Klarinet Archive - Posting 000636.txt from 2000/05

From: "Ed & Carol Maurey" <edsshop@-----.ca>
Subj: Re: [kl] an interesting article
Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 10:43:19 -0400

Yeah, it reminds me of those foolish 19th century physical anthropologists
measuring the heads of criminals. I believe the Nazis were into crap like
that, too.
Ed Maurey
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Thiel <thielm@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] an interesting article

> Diane Karius wrote:
> . . .
>
> > The study looked at the ratio between the length of the second
> >and fourth fingers in musicians from "a British symphony orchestra".
> >a low ratio indicates that the fourth finger is longer than the
> >second finger, 1 indicates that they are the same length. The ratio
> >between these two fingers is apparently set in utero by exposure to
> >testosterone (at least in part) - the more testosterone there is,
> >the lower the ratio between those two fingers. Their hypothesis was
> >that prenatal testosterone exposure may "facilitate musical ability".
>
> >
> > They found that the male musicians of the orchestra did in fact
>
> > have a lower ratio between those two fingers than the average male
> . . .
>
> It would be interesting to hear how they measure this too. It
> seems to me if you hold your hand up flat, you can move all
> your fingers side to side and make whichever digit (index
> or ring) you want appear longer.
>
> It strikes me as one of those obscure measurements of physical
> characteristics that is probably utter nonsense, but at the same
> time we all of course want to run off and check ourselves
> out in private (Am I really straight?? Am I really a musician or
> should I be playing drums??, etc.)
>
> I know personally that if my PINKIE to other finger ratio
> were a little higher I would have an easier time reaching the
> dozen pinkie keys on my bass clarinet; but then probably
> people with eefer-sized hands that insist on playing bass
> are just doing so in denial of their sexual/machismo
> inadequacies.
>
> OK everybody, time to turn on your
> pop physiology/pop psychology filters!
>
> Mark Thiel
>
>
>
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