 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Wobby8288
Date: 2018-12-20 15:59
Hi,
I have recently started playing alto sax (with experience with clarinet), and have found that after 30-45 mins of playing, my left thumb (below the first joint) begins to hurt. It may be due to pressing the octave key down with excessive force, but I'm not too sure (haven't had any sax lessons).
I also have this problem when I play bass clarinet standing up. I'm not sure why this is, as i have no pain when I play sitting down. Any tips on how to stop the thumb pain? :0
Thanks
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2018-12-20 16:39
You don’t need lessons — your thumb is telling you to press more lightly.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Wobby8288
Date: 2018-12-20 18:12
Thanks for the reply - would you know why this only happens when I stand up when playing bass?
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-12-20 18:32
It seems ironic to me to be reading this thread, because I've been experiencing something similar after a month of playing a lot of bass and tenor. The only difference, if I'm understanding your description correctly, is that I don't feel pain while I'm playing. It comes afterward when I'm doing normal (non-playing) things with my left hand, and it's very low-intensity once-in-a-while pain in response to specific thumb movements (but I haven't yet worked out exactly what movements they are, because it's so sporadic). I don't think in my case it's a question of too much force or pressure when I play. It seems likely to be more related to the increased stretch around the instruments - especially tenor sax. The instruments are larger, and in the case of the sax, the palm keys have to be avoided as well. I think having to rotate my wrist in exaggerated ways to play the palm notes (compared to the minimal movement involved in playing G# on a soprano clarinet) contributes to the problem, since the tendons and nerves that control finger movement come from the wrist.
I have to confess that I barely ever practice those two instruments - only as much as I need to to play the parts, and never unless I've been hired to play them. So it may be that a more consistent practice approach (if I were willing to invest the time) would help me condition the involved muscles and tendons to be more flexible.
Question: do you use a neck strap or a floor peg with the bass clarinet when you play sitting down? If you use a peg when sitting and a strap when standing, that could account for the difference.
I should mention that, at 71, I may be dealing with a level of age-related joint difficulty that wasn't a problem for me even 10, much less 20 or 40 years ago. I don't think my thumbs are arthritic, but I'm sure there are other degenerative problems possible.
None of this will help you, except maybe to show that you aren't totally unique in this complaint. I would reflexively chalk this problem up to a lack of steady and consistent conditioning for the bigger instruments and then diving into a fairly intense spurt of playing activity on them, if that makes sense. You may want to try backing off the 45 minute practice sessions to something shorter - 15 or 20 minutes - and gradually building the time back up if you are pain-free with the shorter sessions.
Karl
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Author: Wobby8288
Date: 2018-12-20 18:41
Thank you for your reply
I use a floor peg when standing to play bass so it feels similar to when sitting, so I'm not sure why there is pain. I don't usually play standing, so it's not too much of a problem. I am only playing a bit of sax in a musical and will probably not be playing very much in the future, so the discomfort won't last for too long.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2018-12-20 18:50
Quote:
...would you know why this only happens when I stand up when playing bass?
Because your are squeezing too hard to help balance the instrument. The amount of squeeze may not seem like a great deal — but your thumb hurts. Therefore I t is a big deal.
In both contexts I would see how lightly I could play with the left hand - making that the priority during practice — even if accuracy is affected.
Learning to be relaxed and easy may temporarily affect accuracy, but the payoff will be speed in the long run.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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