My mpc has the lig built on, so I guess "I have no set method."

 

I put the lig first on then slide the reed under it. I stopped doing it the other way 42 years ago when I sliced my brand new "expensive" LaVoz reed.

 

+1 About 30 years for me.

 

I do the reed first then the lig....

Does it matter? I mean, sometimes I also put on a shirt before underwear.......am I doing that wrong too?

 

Does it matter? I mean, sometimes I also put on a shirt before underwear.......am I doing that wrong too?

If you are ruining your underwear from doing it that way, yes, you are doing that wrong too.

 

I put the lig on first but I see many people set the reed in place and then slide the ligature on the mouthpiece. I notice that I see it with clarinetists mostly. I've mentioned it to them and the response was, "well of course you have to be careful". It may have to do with the individual and their state of mind and their eyesight. I know that I have to be pretty calm and dedicatedly focus in order to not hit the reed if I slide the lig on last.

 

I've always put reed on after lig. Just gotta be careful-

 

Lig. first. I'm too clumsy to do it the other way.

 

Another vote for lig first. I've done it that way as long as I have been playing.

 

I've read about the "ligature first" proponents and while I can see the benefit, there is a more important reason to place the reed first. If you can't get the ligature over the reed without damaging it, that is a clear indication that you should not be practicing, playing a gig, handling a saxophone, driving, operating heavy machinery, talking out loud, etc. Think of it as a canary in the coal mine.

Mark

 

I've read about the "ligature first" proponents and while I can see the benefit, there is a more important reason to place the reed first. If you can't get the ligature over the reed without damaging it, that is a clear indication that you should not be practicing, playing a gig, handling a saxophone, driving, operating heavy machinery, talking out loud, etc. Think of it as a canary in the coal mine.

LOL. I do the same. Reed then ligature. It just feels easier to do than slide the reed between the ligature and table of the mouthpiece. "Well of course you have to be careful" indeed. Consider it a zen exercise. I never ruined a reed doing it that way.

 

Maybe I should try the reed first then lig procedure again, since am not in a "hurry" like I was when I was younger.

 

Maybe I should try the ligature first, since am not as "steady" like I was when I was younger.

 

Lig first for me.

 

I put the reed on first because I'm afraid that the reed plate on my ligature will scratch the table of my mouthpiece. If I had to accidentally damage something, I'd rather it be a (relatively) cheap reed than an expensive mouthpiece. I never hit the reed though.

 

Lig first....mainly because I'd drop the lig then look foolish groping around on the floor looking for it.

 

It all depends on what kind of sound you want. For a bright mellow sound put the reed on first, for a darker edgy sound I would put the ligature on first. I thought this was common knowledge.

 

Unless it's raining outside. Then you must reverse this process.

Or stand on your head while playing.

 

Day 1 of "Assembeling Your Instrument 101" I learned to put the ligature on before the reed.
Been doing it that way ever since.
I did try putting the reed on first once. It didn't feel 'natural'...

 

Had to think about this for a moment... I think I generally do ligature first on alto/tenor, and about 50/50 on soprano.
Not exactly sure why I do this, perhaps because with alto/tenor, the ligature can "rest" on the mouthpiece without holding it while I grab my reed, and if I do that on soprano, the ligature slides right past the mouthpiece and lands on the octave mechanism.

 

I am a reed 1st guy. Playing Winslow ligs I have allways wanted to keep the bumper feet off the table. Then the lig loose - get the reed positioned perfectly, and tighen slightly. Then onto the neck by the shank.

 

I put the reed on first. Although I was taught to put on the ligature first, I found my students destroying more reeds with the ligature first method. However, there is a twist! I do tell them to first bring the reed back to a point where it is no longer over the tip and there is some of the mouthpiece showing. This way, once the ligature is slid over, it cannot hit the tip of the reed. Then, before the ligature is snugged up, they gently push the reed forward from the back and position it correctly. The last part of this process is to adjust the ligature just to a point where the reed will not shift. This method has resulted in many students wearing the reed out before a new one is needed. The ligature first method just didn't seem to work for the students I have been teaching. I also have them flatten the reed out on the table of the mouthpiece and this is not possible with the ligature on. Yes, it's true they are not reading for heavy machinery, driving or gigs (ages 11 to 14). But they seem to keep their reeds in pretty good shape.

