Klarinet Archive - Posting 000027.txt from 1994/03

From: Stephen Cranefield <stephen@-----.NZ>
Subj: beginning tendinitis affecting conducting?
Date: Wed, 2 Mar 1994 17:19:09 -0500

Andrea K Hakari writes:
> ... Normally I have my right
> hand bent back at the wrist a bit for playing contra. However, I've
> discovered that keeping that same general position on soprano (yes
> folks, I'm studying soprano clarinet this semester!) is quite painful.
> So, I'll be getting a wrist brace/splint/whatever to help correct this
> problem .... My concern is how this will affect my conducting. ...

> How does the use of a wrist brace affect your conducting?

I know of one conductor who is starting out on a very successful
career despite being unable to move his wrist at all. The former
timpanist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra had to retire when a
heavy piece of luggage fell out of an overhead locker on an aeroplane
and crushed his wrist. The doctors 'fused' the bones in his wrist to
help alleviate his pain and after gaining a scholarship to study
conducting in France I hear he is now getting work conducting some top
orchestras over there. Apparently he is always in pain and can't move
his wrist at all, but this doesn't stop him from being a good
conductor -- I hope this might be some consolation to you Andrea!

- Stephen

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Cranefield Phone: +64 3 479 8083
Department of Information Science Fax: 479 8311
University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand E-mail: scranefield@-----.nz
-------------------------------------------------------------------------