 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: FT
Date: 2002-05-03 22:16
Do you need long fingers to play clarinet????? `cause I have REALLY REALLY long fingers!! What about big hands?
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Author: monica
Date: 2002-05-03 22:27
No you don't really need long fingers to play Clarinet, although it does help. i don't have long fingers and i was told by the man showing me the clarinet at a school music starters sorta thing that i shouldn't try it cus of my small fingers.I sure am glad i didn't listen to him!The keys are relatively close to one another anyways and the my fingers soon stretched and became more flexible.Kinda like playin' a guitar.big hands should not be a problem as they really don't get in the way of playing but watch that they don't press on some side keys and cause sound problems.i just hope you aren't planin' on playing the E-flat clarinet, cus you long fingers might be a problem then!:)Does any of this help?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-05-04 14:51
As Monica says, necessary, no, BUT desireable, yes, as it requires less selection [perhaps costly] of brands, models, instruments themselves, [modifications?] and personal adaptation to "difficult" fingerings for we reed [and flute] players. I have quite small hands and medium finger-length and have found some oboes/eng horns, larger clarinets, tenor/bari saxes have "reaches" which are difficult-to-impossible for my semi-pro playing. A case in point is re: bari saxes, only an older Conn, or the very expensive Selmer Mark 6 is comfortable to me. My Selmer Alto and Bass cls each have 1+ notes "hard to reach". Other's experience, please, Don
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2002-05-04 18:12
German style clarienets seem to need longer fingers than French system ones.
By the way, I cannot play tenor recorder since I have really really short fingers. My glove size is 21 cm.
How about the lengths of both arms? We Japanese have very shorter arms. I believe we should consider this matter seriously when we set our instruments against my body.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2002-05-04 18:12
German style clarienets seem to need longer fingers than French system ones.
By the way, I cannot play tenor recorder since I have really really short fingers. My glove size is 21 cm.
How about the lengths of both arms? We Japanese have very shorter arms. I believe we should consider this matter seriously when we set our instruments against my body.
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Author: William
Date: 2002-05-05 16:33
I once had the pleasure of meeting the great violinsist, Issac Stern, and was very surprised to notice that his fingers were quite "stubby" and with rather fat hands, as opposed to what you would expect a violin viruoso's hands to be. I think that a persons's ability to play any instrument is more a matter of desire, innate musical talent and physical dexsterity rather than something as simple as length of finger. Then again, it is a distinct advantage to be able to reach more than one ocatve on the piano keyboard. But desire, talent and dexterity remain key to success. Remember the old fisherman's saying, "It's not the length of your rod but how you dangle your bait that's important." Good Clarineting!!!!!!
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Author: FT
Date: 2002-05-05 16:37
on the piano I can play a C all the way to the F!(that's how big my fingers are, and I'm only 15 yo and 5'4!!!)
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Author: William
Date: 2002-05-05 18:50
You may have missed my point. Sounds as though you only need to grow another 14 inches, learn to hold a basketball in both outstreched hands and join the Harlem Globetrotters. One advantage, no more reed and mouthpiece hunts. Have Fun!!!!!!
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Author: Melanie
Date: 2002-05-05 19:25
I have really short fingers (can't even reach an octave on the piano), but I have not had problems playing the clarinet or any other instrument besides piano. I play the common saxes (soprano, alto, bari) as well as the common clarinets(Eb, Bb, A, alto, bass, contrabass). I think it was to my advantage when i played Eb. I do have some problems with correct finger possition, but changes in TR height should change that. But at the same time, our principle clarinetist has incredible long fingers, and he does wonderfully. I think there are rarely people who have odd enough hands to make the instrument impossible.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-05-06 03:56
Hey there Hiroshi - you're are SO right about the tenor recorder. Man - it is a stretch for me, and I've got bigish hands and longish fingers.
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Author: Christoffer
Date: 2002-05-06 16:16
I have pretty long fingers, and I actually tend to find them TOO long for the clarinet - - it's like I have to bend and buckle them a bit too much to get them in the right position. It doesn't make it better that they are very thin too - I sometimes have some difficulty covering the G/D hole properly. I think my fingers would be great violin fingers, but the rest of me seems to be unable to get at ease with anything with strings on it. So, my fingers just have to accept that they, one way or another, must figure out how to behave on the clarinet ...
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2002-05-06 18:00
Heifetz had very small hands but his left hand power was enormous, which was the source of his beautiful tone. I played guitar for sometime and knew this. But this does not do any good thing to clarinetists.
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Author: John Noecker
Date: 2002-05-06 22:04
So, I guess if the tenor recorder doesn't require even the slightest stretch or effort to play, my fingers are too big to ever play Eb Clarinet, eh? Well, there go my plans of buying an Eb clarinet this summer :P
John
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