Klarinet Archive - Posting 000202.txt from 1999/05

From: Edinger/Gilman <wde1@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] update on playing after surgery
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 21:13:36 -0400

A few weeks ago I asked if anyone had experience or knowledge about
playing after major abdominal surgery. Well, I now have a bit of both.
The surgery (removal of part of my colon - no small job) was last
Thursday, and today I tried blowing on my Bb. I should mention that
I've been recovering a little ahead of schedule and am in pretty good
shape (or at least I was before the surgery), with no apparent
complications. The bad news is that I could tell immediately that I
should stop blowing because the inherent resistance of the breath
against the reed (I recall from studies reported on this list that the
reed is actually closed around half the time) creates enough
back-pressure to really feel pressure below the diaphragm, and at this
point that's not a safe thing for me to do. So I'm guessing that the
expected four or more weeks may be required for safe clarinet playing (I
use a close-tipped mouthpiece (M13) and a #4 reed, which probably
contributes to the resistance a lot). On the other hand, I tried my
flute and, as you might guess, there's no back-pressure or significant
resistance at all. Trouble is, I'm not very good on flute, and even
more, I'm a clarinet player to the bones, and that's what I want to
play. Tough luck, buddy.
So, if you were interested, that's my experience so far. Lot's of
time on my hands, and can't practice. By the time I can play again,
I'll have to go back to work. I guess my flute playing is going to
improve dramatically (it won't take much).

Bill Edinger

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