Klarinet Archive - Posting 000531.txt from 1998/02

From: Dodgshun family <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: too little
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 21:01:23 -0500

At 04:18 PM 11/02/98 EST, you wrote:
>I have a problem. My hands are too small for my Bb bass clarinet. I have a
>school owned bass, so it isn't like I can change it. It is hard for me to get
>from say right hand D# (space below the staff) to say the F below that. Things
>like that are really difficult for me. I have tried many alternate fingerings.
>The problem is that I am getting what I think is carpal-tunnel syndrome. My
>wrist is constantly moving back and forth without my arm moving. It is really
>bothering me. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks ahead of time.
>

You must have extremely small hands, because I have small hands myself and
don't have any problem on bass. What make of bass is it?
When you say that your wrist is moving back and forth without your arm
moving, what exactly do you mean? This puzzles me because I don't use very
much wrist action at all on bass - only RH if I'm playing a full bottom C
bass to get the really low notes, and even then it's minimal. Are you in
pain when you play? Are you using a neckstrap or a peg (or both) to
support the instrument? If you're not using either, that could be the cause
of your problem, especially if your bass is wooden and heavy - it's putting
strain on your right wrist.
If you are in pain, it's often posture that is causing the problem. I find
that if I use a neckstrap, it encourages me to lean forward, and my neck and
back start to hurt. However, if you're careful and sit well back (but up
straight)in your chair, it's OK. Try using a peg - sit on the edge of your
chair with your feet flat on the floor and put the peg as high as you can so
that you are sitting with your spine vertical and as tall as you can. This
will put you in a good playing position - it'll feel funny for a while, but
it means your wrists are aligned properly and there's no strain on them
because the bass is resting on the floor. You can also use a neckstrap with
a peg - it just holds the bass in position. This position also means you
get maximum reach to all keys.

If this doesn't work and you still have wrist problems, get it checked.
Over here, carpal tunnel syndrome is far less common than tendonitis or OOS,
and I would guess that you are more likely to develop one of those rather
than carpal tunnel. However, if your posture and playing position are
correct, you are far less likely to suffer at all. I used to have small
problems, but now that I've modified my playing position they have cleared
up completely.

Hope this helps
Anna