Klarinet Archive - Posting 000264.txt from 1997/04

From: Virginia Scarfino <scarfinv@-----.NET>
Subj: Double-jointed fingers, neckstraps, barrels
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 08:56:35 -0400

I learned to play clarinet in Grade 9, and it wasn't until 2nd year
university that I decided to
clarinet lessons privately. At my very first lesson, my teacher made some
slight adjustments to my embouchure, breathing, and finger position, and
then asked me to play something. Needless to say, I felt like a had a
completely foreign object in my mouth and hands and could barely play a
note!

About finger position, my teacher immediately pointed out that may fingers
were collapsing
at the first joint, where I am double-jointed. He wouldn't let
double-jointedness be an
excuse for less than ideal finger position. And surprisingly, it was only
a matter of a week or two before it ceased to be a problem. Essentially
what he told me was ideal was to keep my fingers parallel to the floor,
almost as if my little fingers were bearing the wait of the rest of my hand
(or as parallel to the floor as you can get and still reach all the keys! I
have very long fingers and this was not a problem for me), and to keep all
my knuckles curved, so that when lifting fingers on and off the keys the
only movement required of the fingers is from the 3rd set of knuckles (i.e.
where they join your hand!), and to keep my fingers and hands (and arms and
shoulders) as relaxed as possible. In trying to switch to this method it
became readily apparent that as soon as my fingers were not relaxed, and
gripping the clarinet a little too tightly, my double-jointed knuckles
would collapse inward. During that first lesson, my teacher went into fits
of laughter (and me too) because as I was trying to get the total hand and
finger position right, and fingers relaxed and not tense, my double-jointed
knuckles kept jumping in and out - it was hilarious to see! My teacher
insisted on the correct position and being relaxed as requirement for
developing any kind of speed. If you're too tensed when you play, you
physically have to untense your muscles in order to move them, so why not
stay relaxed and save yourself a step. Similarly, the curver finger
position means only have to use set of knuckles when lifting your fingers
instead of two or even three steps.

My teacher also encouraged me to rest the clarinet on my knees, and given
my body build, this was great because the angle I need for the "perfect"
sound is exactly the angle from my mouth to my knees. This position also
helped to keep my hands, arms, and shoulders quite relaxed. As a result
I've never had wrist problems, but I have tiny wrists and I'm sure I would
if I attempted to play regularly without resting the clarinet on my knees.
Another thing my teacher suggested I do was have my thumb rest adjusted
upward. If you grab a glass to drink out of - take a look at where your
thumb is in relation to the rest of your
fingers. I my case it was opposite and slightly below my index finger but
above my
middle finger. This was a natural grip for me, and I had my thumb rest
adjusted to match
that grip. Previously it was below my middle finger, putting a fair amount
of strain on my
thumb joint. If I have to play standing up, I also use a neck strap (since
I can't use by
knees). I don't have one of the stretchy ones. What I do is put it on
while I am sitting
down, holding the clarinet in my normal playing position, and adjust the
strap to that. Then when I am playing I am using my thumb to simply push
the clarinet away from my body until the strap is fairly tight, and I know
that I've achieved the correct angle for ideal sound.
Even though the strap not stretchy - I still have enough leeway for slight
movement. If I had a stretchy strap I think I'd probably veer away from
the optimum angle more frequently than I do now.

Barrels - I have Buffet RC Bb and A clarinets, and have been a big fan of
Moennig barrels. I know there are other good ones out there too, but to
answer people's questions about the
impact a barrel can make is that there can be a huge difference! My dad
could hear the
difference (and he does not have much of a musical ear) when I switched
from the barrels I got with my clarinets to the Moennig barrels - in
general my tone lost a lot of fuzz when I made the switch. I own 65,67,
and 68mm for my Bb, and a special 66mm A barrel for my A clarinet (although
I will use the Bb barrels on my A and vice-versa if necessary to get
the right pitch). Given my current setup, I use the 67mm on my Bb and 66mm
on my A for tuning exactly to A440. But I frequently use the 65 in a
community orchestra that has flutes and oboes that tend to go quite sharp,
and my 68mm when playing with pianos that may have gone slightly flat.
This is great if you can afford multiple barrels, or willing to collect
them over the years. But otherwise, as people have suggested, you may want
to go with a shorter barrel, and tuning rings if necessary, to give you the
tuning leeway you need at a minimum of expense.

Ginny Scarfino
scarfinv@-----.net
Waterloo, ON
Canada