Klarinet Archive - Posting 001283.txt from 2000/12

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Gripmaster
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 14:23:17 -0500

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kenneth Chin [mailto:clarinetken@-----.com]
>
> I'm writing the list to get some feedback regarding the "Gripmaster".
> Has anyone used this or know of anyone that has used this little device?
> Were there any positive results? I was thinking that such a mechanism
> will allow me to do things like trilling faster...which brings me to
> another issue...can long fingers effect how fast a person can trill, due
> to the shape that the finger needs to take in order to cover the holes?
>

I have used this device with pretty good results... My teacher at the time
(Yehuda Gilad of USC) was the one that recommended it.

A few pointers:

Only use the lightest tension (I believe it is blue in color). If you do
too much with the stronger ones, you can end up with tendonitis issues.

Do practice with it fingering technical passages or trills while doing
breathing exercises. Yehuda would have us use either our ping pong ball
thing or a coffee stirring straw for breathing and then we'd exercise the
weak finger or fingers using a gripmaster. It did a pretty good job of
helping even things out with the technique. One of his technical
philosophies is to practice things with force to make it difficult
(breathing, fingers, air support, etc...), then when you go back to the
instrument and play normally, it becomes easy. You then end up with a
cleaner technique/sound, etc...

Lately, I've been using my gripmaster for rehab... In August, I broke my
left arm in a pretty bad bicycling accident. After the cast came off and I
recovered from the surgery, I was pretty weak. I have been using it as a
general exercise tool to strengthen my hands and arm. It seems to be
helping a bit as the pain from doing general everyday work seems to be
lessening.

Good luck with yours...

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Freelance Clarinetist and Recording Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

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