Does it Make a Difference? Part 3: Ligatures

Throughout our time here at Sax.co.uk, we get asked many different questions about many different products. One of the most common questions we get is “does it really make a difference?”. This can be a hard question to answer sometimes without in depth analysis, so I figured I’d channel my inner Louis Theroux and investigate! So here we go with Part 3: Ligature. Prepare yourselves gang, we are going down the rabbit hole here. 

Hold on, surely we should be talking about Mouthpieces here? 
It is very well documented how much difference a mouthpiece can make to your sound (we have in fact covered this topic multiple times on this blog, both as a comparison between metal and ebonite mouthpieces and a guide to choosing your first jazz mouthpiece. What does go under the radar is how the ligature, the device that is used to hold the reed on the mouthpiece, affects the tonal response overall. There are many pros out there who will swear either way that the ligature makes a huge difference, and some that will say that the tonal response is all on you. 

What am I looking out for with a new ligature?
When shopping for a new ligature, you have to take the exact same principles as you would searching for a new saxophone or mouthpiece. The key factor we have to consider with a ligature is the resonance of the reed. Certain ligatures will try to control the amount of resonance a reed will have, and some will let the reed fly. This resonance and resistance will be the most obvious difference for a player when testing a new ligature. The security of the reed onto the mouthpiece is another consideration. A ligature that doesn’t feel comfortable to set up and use will not only compromise the playing performance, but will cause a level of playing anxiety that is just unnecessary. If the ligature isn’t well made and easy to use, there is just no point in using it. I do feel, personally, that aesthetic does have something to do with performance as well. A piece of kit that looks and feels lush to use will improve your playing (this could very well be a placebo/hooey consideration, but playing an instrument is all about having both the physical and mental edge, and if you think you look awesome you will play awesome!) 

Can ligatures really vary in style?
In recent years, the amount of ligatures out on the market has absolutely exploded. The market has truly expanded from the basic brass ligature. You can now get ligatures made from leather, canvas, a menagerie of plated brasses and chord, all of which will have different contact points on the mouthpiece, giving the reed a varied resonance response corresponding in different tonal responses. The summary is, yes they can vary massively, with variations within variations in each category.

The general rule is that a leather or canvas will let the reed resonate slightly less, whereas a metal ligature will resonate more. Silver Plate will give the reed a little more resonance whilst Gold Plate will give the player more resistance. For this reason I am not going to dive into the minutiae of each variation of ligature model (as that would make what is already a dense subject, even more dense, and even a giant nerd like myself might find that dryer than my failed attempts at cooking a Victoria Sponge) and instead focus on the main models: Basic, Rovner Dark, Vandoren M|O, Rovner Platinum, Vandoren Optimum, Francois Louis Ultimate, BG Duo and Silverstein Works.

BASIC BRASS LIGATURE

Fits: Everything (though anything other than Hard Rubber Alto and Tenor is difficult to get hold of)Buy Basic Ligature

This is going to be a ligature we have all come across at some point in our

saxophone playing life. This ligature can also be referred to as a “stock” ligature, as it is the ligature commonly packaged with new mouthpieces. They are made of brass and typically have two screws that are set to the bottom right when affixed to the mouthpiece. They are very much the sum of their parts: cheap.

They are clumsy to use and apply to the mouthpiece and typically warp when trying to manipulate the mouthpiece on and off of the horn. Tonally they are relatively stable. Their metal construction means that there is a fair amount of resonance from the reed leading to a responsive sound, but the poor quality of the ligature itself makes the Basic Brass Ligature feel cheap to use, uncomfortable to set up and ultimately something you can’t 100% rely on to work.

ROVNER DARK

Fits: Everything
Buy Rovner Ligature
This is a favourite amongst professionals and students alike. Rovner make many, many different variations on this style of ligature but the Rovner Dark has been the most popular version, with artists like Bob Reynolds famously sticking with this ligature. The Rovner Dark is made from a faux leather, rather than brass. What this does is makes the ligature naturally flexible, ensuring a tighter fit around more unique mouthpiece shapes as well as being easy to apply to the mouthpiece itself. It does the job and does the job well.

Where this ligature struggles against metal styles is in the tonal response. The material finish absorbs the vibrations from the reed, giving the tone a somewhat muted, darker edge. Some players can find this a bit restrictive (unless you’re a Bob Reynolds type who can make anything sound great and give me a huge musical and emotional existential crisis) especially in the altissimo register. However the convenience of the ligature, as well as the price point, make it certainly worth considering, especially for metal mouthpiece fans, as the Rovner Dark comes in a huge variety of sizes and the darkness can offset some of the brighter edge from metal pieces.

VANDOREN M|O

Fits: Hard Rubber Sop, Alto, Tenor and Bari
Buy Vandoren M|O
The first of the Vandoren brass pieces is a rather pretty, minimalist piece of kit. The first comparison you can feel between this and the basic brass ligature is in the quality of the build. At no point do you feel this ligature will bend or break from simple application, even though the ligature is lightweight and minimal in design. The idea here is to brace the reed with two slim bars, rather holding the whole reed such as with a material Rovner.

What this does is lets the reed resonate a little more freely, as there is less contact onto the reed. What this gives you is more reed response to play with, allowing for more flexibility when manipulating the sound. Upon trying the ligature, I did find the sound The issue with the M|O is with the fit itself. Though it is a very slight and well made ligature, it can sometimes slip when applying to the mouthpiece. This ligature also suffers from the same issue we are going to find with most of the metal ligatures in that they are not flexible to different profiles of mouthpiece. The M|O is fine if you are using a standard hard rubber mouthpiece, but if you are using a metal ‘piece or have a slim line hard rubber ‘piece, like a Berg Larsson, this ligature simply won’t fit.

ROVNER PLATINUM

Fits: Hard Rubber Alto and TenorBuy Rovner Platinum


Much like the standard Rovner style ligatures, the Rovner Platinum is a very comfortable and easy ligature to fit and use. The Platinum is also one of the very few examples of a ligature that can be applied either with the screw in the bottom right, or with the screw in the top right as it is with standard Rovner products. The first feeling you get with this ligature is a distinct core to the sound. The way the ligature lets the reed resonate allows for a nice mix of zip and centre. The Platinum is a very solid piece, feeling a lot more substantial compared to the M|O. The Platinum feel very much like a hybrid model between fabric and metal ligatures. This leads to my biggest issue with this ligature.

The Platinum is a jack of all trades, therefore er is a master of none. It doesn’t quite have the free-blowing reed responsiveness you would expect from most metal ligatures and doesn’t quite have the centred core of a fabric ligature. The tonal response is even and true, and would be perfect for anyone looking for a solid, well made ligature that will last. If you are looking for something with more, there are other options out there that will do more.