Klarinet Archive - Posting 000278.txt from 1996/03

From: Marie McDonough <mm46@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Small Children-Small Instruments (Was: D clarinet)
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 15:53:35 -0500

> I have been thinking of starting my daughter (who will
> be nine this month) on clarinet some time in the next 12
> months. She is much smaller than her older brother who
> not tall by any means. He started at about 10 and 1/2
> and complained for the first six months about reaching
> keys and the weight of the instrument.

Gary--

I am not a music educator, but I started on the clarinet the week after my ninth
birthday at a whopping 3'11" tall. I couldn't reach all of the keys for at
least eight months. My only problem came some years later when I had to retrain
myself to use ALL of the possible fingerings of B and C, since I could reach
them. As I am still a small person, with small hands, my hand position while
playing is not entirely orthodox, but it gets me through everything I've ever
tried to play (Weber, Mozart, Debussy, etc.).

Perhaps a Bb with a neck strap, and some reassurance that it will get easier as
she grows?

Marie
mm46@-----.edu