The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SVSorna05
Date: 2003-08-24 18:53
Im still in high school and am left handed, Im planning on being a music major and I conduct Left handed, will this be a problem later on down the road thanx
-Dain-
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Author: CJB
Date: 2003-08-24 19:45
I've played under a couple of conductors who conduct left handed in a community band and really struggled. This may be more to do with the skill of the conductor than the hand they were using - but looking at the wrong hand for signals really didn't help.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-08-24 21:56
I my limited, but not too constrained [50 yrs +] experience:
Good band + Good conductor + All having fun making music = NO problem 
- r n b -
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2003-08-25 00:48
I'm left handed and also find it easier to conduct left handed (not that I've done all that much conducting). I've been told that I should keep conducting left because I can't keep a steady beat with my right. I'm glad that clarinet is a fairly hand-neutral insturment- on piano I always gravitate towards pieces with active left hand parts.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-08-25 11:38
I conduct left handed for some reason although right handed and have never had a problem or even had anybody comment.
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Author: harpovitovandoren
Date: 2003-08-26 07:49
Left handed conducting questions are very interesting. Since I don't conduct, it's not a concern - nor have I ever played under a left handed conductor. But since I'm left handed, I've always wondered if any manufacturers or custom builders ever made any left handed clarinets? And would a left handed person be able to play such an instrument more easily than the traditional "right handed" version? I'm new to this site and am just amazed at all the info available via this bulletin board! Thanks, John
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-08-26 08:06
This has been discussed and researched before, but still a very interesting aspect of the clarinet world. Left handed clarinets do exist but in very limited numbers. I don't know if anyone makes them today. I believe the general concensus was that there's no significant advantage for them and the market just wasn't there to make it worthwhile to make a lot of them.
- r n b -
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2003-08-26 12:14
In the first half of the 18th century all woodwinds were playable left or right handed. Oboes had only two keys and the low C key was pointed so it could be played with either left or right pinky. The Eb key were made as a pair one on each side.
On clarinet it wasn't an issue until the third key, E/B-key, came and even than you could turn it so you could play it on either side.
Bassoon is the exception because of the placing of the wing joint. Don't know if there were any "left"-handed bassoons or dulcians wing joints ever made but the early ones had very often keys to be played left or right.
Alphie
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Author: C. Hogue
Date: 2003-08-26 21:31
I had a director who conducted amidextrously because of an arm problem. He'd switch over from one hand to the other. We got used it -- he was a good director.
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Author: Burt
Date: 2003-08-26 22:16
University of North Texas makes the students in the conducting classes conduct right-handed. If you're determined to conduct left-handed, check with the music deparments of the colleges you're planning to apply to.
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