I use a metal selmer ligature on my vintage metal Otto Link. It works great and I prefer it to several original otto link ligatures. It fits really nicely and holds the reed well. However, I notice that with all the sliding it on and off, it is slowly rubbing away the metal plate on the mouthpiece, leaving just the bare brass. Are saxophone ligatures just there to hold the reed firmly, or do they help or hinder your sound? All is revealed: Videos and soundfiles. (as with the Otto Link type). Do not overtighten the screws, they should be tight enough to just stop the reed from slipping or to take up any slight warpage in the reed or table of the mouthpiece.
Table of Contents.The Best Way to Hold a Reed On What do saxpophone ligatures do?A ligature clamps the reed to the mouthpiece. Think of this a bit like when you hold a ruler on the edge of a table and flick the bit sticking over so it goes “boing”.
You need to hold the part of the ruler firmly, or the end sticking over does not vibrate well. The same principle applies to the way a reed vibrates on a mouthpiece. Think of the ligature as the pressure that holds the butt of the reed against the table of the mouthpiece, so the blade (= the boingy bit of the ruler) can vibrate nicely.Saxophone ligatures have developed a long way since the days when clarinetists would just wind a piece of cord or leather thong around the reed to secure it to the mouthpiece (but some people still swear by this method). Ligature, Reed & Mouthpiece If mouthpiece table is flat:Provided the reed is not distorted, any good fitting ligature will work, and there should be no significant difference in sound between one ligature and another.
If the reed swells due to moisture, you should with a blade or reed tool. If mouthpiece table is concave:Some mouthpiece tables are concave by design. One theory is that because of the resulting slight gap between reed and table the reed will swell into the concavity and close the gap, however it’s probably best to just make sure you in this case. If the curve of the concavity is from front to back, the tightness and position of the ligature can be critical. If the concavity is from side to side, the way the ligature applies pressure can be critical: if it applies pressure to the centre of the reed, it will push the reed down into the concavity and so create a good seal, but if it applies pressure at the edges, then it could cause the gap to remain which means the reed does not seal well and can cause squeaks or deadening of the sound. Both of these situations explain why many people think that a ligature affects the sound.Note that if the reed swells into the concavity, or if the reed is flat and has formed itself to the concavity, then this reed is unlikely to perform well when tried on a different mouthpiece. For this, and other reasons, I believe a flat table is preferable to a concave table.These days some very sophisticated ligatures are being made by manufacturers with all kinds of claims that various enhancements can improve your sound.
How much of that is true and how much is marketing hype to get you to part with your hard-earned cash is open to debate, more on that later.Most ligatures are tightened by one or two screws, either laterally (from the side) to tighten a band around the mouthpiece and reed, or from the top directly down onto the reed (as with the Otto Link type). Do not overtighten the screws, they should be tight enough to just stop the reed from slipping or to take up any slight warpage in the reed or table of the mouthpiece.
Of course, there should never be any warpage of the mouthpiece table, and you should always to make them flat, but sometimes a previously even reed can warp very slightly while playing, and if a ligature is tight enough it will apply pressure to flatten a slightly warped reed against the table. If the surface of the reed is not held against the table then the sound can be slightly muffled or harder to produce.
You will probably notice this most often when trying to play quiet low notes. Does a ligature affect the sound of the saxophone?Some people consider that the type of ligature affects the sound, however this topic has been hotly debated. I’ve never noticed this as long as the ligature is a good fit for the mouthpiece and is holding the reed firmly, and neither the reed or mouthpiece table are uneven. It is very important that the ligature is not too distorted or badly fitting or the tone will definitely suffer. For this reason the more flexible textile based ligatures may sound better, but only if compared to a damaged or poorly fitting metal one, as they do not get damaged by dropping them, sitting on them or most other kinds of abuse you can find for them.
But the bog standard 2-screw type will sound as good as anything provided it is the right size and is in good working order. How Different Ligatures affect less than perfect reeds: A reed with an even surface and a ligature which fits the back of the reed.
