Klarinet Archive - Posting 000266.txt from 2006/04

From: kurtheisig@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Kurt's hands and the side B-flat key
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 06:08:25 -0400

Sue,

I have moved my thumb rests up on ALL of my clarinets except my Eb sopranino. I also use Bay thumbrests on all of them.

Margaret and Wayne,

Wayne, as I'm sure you remember, I am a little runt of a guy, 5'4" then, and lost a half inch over the years. I am NOT like Jack Brymer, who I was told was a very tall man! I AM a classical bari sax player and play bari the same way, and am used to very fast passages with my hand angled---as in those two pictures of Brymer and Stubbins. My hands are not particularly large. The bent wrist and totally loose hand allow for fast passages, and with that hand position all fingers are RIGHT over the keys. I started converting to the 3rd side key up, about the time we hung out together in college(?) - mid 70's when I was in grad school. It took me 6 months to make the conversion and it was a ROYAL PAIN to do it. I am VERY glad now that I did.

Margaret, I curve my fingers progressively less as I go down the horn. First finger is bent a lot and third finger hardly at all. The key is that my hands are TOTALLY loose. Steve Adelstein is the same way on oboe, totally relaxed.

Yes, ALL of my students learn this way from the very beginning. It is common in my studios for my young students, and students of my older students, to be working on Kroepsch, Magnani and even Jean-Jean in lower grades--say 5th thru 8th. Many of them have small hands, of course. All are taught to only use the third side key up, and none have problems with the above music. We have only had ONE 5th grader in the Jean-Jean, but several 6th graders over the years. We place a great emphasis on eveness of sound, and that fingering really helps facilitate that.

BTW on saxophone, all students are taught to use "one finger Bb", that is, just slide the first finger down slightly. We never use the side a# fingering. Later, hopefully this year, we will have some saxophone surprises there in our new sax models. I came out with the altos 14 months ago, and the tenors about 6 months ago. An additional tenor model is also offered as of 2 months ago. Our new soprano plays so well in altissimo that I started today to refer to it as a 3 1/2 octave sax. It doesn't act any different up there---so I am now thinking of it as just a 3 1/2 octave horn.

Kurt

-----Original Message-----
>From: Raycrafts <raycrafts@-----.net>
>Sent: Apr 21, 2006 3:33 PM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: Re: [kl] Kurt's hands and the side B-flat key
>
>
>> Kurt Heisig wrote:
>> I don't use my 2nd knuckle to play it----I use the one up at my palm and
>> keep my fingers over the ring keys at all times
>
>Kurt,
>
>Do you happen to have your thumbrest in the usual location, or have you
>moved
>it up?
>
>Sue
>
>
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