Klarinet Archive - Posting 000333.txt from 2010/08

From: K S <krsmav@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] LH Thumb Placement
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:09:19 -0400

Cathryn Calitz asks:

> While trying to find the source of [left hand] fingering problems with my teacher. I discovered that I hold the clarinet with my LH. thumb almost at a 90 degree
angle to the Clarinet, while my teacher plays the with her thumb
almost parallel to the her Clarinet.<

Cath -

Anatomy is destiny. You hold your left hand so that you avoid strain
and your fingers naturally cover the holes while moving only at the
knuckle joints. Nothing else matters. For me (and, I think, most
people), holding my left thumb vertical, pointing toward my chin,
cramps my finger movement and forces me to bend my wrist back.
However, my old teacher, Jay Craven of the Chattanoga Symphony, had a
very long thumbs and could bend the tip joint back more than 90
degrees. With his thumb vertical, he was very relaxed and fluent.
You experiment to find the best position.

Making a change won't be quick. The moment you stop paying attention,
you go back to the old way. "Engraving" the change into your muscle
memory needs concentrated, slow practice. In Part 3 of the Langenus
Method, there are three excellent Etudes for the Left Hand. Play them
very slowly in front of a mirror, checking constantly to make sure
you're keeping the best position.

And of course the same goes for your right hand. You find a position
that lets your fingers fall naturally on the holes and keys and also
lets you reach the bottom trill key (Eb/Bb) without excess movement.
I need to position the thumb rest almost at the tip of my right thumb.
David Shifrin puts the thumb rest well inside the joint, almost in
the crotch between his thumb and hand. No two people are the same.

Ken Shaw
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