Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-04-09 14:36
After reviewing a paper posted by "Old Geezer" I have been working diligently to change how I hold a clarinet.
Let me define "UP." If you hold your clarinet out in front of you, vertically, that is, with the mouthpiece straight UP and the bell straight DOWN, this is the attitude with respect to the thumb to which I refer.
For the past 35 years I have just let gravity have its way with me and I have allowed my thumb to "sag" so that the tip of the thumb is angled 30 degrees or so off the horizontal axis towards the floor.
Now..........
In this article it was put forth that a better way to hold the clarinet for better finger position is to hold it UP actively with the thumb so that the tip of the thumb is pointed at an angle off the horizontal closer to 30 to 45 degrees "UP."
Yes, this does engage more musculature than I have been used to and has led to some fatigue. And yet the angle (when done properly) does distribute the weight of the clarinet through the bones of the hand and arm so that the full weight is not entirely on the thumb muscles.
BENEFITS?
As far as I can tell so far, it is worth while looking at this. The fingers of the right hand line up with the holes this way making technique more sure footed.
Things that are different (negative?) are that the pinky becomes more curved (even curled perhaps) rather than straight. Also, it may very well require a much higher thumbrest position than you currently use. I had my thumbrest moved from a postion opposite the top of the second hole, up, to a postion opposite the center of the first hole !!!! That's quite a difference.
So far I have experienced only positive playing results and the fatigue to my thumb muscles lessens everyday.
Do most of you already have a thumb position like this?
....................Paul Aviles
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The Clarinet BBoard
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