 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: richardstone
Date: 2020-05-29 03:56
I am a 70 year old player with three years of experience on the clarinet. I played the violin for 60 years but stopped playing 3 years ago due to left thumb pain. I have enjoyed playing the clarinet very much but found that the weight of the instrument caused pain in both thumbs, in spite of two different Kooiman thumb rests. They helped move the weight of the instrument more towards my wrist but did not relieve the weight of the instrument.
I found a reference to the "Hook" on this board and ordered one from the Ebay website, KeithCochrane.com and it arrived today. I can't believe that such a simple device could make such a huge difference in playing the instrument. It completely transfers the weight of the instrument to the device, a metal arm that attached to the music stand. The arm attaches with velcro and has a certain amount of spring which gives the player a lot of freedom when holding and playing the instrument. Cost is $75.00 and worth every penny. I was able to practice for over an hour with no pain to my thumbs. I know this sounds like a bogus endorsement but I wanted to share this find with anyone else who has pain when playing.
richarddstone@mac.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2020-05-29 04:51
richardstone wrote:
> I know
> this sounds like a bogus endorsement but I wanted to share this
> find with anyone else who has pain when playing.
>
Just a thought, maybe for others, to keep in mind, since this Hook seems to have helped you... Often (especially for us "senior citizens" - I just turned 73) pain involves a medical condition that can be successfully treated medically. What I thought was thumb pain a couple of years ago actually turned out to be wrist arthritis. An orthopedist successfully treated it with cortisone injections. It may well be that better support devices years ago might have prevented or postponed the degeneration, and it might be that a support system now might help postpone another round of injections, although I haven't felt a need to return to the ortho in nearly two years. But the arthritis will always be there.
I think for arthritic problems, it isn't the weight as much as the motion. Pain in your left thumb, of course, isn't because you're bearing weight on it. Even on violin, it's more a problem of position, especially left arm position and finger stretch, not so much of weight on your left thumb. If a player's problem is actually in the wrist joints, shifting *the weight* somewhere else isn't necessarily getting at the underlying problem. Shifting the weight *toward* your wrist may exacerbate some players' pain.
Those thumb supports like Kooiman and the one you're describing may help some pain conditions, but I think it's always worth checking with your doctor (or a hand orthopedist) to find out if something other than weight-related stress is involved that might be easily treated.
Karl
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2020-05-29 17:59
I had suffered from mild pain in my right thumb basal joint since, many years ago, I had worked on my boat with electric tools. After I began playing clarinet at 70 of course it gradually worsened. In medical terms this typical condition is called "rhizarthrosis". I get along by using a neck strap and occasional use of diclofenac ointment. In more severe cases cortisone injections, and ultimately surgery, are applied.
Post Edited (2020-05-29 18:06)
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Author: fbjacobo
Date: 2020-05-29 23:17
I handled my problem in a different way. I moved the thumb rest WAY up. My tech (Roger Young, in Annapolis, MD - a GREAT tech) brazed the thumb rest to the tenon ring so my thumb is now at a completely different angle. Works beautifully.
The problem is that clarinet was designed to be played straight out like a trumpet with the mouthpiece upside down. When the mouthpiece got turned around, the instrument dropped. But did makers reposition the thumb rest????? Of course not. Try it yourself: Hold the instrument straight out and see where the thumb naturally goes to. Then, keeping the right hand in it's exact position, as if not on the instrument, lower the clarinet. You'll find that the thumb naturally goes to as much as an inch above the thumb rest. While I was at it, I had Roger move the thumb rest a little bit farther away from the keywork. which was much more comfortable for my sized hand. Since moving my thumb rest, my thumb problem disappeared AND I can play standing up.
CASE CLOSED Musical Instrument Case Repair Service
Jacobowitz/Larkin Duo
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