 

I put the reed on first. Although I was taught to put on the ligature first, I found my students destroying more reeds with the ligature first method.

Just out of sheer curiosity, how were the reeds being destroyed by putting the ligature on the mouthpiece first?

 

Ligature first was kind of natural to me, mostly due to that fact that the lig is already hanging out there on the mouthpiece when I pull the cap off.

 

Always the same for me.... first put on the neckstrap. Grab the neck and put the mouthpiece on it. Put the lig on the mouthpiece. Put the reed on. Now put the whole subassembly on the body of the horn. Attach horn to neckstrap. Blow and wiggle fingers.

 

I put the reed on first. I started on clarinet and since the reed is so small compared to the diameter of the lig it's pretty easy to avoid damaging the reed. Now on sax it's a bit different, especially with a metal mouthpiece — there's not a lot of room for error. But I've never sliced a reed; I put the mpc on the neck, put the reed in place, making sure it's centered and a bit behind the tip rail, and then I carefully slide the lig on, push the butt of the reed up with my thumb and make snug up the screws. Works for me.

 

The ligature first method had the students "pushing" the reeds into a ligature. Sometimes the lig was too far back and the reed just didn't slide in. The conical nature of the ligature seemed to escape their logic (or emphasize their lack of it!)At that point, rather than sliding the ligature forward they pushed the reeds in with more force and ended up messing up the tips. I certainly went over it with them but it just seemed to be one of those "insanity" moments (don't expect things to change if you keep doing the same thing over and over...). One would think they would stay away from the fragile tip but that did not seem to be the case. It just seemed that there were far less broken reeds when they put the reed on, pulled it back, then put on the ligature. I can't argue with results... Less broken reeds means less money, more performance and less searching for new reeds... I am not suggesting those who using the ligature first method are wrong, it just didn't work well with my students. I tried more instruction on the ligature first method and it was still way too rough on the reed tips. Once they were left to their own devices, they just lost sight of the conical nature of the ligature and used brawn instead of brains. Buying cheaper reeds wasn't a solution I could live with so I changed the way I taught them to put the reeds on. It's been better ever since. I still have some who do not move the reed back and will chip it with the ligature. Hey, one of the greatest teachers the world has known only got 11 out of 12! We all have a Judas or two in each class don't we?

 

To obfuscate, when considering whether or not to use procedure A (reed first on mouthpiece followed by ligature) or procedure B (ligature first on mouthpiece followed by reed), one must assess the player's placement upon the fine motor control continuum.

Since I lack graphic skills, I will ask you to image a bell shaped curve graph with the value: fine motor control on the X axis and value: age on the Y axis. Then as you can see (sic – figurative only), those in the bottom two standard deviations and the top two (ie. the very young and the very old) are advised to use procedure B. Those snugly in the middle of the bell – shaped curve may use either procedure as it suits them.

Your intuitive understanding of neurophysiology and kinesiology will lead you to the fact that both young and old are hampered in their fine motor skills. However, in accordance with political correctness and the dictates of the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are enjoined to refrain from refusing musical expression to the, ummh, “truly clumsy”.

In the vernacular, therefore, “don't diss me, bro” or “don't harsh my mello”.

This is close to, but not completely analogous to the dialectic regarding the correct placement of toilet paper on the tube (leading edge over or under).

I hope this helps the discussion.:joker::joker:

 

This is close to, but not completely analogous to the dialectic regarding the correct placement of toilet paper on the tube (leading edge over or under).

now THERE'S a can of worms.

 

Lig first.

If you put the reed on first, you probably haven't assembled your instrument in a really dark nightclub.

 

Lig first.

If you put the reed on first, you probably haven't assembled your instrument in a really dark nightclub.

Very true. Especially if you refuse to wear your bifocals at gigs. :shaking2:

 

I used to put the reed on first. Then came that gig where I was playing lead, was a little nervous (and probably a little stoned) and I knocked a chip in the tip of my best reed. I don't remember how the gig came out, it was probably fine, but I have put the lig on first ever since.

 

This is like discussing which is the correct technique when putting your shoes on in the morning:
Should you put on a sock and a sock, then a shoe and a shoe?
Or would your feet get more benfit if you went sock then shoe, sock then shoe?

 

That's a famous scene from All In The Family when Archie thinks Meathead is wacko because he puts on a sock and a shoe and a sock and a shoe. Hilarous!