Do different ligatures have different effects on the clarinet? Does it improve the sound?(I know...stupid question)



Edited by Forum Admin at 08:32 on Tuesday, April 08, 2003
Reason: Title clarified]

Of course!

I used to play on a Leblanc and a Selmer, and I have recently switched over to a Rovner ED II Signature, and what a difference!
The ED II even has different plates much like the Vandoren Optimum that you change for different tones.

Your sound changes mostly due to your mouthpiece, and then your ligature and reed. After that comes your clarinet. Clarinets can change your sound, but the Pro models are just better in tune, more consistent, and have better materials and mechanism design. Your tone is mostly your mouthpiece setup as I stated before.....

Bradley

Perfect practice makes nearly perfect!

Thanks for the info...
How much a good ligature costs?
any sugestions on what kind?
Thanks,
Amanda

Vandoren Optimum and Rovner EDII should
each be around $50. Some places have
better prices ofcourse.

I never thought too much about my mouthpiece and the sound with different mouthpiece before. 50 bucks for a mouthpiece dang things are so expensive. Doesn`t everybody just wish they could get the best clarinet, mouthpiece, reeds & ligatures ever?? I do lol I just got a new Yamaha clarinet.. Its pretty cool, but it has a cheappp mouthpiece ha. Its just one of those plastic ones, doesn`t go with my clarinet that well since its that shiny plastic and my claris wood. Should I try to convince for a new mouthpiece I wonder? Has anyone seen one of those barrels that have the spaces in em?? Do they help with the sound too?

Yamaha`s actually come with decent mouthpieces. Is yours labled 4C, &C, 3C, etc...?

Mines 4C,is there anything bad about that kind?

The 4C is one of the best mouthpieces that come with the clarinet. If you have a 4C, then you shouldn`t worry for now about playing on a bad mouthpiece. The 4C is designed to be a student mouthpiece with a normal (more on the closed side) opening and I believe it is a medium facing.

In any case, it is a very dependable mouthpiece, especially suitable for beginning to intermediate students.

BTW, I started on a 4C.

I don`t know what mine is on my yamaha.. I don`t think its the one that origionaly came with it because its just one of those cheap plastic ones. I bought my yamaha used so i dunno i could probably use a new mouthpiece lol

I have a Rovner ligature that is just great. They claim it is the best ligature in the world, and it cost under $20. If your clarinet came with a real cheap one, I suggest you look for a nice Rovner. Mine is made of some type of sinthetic cloth with metal screws for adjusting.

Yes they do. The sound can be improved by the following : Mouthpiece, Ligature, Barrel, and then Reed. I started with the standard ligature that came with my clarinet, and since then, I have moved to a Luyben, and then I moved on to a Fabric Ligature (I think its a Rovner, but my memory is failing me). You also want to look towards an upgrade on your mouthpiece or barrel if you want to improve your sound. Wood allows for a better vibration, making a warmer sound, so experiment with those.

Hi, I`m glad that I found this forum :> I enjoyed reading the precious information that given by u all I need some help. I`m using Yamaha 34II, and the 4C mouthpiece which came together with the clarinet. I`m thinking of buying Vandoren B45 dot mouthpiece and a new ligature, preferably black and inverted. Can anyone give me some suggestions? Thank you very much.
For additional information, I will pursue my music degree (classical) soon. Will sometimes play in a symphonic band, orchestra and chamber group.

are string/ rubber ligatures better than the metal/ fabric ones? i am looking at getting a rubber ligature that has no srews.

don`t clarinet mouthpieces ONLY come in PLASTIC? therefore, they always clash w/ a wooden clarinet. It does look pretty strange, but after a while u get used to it.

I think it`s not the appearence what counts. The Vandoreen B45 are made of plastic but are very good mouthpieces. And the most, it depends on your shape of lips and what music are you going to play.

Regarding the ligature... yes of course the tone depends on ligatures as well. But again it depends on the same factors as regards the mouthpiece. There are ligatures for orchestra, Band , and soloists. The rubber ones are more used by soloists as they tend to have a more mellow sound.

And after all, it depends at what level of musicality are you to start seeind such diference.