This could be either a metal lig that is correct for the mouthpiece or any fabric ligature which molds to the reed. Pressure from just the top centre or from the sides will hold the reed. When a reed is swollen in the middle, a ligature which applies pressure from the middle may flatten it slightly, but still leave gaps at the edges A ligature which applies pressure from the edges to a reed can actually help with closing the gaps, but could be causing further distortion of the reed.Audio Examples: Compare Ligatures (2-Screw vs Fabric). Ligature A is a RovnerLigature B is a 2 ScrewLigature C is a cabletie (£4.99 for a packet of 100)In the examples above, you can see that if the reed has a flat surface, then even a badly fitting ligature should hold it well. But if the reed is swollen, some ligatures may work better than others. This scenario is compounded if the mouthpiece table is not flat.
So what does all this show? Should I use a Rovner, 2 Screw or some other metal ligature?As you can see in the examples above, it is very much up to the shape and type of ligature whether the reed is held properly against the table, allowing the tip to vibrate properly. August 18, 2018 at 11:23 amExcellent advice I agree with what you say I am 72 and just starting to learn the Alto sax I don’t have any music back ground and have had about nine lessons and my teacher has told me don’t worry about changing my classic mouthpiece or ligature it’s about getting getting embouchure and breathing correct.
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Having worked in high quality production of both mechanical and electrical equipment some for NASA I totally agree with what you say about the ligatures. With a percentage of the reeds from a batch not giving good tone as we all know and a change of ligature will not compensate for a reed which has been machined to the dimensions and is flat on the bed of mouthpiece, when my notes are terrible maybe after four hours practice a day say for a week, changing the read corrects my tone. March 5, 2019 at 2:44 amThis was a very helpful article!
I’m always looking to improve my playing, and my go-to guides are normally on this website. Despite such, I feel that there is a discrepancy in your claim that ligatures don’t make any difference in sound. I’ve been playing alto for almost four years now, and for about two years, I’ve been only playing on Theo Wanne ligatures. The Theo Wanne ligatures have been around for a while, and many believe they are some of the greatest ligatures around. One of they’re most defining features is that they have interchangeable pressure plates.
With the plates, you can take any mouthpiece and change the sound and the overall tone of the instrument by simply removing the screw and replacing the plate. The plates come in a handful of different metals, such as silver, gold, brass, stainless steel, vintified, titanium, and copper. Of course, each plate does something different, like the silver giving the mouthpiece a rich classical tone, while the brass and gold giving the mouthpiece a bright and expressive tone. Not to sound like a sell out, but the plates make a astonishing difference in sound, coming from personal experience, and from listening to pros on YouTube and on the Theo Wanne website. Again, this was a very helpful article that has taught me somethings I didn’t know, but I just wanted to throw this out there for anyone reading because not many have heard of Theo Wanne, and because I wanted to share my own personal experienceThank You for reading my rant!Stay Jazzy ?. The download may actually have expired.
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Ligatures- do they make a difference? I have heard and read many reviews about the saxophone ligature and whether or not it had an effect on one’s sound. From my personal experience, I think a ligature has two goals.The first goal is to simply hold the reed on the mouthpiece, and the second goal is to make the reed vibrate in a way that allows you to best express yourself. I will be reviewing three ligatures that I believe make a difference in a player’s sound while allowing the player to get that little something extra they have been looking for in their sound.When I bought my V16 t45 metal mouthpiece, I purchased the Vandoren Optimum ligature because it seemed to hold the reed on tight and I wanted to see how the three different pressure plates would affect my sound. Each pressure plate can make your sound a little bit brighter, darker, or a little bit edgier depending on how much air you push through the mouthpiece.I found the Vandoren Optimum ligature to fit comfortably around my V16 mouthpiece and I saw no issues of the ligature bending from trying to fasten it on. Overall the V16 ligature keeps the reed where it needs to be and is very easy to adjust. I would recommend it to all saxophone players playing in any style.
