 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: OneWatt
Date: 2021-02-09 06:03
Just installed a Kooiman Etude 3 thumb rest. (Happily, the existing top 2 of 3 hole placement/screws fit just fine without modification on a Ridenour 576.)
I understand that fiddling around with the precise placement is required to find the "right spot" for one's hand (specifically: inserting it up/down ratcheting along the attachment bar, and raising/lowering the adjustment screw on the thumb extension)
QUESTION: Can anyone offer tips based on their own experience to help zero in on the best placement? I can see how the Etude 3 thumb rest can be either a real blessing (in the right location) or a cursed pain-in-the-thumb (in one of many wrong locations). So I'm wondering if anyone has any special tips learned along the way?
FYI, I've already tried what's worked best for me on a traditional adjustable rest ... i.e., holding one's hand in a natural relaxed position, noting the thumb vis-a-vis finger spread, and then trying to replicate that grip through vertical placement of the thumb rest.
But with the Kooiman, what feels "right" for upper/mid keys doesn't seem to feel just right for the pinky keys - and vice versa. Perhaps I merely need to get used to things.
Regardless, it's already clear this contraption is a vast improvement over the traditional thumb rests. Certainly a keeper.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-02-09 11:03
Hi,
I have this on my clarinet. When it was first put on, I did a lot of headscratching about how to position it right, but in the end I figured that it didn't seem to be that adjustable at all. Mostly it's just there, and a nice shape than the traditional alternative.
It's definitely a big improvment, and I'm really glad to have added it on. Good luck with it.
Jen
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Author: OneWatt
Date: 2021-02-09 17:03
@ Jen: Thanks for your reply and the encouraging words about your experience with it.
My experience thus far is that the Etude 3 is far more adjustable in vertical range than I could ever comfortably use (i.e., at the extremes). I can set the relationship between the mounted thumb tip indentation higher/lower and also the swinging thumb "knuckle" extension higher/lower with respect to the mounted plate... All this provides more ways for me to produce what are bound to be bad choices in the long run.
I was wondering if anyone knew of any shortcuts to finding a combination that passed the test of time with respect to right hand grip comfort across the range of fingerings. Perhaps there is no such shortcut to weeks of trial/error through daily use?
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-02-09 18:15
I tried moving mine a bit just now and it honestly doesn't seem to make a great deal of difference to me. The difference between having it and not having it is absolutely huge, but the difference in having it adjusted a bit seems to be non-existent for me.
I use a sling that supports the whole weight of the instrument though, so maybe it is different if you are bearing the whole weight on your thumb?
I use a claritie sling as well as the special thumb rest.
https://www.wwr.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/721/s/daniel-s-claritie-clarinet-support-that-takes-all-the-weight-off-the-thumb-aclarinetsupport/category/114/
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Author: LFabian
Date: 2021-02-09 18:48
I have found out the hole placement is adequate. But your thumb should be straight and not pointing up or down, the rest - level. But I have tried with double stick tape with both base and rest together and moved them around where both my thumb and 2nd are more comfortable. I marked the spots and removed it and do the same thing again. If the holes or marks don’t match up, drilling by a tech will be necessary. Not all thumbs and fingers are the same. If you hold your clarinet one handed with the right hand on the thumb rest with no problem, you don’t need that sling. Etude3 is on my 1972 r13 and is considered permanent. I’ve lightened it with a composite bell.
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Author: OneWatt
Date: 2021-02-10 01:40
I've installed my Kooiman Etude 3 using all three of the original thumb rest screws from my clarinet. (Frankly, I didn't like the look of the Kooiman-supplied screws ... they looked cheap and poorly threaded. And since I know the existing screws on my clarinet do a fine job of holding on to the original thumb rest, this seemed like a safe bet.)
To enhance the strength of the plastic plate's grip against the clarinet body, I took the liberty of drilling this 3rd (slightly lower down) hole, using the original thumb rest mounting plate as a template for placement, having aligned the top two holes with the Kooiman's plate holes.
So now the plate bracket is installed nice and tight, using all three original screws. BTW, I had to counter-sink that 3rd screw hole; I first drilled a hole large enough for the screw's shaft all the way through the plate. Then I went over it again with just a slightly larger drill bit to ensure the screw head sits below the exposed surface of the plastic plate, as the other two screws do. This is to ensure the Etude 3 thumb grip contraption slides on/off without catching the head of that 3rd screw protruding too far.
Much easier to see all this than to describe. I've repeatedly tried to upload a closeup pic but can't seem to manage it (!) Hopefully the description is enough to help someone down the road.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-02-12 08:00
Hi OneWatt,
Sorry I didn't realise that you hadn't yet fitted the rest to the clarinet. Yes figuring out the position is the big thing. Once it's attached, it's kind of hard to make much adjustment. For me, getting the rotation round the clarinet was the important part as the rest can be adjusted up and down but not round to the side.
LFabian, thanks, I definitely need the sling. I have a long-term injury to my right wrist that prevents me from supporting the whole weight of the clarinet. I can do it if I hold the instrument out at 45 degrees or more, so the weight it almost on the pad side of my thumb, but it's extremely heavy when I hold it out that far, which is not practical without some serious weightlifter training.
Jen
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Author: OneWatt
Date: 2021-02-12 19:50
@SunnyDaze
Thanks for the additional comment. Having installed it and used the Etude 3 for a few days, it takes some adjustment but not too much.
One thing's for sure ... there are ways of grasping the clarinet (too high, too low, too far along the thumb, not far enough) that can become quite uncomfortable. Finding the right zone takes some effort, trial, and error.
There still seem to be certain grips that are best for particular passages of fingerings, and others that best suit others. Perhaps there's no thumb rest design that will ever overcome that challenge.
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Author: TomS
Date: 2021-02-15 09:30
I never could get used to the Etude thumb rest(s) ... somedays it seemed like it helped, other days it seemed to be a problem ... other players that tried it on my R13 usually commented something like: "I don't know if I love it, or if I hate it ..."
I was trying to solve cramping of the RH due to age and injury ... I found a clarinet brand/model where the RH pinky keys were stretched further down the clarinet, and this fixed my problem ...
Tom
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