 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maruja
Date: 2009-10-12 16:17
I went to a wonderful concert on Saturday where Ian Bostridge sang Britten's Nocturnes; there are some lovely accompaniments from various woodwind instruments. I noticed that the clarinet play (BBC Phil) played with his legs stretched out as though he were sitting in front of the fire, with his clarinet between his knees - everyone else had their feet tucked carefully under their chairs. As a (semi) beginner, I have been told to watch my posture, sit upright, keep the clarinet at a certain angle etc. Does this again come down to what is best for you? (he played beautifully by the way!)
Maruja
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-10-12 17:13
A lot of it depends on how tall you are. If his feet were flat on the ground, and his legs were just far apart and out to the sides, and he was leaning forward very slightly with his clarinet out at a significant angle, then it's quite likely that he was displaying excellent posture, and was compensating for a chair that was too small for him. If he was leaning back, and just kinda sprawled, then maybe not.
Feet tucked under the chairs can actually be quite stressful on the lower back. Ideally, one's thighs should be about parallel to the ground while playing. If the chair is too tall, feet tucked under may be necessary in order for the toes to hit the ground. More often than not, though, the chair is too short, in which case the feet should be as far out and forward as necessary to create the proper angles.
Often, people are given the advice "watch your posture" with no indication on how to actually do that. As a tall person, I find short chairs to be absolute murder, and you'll often find me taking an inordinate amount of floorspace to compensate.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-10-12 17:14
Sitting upright is another area where some people don't realize just how far forward "upright" is. I was shocked when I had it pointed out that my concept of upright was still leaning considerably back.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-10-12 21:04
When it comes to pros it's what works best for them. When you're a student you're taught the "best" way to do something and later you find that does not work best for you so you change. All part of growing up I guess. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2009-10-13 21:46)
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2009-10-14 07:35
I go along with the "feet flat on the ground" school of thought. In fact in one band rehearsal recently another clarinet and I who are both considerably below average height and had been given rather high chairs caused amusement to the general company by producing our cases to place in front of our chairs and putting our feet on them!
Vanessa.
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