The ligature is priced between $60-$70 dollars with many different packages depending on whether you just buy the ligature with one pressure plate or the ligature without the cap.This ligature is very similar to the Vandoren Optimum in terms of the different sounds you can get, but instead of the varying sounds based on pressure plates, it’s the material which changes the sound. The ligature comes in three different materials: brass, silver, and gold.According to Francois Louis, the brass ligature is supposed to open up your sound and resonate the most, the silver ligature offers a bit more resistance and will give you a darker sound, and finally the gold ligature is possesses a more polished and elegant sound. After trying the gold, silver, and brass ligature on my Otto Link hard rubber, I felt that the standard brass ligature was the best fit for me because it opened up my sound and allowed me to play with a brighter or darker tone. The Francois Louis ligature fits great on a metal Otto Link and V16 alto or tenor mouthpiece. I would recommend trying out the three different finishes to see which one fits you the best.One small complaint is if the mouthpiece is on the larger end of the spectrum, the ligature is hard to adjust and could move when trying to do so.
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The Francois Louis ligature starts between $60 and increases based on the type of material you want (the silver and gold are both more expensive than the standard brass ligature.)(now known as Rovner Versa)I recently bought the Eddie Daniels ligature for my Meyer 6 on alto saxophone because I wanted something that would open up my sound and allow me to produce a bright and edgy tone. Since I purchased this ligature, the model name has been changed to “Rovner Versa.” At any rate, I know many students use the standard Rovner ligature for classical or jazz playing, but the pressure plate that sits blow the reed on this ligature allows the reed to vibrate in a way that allows my sound to really cut through in a saxophone section.This ligature is made out of the same black leather that goes into the standard Rovner ligature. The metal pressure plate can be switched out with other plates depending on what type of sound you are going after, but I would recommend the plate that comes with the ligature because it seemed to work best for me.The Eddie Daniels/Versa ligature runs around $40+ dollars and comes with a black cap (with Eddie Daniels’ signature in my case). In comparison to other ligatures I have found this one to give me the brighter and edgier sound that helps me sound in the vein of modern straight-ahead alto players such as Antonio Hart or Vincent Herring.ConclusionThere has been much discussion as to whether a ligature has a major effect on your sound.
After trying the Vandoren Optimum ligature, the Francois Louis ligature, and the Eddie Daniels Rovner ligature, I would say that the ligature can give the player a bit more freedom in terms of arriving at one’s desired tonal characteristics. I would recommend trying as many different types of ligatures as possible to see which one fits you best. All three of these ligatures are great because they are well built and can offer the saxophonist a wide variety of sounds.
Zach SollittoHailing from San Francisco California, Zachary Sollitto is a man of many skills and many passions. His love for playing jazz is paralleled only by his passion for the world of saxophones and saxophone equipment.
Perhaps more than just about any saxophonist you're likely to meet, he maintains an up-to-the-moment awareness of the latest and greatest products hitting the market for saxophonists. Whether it's saxophones, mouthpieces, neck straps, or just about anything else, Zach is the man you want to talk to. Manufacturers looking to have their saxophone products reviewed can reach him by email at [email protected] or by phone at 954-292-2951.
You know I haven’t tried the Vandorean lig reviewed here. But I tried tried the Eddie Daniel’s/Rovner and the Francois Louis ligs. The FL lig made the reed to soft on my tenor, a Mk VI.
I just didn’t like it, the sound was what I call loosey-goosey. Kind of like runny eggs instead of firm eggs. The ED/Rovner just seems to spread with not enough core and bite to the sound. I do however like the ED/Rovner on clarinet.On my tenor sax w/a metal FL Link 60’s vintage 8. I like the old standby, the Silver Selmer standard lig for metal mpcs. On alto with a Meyer USA mpc made in Elkhart I like the standard brass gauge Selmer lig.I know Phil Rovner, real nice guy, I like him.
He lived near me in a Baltimore suburb. At 1 time we played in the same rehearsal band. We even played sax duets for a while together.
All that being said, I can play his ligs but I prefer the Selmer ligs. I came to this conclusion by listening to recordings of myself playing the different setups.However give them a try for yourself and see what works for you.Larry WeintraubJune 23, 2012 @ 8:12 pm.
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