Klarinet Archive - Posting 000167.txt from 2002/12

From: "WILLIAM SEMPLE" <wsemple@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] fingers
Date: Sun, 8 Dec 2002 05:31:05 -0500

After forty years of playing, sometimes seriously, sometimes not, I have the
same problem. But I have found a way to correct it.

The hands sit naturally, so the fingers approach the keys on the vertical
plane at a slight angle. The fingers are posed over the keys with a natural
and comfortable arc. This position eliminates tension both in the fingers
and the wrist joint.I try to play with as little tension in my hands (and my
body) as possible.

Even in this position, my fingers hinge from the knuckle joint. I've seen
players with fingers so straight that they look like they are flapping. This
position requires considerable distortion just to cover the pads.

My left little pinkie, however,does have a tendency to lock when I play for
awhile without requiring playing that left C. It does not lock playing
B(F)or C#. Just that pesky little key. too. But over time, I have learned
with that finger alone to keep it "bent beyond the lock." Since the little
finger does not cover a pad, I have practiced simply holding the slightly
exaggerated bend and still hinging from the knuckle.

Speaking of fingers, my approach is not to throttle the instrument, but to
only cover the tone holes with sufficient pressure that they seal. For this
reason, I can really move them extremely fast. My problem has been
intervals, which I tended to avoid practicing as a youngster. I can play
chromatics, chords, and scales with the best of them, but any repeated
interval study over a 5th gives me fits in certain keys. The answer:
practice.

>From: "Rebecca Brennan" <rjbrennan1221@-----.com>
>Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: [kl] fingers
>Date: Sat, 07 Dec 2002 21:03:30 +0000
>
>
>I have this crazy problem, but I never noticed until I was at camp over the
>summer and first started usind my left hand C. My fingers are double
>jointed and ten to bend and kind of "lock" when i do things like repetedly
>push buttons, flip light switches, change channels with the remote, etc...
>I have this etude that is required for all-state which forces me to use the
>left handed C and I constantly find my pinky "locking up" which forces me
>to stop and wiggle my fingers.
>
>Could my left pinky being weaker than my right pinky be part of the
>problem? If so, how can I strengthen it? Are there any remedies out there
>for this problem??? I hardly ever have this problem with my right hand
>pinky.
>
>-Rebecca
>
>
>
>MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
>http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
>
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------

STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

---------------------------------------------------------------------