Klarinet Archive - Posting 000427.txt from 1998/02

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Tendonitis & Anchoring
Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 16:22:48 -0500

On Sun, 8 Feb 1998, Amanda L. Fortenberry wrote:

> Neckstraps! someone must be begging for more pain! Since the hands hurt,
> let's make the neck and back join in the agony as well! As far as height,
> I am 5'2" and I found it extremely uncomfortable anchoring at first. It is
> actually better to be tall because your legs reach up to where the
> clarinet should be.

Does this pertain more to the length of the legs, or to the
length of the *feet*? In other words, what do you mean when
you say that the legs "reach up" to where the clarinet should
be? If you're suggesting that the heels be kept raised in
order to raise the level of the knees, this is obviously
a very bad idea due to the level of physical tension that
would be created by maintaining such a physical position.
The ratio between sitting height and leg length is at
issue, and determines the possibilty of "anchoring" the
clarinet on the knees without altering posture, clarinet
angle, or head position.

Regarding the neckstrap, the hands will stop hurting when
the weight of the instrument has been relieved. And the
clarinet is not so heavy that it pulls down strenuously
on the neck or shoulders, especially if you "anchor" the
strap low enough, at the base of the neck. The idea is
that the weight of th instrument is shared, distributed
in order to allow some relief to the right thumb, which
typically suffers the most from supporting the instrument
alone.

Neil