ligature).
I never really used it too long. Comparing it to Rovners, I actually still like the Rovner Light better. Don't tell Ishimori I said that.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: CEC
Date: 2016-06-11 18:09
I love the Ishimori ligatures. I have brushed gold for my sopranos and bass. I much prefer them to Rovners, Vandorens and even the Silversteins. For me personally, they are the best in terms of response and balance of partials. But the only real way to know for yourself is to try them. Innoledy.com has them at the best prices I've found and offer a trial period.
Chris
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2016-06-11 18:10
I've been described as an advanced clarinetist. I've played most of the instrument's etude books to the point of near memorization.
That's not bragging. Many players on this bboard must be better than me.
What it is is relevant to the topic at hand, just like your playing level DaphnisetChloe--which of course I don't know. Consider than many of us won't be able to take advantage of what enhanced designs, if any, Ishmori has to offer.
===
I've tried Ishimori ligatures, extensively, but still don't think I can comment on them from more than an anecdotal point of view--but yet think I have something of value to say.
Ishimori ligatures are great ligatures. I'm biased towards metal ligs, and these certainly allow maximum sound and reed vibrancy, I think. And that's coming from a hater of ligature hype. They are IMHO the best, in what is otherwise IMHO a crazy overhyped ligature market.
Consider that many consider shoe string, although a pain to tighten, the best ligature.
I think many far, far, far cheaper ligatures will do nearly just as good a job, especially if, DaphnisetChloe, you are, like me, something way short of a virtuosic player who might appreciate its features. If you're not "raking in the dough" the money is likely better spent on other things, clarinet specific or not.
This is not, on the other hand, to say that we're not all entitled now and then to treat ourselves to nice things, even if our logical side would say it probably isn't the best value.
Set very realistic expectations on why you might buy this product. If they include, "because it makes me happy," rather than "because this will help with fingering, make me look like a pro, given me false confidence, help with the evenness of my fingers, help me sight read better, etc." consider reconsidering.
To those that disagree--and they have their right--consider that they may play better than me, and can appreciate differences I can't, despite 40 years and tons of gear under my belt. Also consider that they might not, and that their opinions might suffer from confirmational bias.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias
Post Edited (2016-06-11 18:48)
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Author: DaphnisetChloe
Date: 2016-06-12 04:16
Thank you everyone for your thoughts! Since you asked WhitePlainsDave, I am in my first year at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Australia and have just done some orchestral casual work with Sydney's opera and ballet orchestra. I'm always interested in what new equipment is out there, in case it can help me to improve my playing.
James Julian.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-06-12 04:46
James -
There is a tremendous amount of hype in the ligature market, particularly at the high end. The idea that freezing metal changes its qualities has been repeatedly disproved by double-blind experiments, as has the notion that plating the metal makes a difference. The placebo effect is very powerful, and, alas, some active writers on this board have fallen under it.
Begin at the cheapest. String costs nothing. Plain metal no-name ligatures go for $5-10. Remember that Harold Wright and Robert Marcellus played $30 Bonade ligatures.
Fabric rather than metal makes a small difference, but the Rovner Dark and Light ligs are fully as good as the expensive ones, and often better.
By all means try the Ishimori, but record yourself and play back the tapes of it and others without labels. If you're like me, you'll find that you make "your" sound regardless of which ligature you play.
Ken Shaw
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2016-06-12 05:22
DaphnisetChloe thanks for your background.
Given it, my only recommendation is that whatever ligature you choose, you put it on "upside down" given you drive cars on the wrong (echem) side of the road, your toilet water goes down in the wrong direction, and it's amazing you don't fall off the earth given Australia's appearance (on an utterly arbitrarily drawn globe) on the bottom. ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
(purely satire--no US centric notions implied. Yes, it's silly we don't use metric.)
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Author: brycon
Date: 2016-06-12 05:34
Hey DaphnesetChloe
I've played a solid silver Ishimori for about 4 years. I tried out a bunch of them with my teacher and liked the silver the best--I felt as though it made my setup slightly more resistant, which I liked. When I listen to recordings of myself, it sounds about the same as my Bonade, but again, I liked the feel slightly better. Don't think ligs make much difference; your mileage may vary.
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