Klarinet Archive - Posting 000350.txt from 2001/10

From: Will Cicola <clarinetguy@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Thumb Rest
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 01:46:49 -0400

All I can say about the Kooiman is that it works quite well. I used to
have shooting pain in my hand and wrist from holding the instrument
when I would play for more than ten minutes or so, and that has been
completely eliminated. Also, my impulse to support the instrument with
my right hand index finger resting on the trill keys has been
diminshed significantly. The Kooiman is a bit pricey, but it's
definitely worth it. I'm not sure how much you know of it, so please
forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know, but it works
by moving the weight of the instrument to the first joint on the
thumb--a much more comfortable position. In my terrifyingly
unprofessional opinion, it's definitely worth it--I could have saved
myself years of pain had I began on one. One note of warning
though; installation may require drilling holes in the body of the
instrument (unless you're lucky enough to have a instrument with the
holes in the right place already). Obviously they don't go the whole
way through :) but there are those who believe that any change to the
body can mess up the clarinet as a whole, so that is something to
consider. As for pricing, the price of installation on my R-13 and my
Yamaha Custom was between $15-30 each (can't remember the exact
amount, but I want to lean more towards the $15 end of the spectrum).
Hope this helps!
--
On the highway of life, I'm on a tricycle going in circles.
Will Cicola
clarinetguy@-----.net

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