Klarinet Archive - Posting 000772.txt from 1998/03

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: Re: NeckStraps and the Met
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 11:43:20 -0500

Ricardo Morales uses a neck strap--at least when he is playing in the
pit at the Met. I should be such a weakling.

His partner in the pit, Sean Osborne (an incredible player, btw) has a
fiberglass splint that hs puts on his right hand to support the
instrument's weight and relieve the strain on thumb and wrist.

Now, most of us don't play as much as these 2 youngsters--but if you
need a little help in the weight dep't, you are in very good company.

----Original Message Follows----
Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 22:55:04 -0500
From: Ken Bryson <kbryson@-----.com>
Subject: Re: NeckStraps

I am not a kid anymore (a fact of life that I am reminded of more and
more frequently these days). About a year ago, I got curious about the
possible benefits of a neckstrap, having seen a few players use them and
having read about them on this list. I had begun noticing pain in my
right hand and wrist after extended practice sessions (anything over an
hour and a half of serious playing), and I was concerned about
exacerbating some condition or other. I started using the strap for
long practice sessions at home, and found that it seemed to keep the
pain from developing. Also, it seemed to leave my right hand
considerably freer, which loosened up the finger action on the right
hand. Then in December I fell and injured my right shoulder. The
doctor allowed me to play before and after the surgery with the proviso
that I use a neck strap so that I wouldn't be supporting the whole
weight of the instrument with my "bad" arm. Now I have been using the
neckstrap for over two months for all of my playing, and I find that I
am much more comfortable with it. Perhaps one of the few advantages of
aging is losing most or all concern about how I look to others. So if
people see me playing with a neckstrap and think to themselves
"weakling" or "wuss", I am not particularly troubled. The neckstrap
allows me to play without causing pain (to myself anyway--I reserve the
right to cause pain to others), possibly allows me to play a bit better,
and I hope will allow me to play longer in life. And there's no down
side that I can see.

Nancy

Gary_VanCott@-----.com wrote:
>
> Certainly a very helpful comment for all those with physical problems
or
> who otherwise derive some benefit from a neckstrap. : - (
>
> Were you playing the alto clarinet without a neckstrap, too?
>
> Gary Van Cott
> Las Vegas, NV
>
> south_park7@-----.com on 03/11/98 04:02:32 PM
>
> Please respond to klarinet@-----.us
>
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> cc: (bcc: Gary VanCott/NHIN)
> Subject: Re: NeckStraps
>
> I'm only a kid, but I don't really get the point of a neckstrap on a
> soprano. I play the alto clarinet and my soprano is such a relief to
> switch to. Comparatively, the weight is a huge diffferance on your
> thumb. I was playing the alto for over 4 hours and by the time I was
> done, my thumb was all red. If it was my soprano, I wouldn't have
> minded. my point is I think neckstraps on sopranos are for weaklings
> or wusses.
> DO YOU YAHOO!?
> Get your free @-----.com

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