Eddie Daniels VS Vandoren Leather Ligatures

Klarinette,

It might be helpful to do a search on the Vandoren leather lig at the woodwind.org clarinet forum. I'm sure that you'll find something there.

I have not specifically tried the Vandoren leather lig. However, from what I've heard about it I'd think that it would be fairly similar to your Rovner MK III.

Another Vandoren ligature to consider trying is the Klassik string ligature. I am VERY IMPRESSED with it. I've posted comments about it on several threads on this forum. You can find them if you do a search.

The trick about a dark tone is making sure that it doesn't equal dampened. That's the problem I had with all of the Rovner ligatures I've tried. Dampened tone! From what I've heard about the Vandoren leather ligature it most likely has the same problem. On the other hand, the Vandoren Klassik string ligature lets the vibrant tonal qualities of your mouthpiece & reed set up to come out and project in a remarkable way. If you go to the Vandoren web site and read the descriptions of each of their ligatures you might get a sense of what I'm trying to describe regarding the Klassik string versus the leather ligature.

Another thought about a dark clarinet sound.... I, too, love a dark, warm clarinet sound. Earlier this year I tried a Kaspar-style mouthpiece -- a Walter Grabner K14 -- and was completely blown away by it. Kaspar mouthpieces are highly regarded in classical clarinet circles for having a dark, warm sound that "rings" and has wonderful projection. This is due to particular aspects of the mouthpiece design. I found with the Grabner K14 that it gives me the dark clarinet sound of my dreams and also projects so well that I can use it for all of my jazz playing. The tonal "ring" of a Kaspar style mouthpiece is one reason for it's level of projection.

Normally I do not make mouthpiece suggestions when a forum member is asking about ligatures. However, from the sense that I get from your message I cannot help but think that if you tried a Kaspar-style mouthpiece made by Walter Grabner, Greg Smith, or Clark Fobes you would be able to have a dark, warm sound that far exceeds your expectations...much more than what you'd be able to get by simply using a different ligature.

Anyway, that's my take on it. Good luck!

PS, A final thought.... Another way to help to get a darker clarinet sound is to use a thick cut (Morre-style) reed rather than what's become a typical kind of clarinet reed. A thick cut reed has more "wood" in the heart. In my experience, this helps to give one a darker sound with a stronger tonal core. In this respect, Gonzales F.O.F. reeds may be worth a try. The Vandoren V12 is also a thicker cut reed. However, when I tried both the FOF and V12 I preferred the Gonzales FOF. (The Quebec version of the Legere reed that I use is a thick cut and according to Guy Legere is based on the old Morre reed.)

Roger

Hi Roger Aldridge,

First, I'd like to thank you for the really detailed information and post. Much appreciated (=

If the Vandoren Ligature is similar to the mark III, I'd probably not buy it then.
As for the Vandoren Klassik, I've read reviews and it seems that many are pleased with the way the ligature sounds. So I'll open my options to getting that ligature too. I was wondering whether the tightness loosens after some time with the klassik. Naturally, its bound loosen to some way or other, but I don't know if my theory is right.

As for the mouthpiece, I'm using a Vandoren M30 for a warmer tone instead of the Grabners or Kaspers because for one thing, their over my budget, though I wish I could have one. I'm quite pleased with how the M30 sounds for now. I'm planning to get a ringless backun barrell too by the end of this year, hopefully I'd help my setup. (I got to save for it as I'm only 17 and still schooling) I'm using a leblanc rapsodie at the moment, not a fantastic clarinet, but I'm coping well with it.

Anyway, thanks for all the help Roger (=

Klarinette,

Just got back from vacation and found your question.

Happily, I have not noticed a loosening with my Klassik ligs. However, just in case the string does loosen over time I have a Klassik lig for each of my horns in reserve. Haven't needed them yet. I'm very impressed with how well Klassik ligs are made.

The Vandoren Masters is, indeed, a fine ligature. I'm still using one on bass clarinet. However, when I did a side-by-side comparison between the Masters and Klassik on clarinet and tenor the Klassik was most definitely my favorite.

Walter Grabner, Greg Smith, and Richard Hawkins clarinet mouthpieces can often be found on ebay going for pretty resonable prices. The trick is to learn about the mouthpieces -- each of the three mouthpiece makers have web sites and a lot has been written about their mouthpieces on the woodwind.org clarinet forum -- so you can have a good idea of what you're seeing in an ebay posting. Earlier this year I purchased a truly outstanding Greg Smith mouthpiece on ebay for around a hundred bucks. A new one is more than twice that amount. It can be helpful to have saved searches on ebay that send you an email alert when a new mouthpiece is posted. I have saved searches for Graber, Smith, Hawkins, and Morgan mouthpeces just to see what's out there.

Roger