Ligature rotation discovery.

[Marc]

You’re quite right.
That’s why there are a lot of “inverted” ligatures on the market, that are designed to be mounted with the adjusting screws (some have only one) on top and press the reed with a smooth, plain section. Examples of those are Rovner textiles or leather, and Rico metal ligatures.
Of course you can use a standard ligature in the inverted position. Only drawback is that the screws point to the left and you must adjust with your left hand. Nothing impossible, but kinda awkward for a large percentage of the people.

[Anonymous]

Hi Marc

I just bought myself a BG leather ligature for my Tenor, because the metal band type kept slipping down the mouthpiece.

The drawback you mention can be addressed by turning the mouthpiece around so that it is pointing towards oneself
(instead of away), then one can still observe the reed and the screws can be tightened with the right hand.

I fix the reed so that it is just held firmly, do the reed final alignment, and then tighten the screws.
This allows one to check the reed gap from any angle whilst the reed is held in position.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Hey Jeff I’m confused I think my ligature is a VANDOREN Optimum and this type can’t be played upside down, in regards to the reeds, bud I have 2 boxes of Rigotti Gold ,1 is 2.5 strong ,the other2.5 med, 6 individual Rigotti reeds all 2.5 as well, 13 Rico La Voz all med hard, and a box of Superial by Alexander 2.5 strength all of these are alto reeds give me your address I would like to send you a Christmas gift from Chicago to South Africa!!! Ho HO HO !!! Merry Christmas! from Wayne Wojnarowski .Jeff than you will have enough reeds to last on your alto into next year!!

[Anonymous]

Hi Wayne, thank you for your very kind offer, but I have more than sufficient reeds now to last me for a very long time.

I alternate playing on two reeds and the two I have now are about six months old and still going strong. I wash and dry the reeds after playing and replace them into their plastic holders which I believe increases their lifespan.

I’m sorry if my description was not clear here is an image of the position for the ligature which I have now adopted for better performance.

[john]

Jeff this type of lig is the worse one you can use
They are always included with the saxophone you buy as the bottom line way to hold your reed onto the mouthpiece but that’s about it
They are constrictive and once you have been playing for more than a few days you should upgrade

[Anonymous]

Johnny, yes, hindsight is an exact science. LOL

If I had known how much time I would spend playing my sax, I should have flown to France to see Henri about a Selmer!

[john]

ha yes. the good news is a slight upgrade is very cheap with those ones that wrap around with black soft material rather than the metal.
one of the most popular makes is the Rovner at about $45 but you can go much higher than that for even better ones.

[Anonymous]

Point taken, but I’ve spent quite a bit recently replacing the corks, pads, and a leather type BG ligature for the Tenor. Now that I have two really good sounding saxes, it’s time for me to get stuck into your courses and develop some fluid playing skill.

[Author]

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