Does putting your Clarinet Ligature on upside down make the tone less sharp?

Question

I've been told this by several people that if you take your ligature and put it upside down on the clarinet than the tone in general will be lass sharp than if it was on right side up.

Answer 1

Well, most ligatures have a little space that the reed pretty much fits into. It's slightly misshapen from the whole "circle" idea. This could dent your ligature up (not that it really matters all that much), but there is definitely a reason it's "upside-down" when you put it on that way. I'd say you should just work on your embrasure instead. It will make you a better musician in the long run anyway.

Answer 2

forget that and go spend a few bucks on a leather ligature instead of metal cheapies!

putting the metal ligature upside down WILL effect how much reed vibrates,...........

clarinets are notorious for being flat compared to the rest of the band-so why try to flatten the instrument even more? work intonation/embouchure excercises & get control of your instrument!!!

Answer 3

Hahaha- it's a bunch of malarchy.

I actually had never heard this one, so I dug out one of my old metal ligatures and tried it...  it didn't change my pitch, but it sure as heck made my tone less than pretty!  

The ligature keeps the reed held firmly to the mouthpiece, but it has to do so while being able to provide the maximum amount of vibration in the reed.  It does this by having the same contour as the reed and mouthpiece combined... when you turn it over, it no longer provides even pressure to the reed and makes it very unstable.

There are a lot of rumors for every instrument... like rubber bands around the head joint of a flute will make it less piercing, cutting your lip with a razor blade helps trumpet players get 2 octaves higher, putting paper/wood/bottlecaps into the bell of the sax gives it a warmer tone... they are all just bad attempts at quick fixes.  

Just like losing weight or making money, there is no miracle pill that you can take or any website you can register with to become a millionare over night.  The key to great tone and great pitch is putting in the time and practice.  

Like some of the other posters said, try to go for a leather ligature. Rovner Dark is a great brand, and goes for about $30....... But remember that a great player is still a great player whether or not he has the right "equipment", but a bad player will still be bad on the most expensive setup imaginable.  Just put in the time and make sure your pitch is controlled by YOU, and not your horn.

Good luck, and happy playing! :)

Answer 4

Nope!! Sorry!! As suggested above buy a leather ligature! Sharpness could mean a few things! The most common especially for beginners is a loose jaw! Push your jaw up a little! BUT make sure it is not tense that can cause sharpness as well! Ask your Clarinet teacher. Its hard to 'diagnose' problems without actually seeing you play!