 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: RON D.
Date: 2000-02-25 22:31
I am begining to play again after a long interval and I find it difficult to hold my instrument because of pressure on my thumb after 1/2 hr or so. does anyone have any experience with the kooiman thumb rest as shown on page 111 of the current ww&bw catalog? any recomindation other than neck strap, i find it distracting.
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Author: Drew
Date: 2000-02-25 23:20
I had a similar problem. My clarinet teacher recommended moving the thumbrest "up" the clarinet (towards the mouthpiece). An experienced tech did the work, and I got relief immediately.
For most adults, the thumbrest on most clarinets is too low and better suited for smaller hands (which are probably playing most of the clarinets). This is why many new clarinets now come from the factory with adjustable thumbrests.
Another acceptable way to achieve the same effect is to remove the two screws holding the thumrest on the wood body, and then remount the thumbrest "backwards," resulting in about a 1/2 inch movement in the desired direction. Cheap, and effective. One problem I had was that the thumbrest plate where my thumb rested is a convex surface, but when reversed was concave and very uncomfortable. Hope this helps.
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Author: Katherine Pincock
Date: 2000-02-26 01:03
Drew's suggestion is great; there's also a relatively cheap (about $25) adjustable thumbrest that moves up and down on a post, so you can set it exactly where you want it. You don't mention if part of the problem is lack of cushioning on the thumbrest; surgical tubing, or the tubing they sell for making beer (it's the brownish rubbery tubing, about 1/2-3/4 of an inch wide) will work well for this. I don't have any personal experience with the Kooiman, but my fiance, who has tendonitis, recently had it installed on recommendation from a musical therapist here in Canada. The few times he's tried it, he found it helped (although it won't take care of all the pressure.) He also said that it made it almost impossible to grip too tightly with the right hand, which is certianly an added bonus. If you do opt for the Kooiman, make sure that you get it installed by a good technician--I believe the plate needs new screw holes, and the old ones have to be filled in, so you want someone competent to do the job. I hope this helps!
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Author: Frank O'Brien
Date: 2000-02-26 06:41
I have used the Kooiman for about three years. I have scar tissue on my right thumb from mistakes with a hammer when house building. [I am left-handed.] The thumb rest looks complicated because it is designed to offer any number of angles for one's thumb.
I have found the Kooiman excellent - I have the higher priced version. It is very well-made and allows for a more relaxed grip on the clarinet. I don't think it over-priced, given the materials used and the machine work needed to make the product.
I installed mine, but I have some woodworking experience. I suggest that you get a tech to install it.
The thumb rest is another area, like mouthpiece materials, concerning the clarinet that needs some development.
Final tips: once installed do not over-tighten the various screw adjustments until you have position that suits. They do not need to be bone tight to have the thing work and keep its place. It will take some trials to find the best positioning for your thumb. Try it at several angles for about a month, until you see what works.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-02-26 14:24
I posted my T R solution under the "Right Little Finger Keys" thread below. Don
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Author: Jerry K.
Date: 2000-02-26 15:03
I've been interested in the Kooiman for some time now, but haven't yet tried it.
I resumed playing the clarinet last June after a very long layoff and almost immediately started experiencing thumb and wrist pain. First, I tried a Clarichord neck strap, but didn't like it because of the elastic--it still left a lot of pressure on my thumb and wrist. I then tried a Fhred (quodlibet.com), which is a peg that attaches to the thumb rest and extends downward to your chair; it moved around too much and thus still left pressure on my thumb and wrist. Finally, I bought a BG neck strap and still use it; the BG holds the clarinet taut. In addition, I rest the bell of the clarinet on my thigh. All of this took some getting used to, but I have done it. (Even though there is no downward pressure from the clarinet on my thumb and wrist, I still exert upward pressure to maintain control of the instrument, which means I still experience some tiredness after about 45 minutes to an hour of practicing. I guess that means I have to learn to relax, relax, relax, right?)
I have also started doing exercises to strengthen my fingers, wrist, and forearm. Windplayer.com has a book called End Your Carpal Tunnel Pain Without Surgery that has some good exercises in it. Although thumb and wrist pain are not carpal tunnel problems per se, the exercises are helpful, especially the ball squeeze, rubber band exercise, and chinese ball exercise. I also just started using a Gripmaster (finger exerciser). All of this seems to be helping. I can feel the strength in my hand and arm increasing and the pain fading into the background.
My goal is to get the bell of the clarinet off my thigh--I doubt if I'll ever be able to get rid of the neck strap, unless the Kooiman really does work wonders.
Does anyone know about the Bay thumb rest? The Bay literature doesn't provide a picture of it. I even looked up the Bay patent (thanks to Don for that tip!) but couldn't really tell what it's like from the images there.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-02-26 15:22
Jerry, Make sure that your thumb, hand, and wrist positions are correct. Even with support, errors in position can still lead to pain. At least half the people in the community bands that I have belonged to have had incorrect positions for their thumb, hand, and wrist.
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Author: Jerry K.
Date: 2000-02-26 15:47
Thanks, Dee, for the tip. My teacher hasn't said anything about poor position, but I'll check with him. (I think I have thin cartilage, or something. I've had shoulder problems in the past.)
For the sake of "full disclosure" I just wanted to add to my previous post that the BG neck strap comes with a ring that attaches to the center joint and extends outward toward your stomach to which the hook of the strap attaches. Couldn't use it! It interfered with playing certain notes. So I hook the strap to my thumb rest--your clarinet does have to have ring for this to work.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-02-26 15:55
It is very easy for a teacher to overlook hand position and there are some who are not completely aware of its importance and the ramifications of poor position.
One of the ladies in the community band that I belong to teaches clarinet and piano. She mentioned wrist pain and was asking about a neck strap. I encouraged her to go ahead and get one but also noticed that her hand position was incorrect. We worked on this a few minutes before band and she remarked that she could feel the difference in the tension in her wrist and the increased ease of playing certain notes. Of course she will have to work on this for a period of time to overcome the old habits.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-02-26 18:23
Jerry K, did you look at the Bay Thumb Rest patent on the IBM site, http://patents.womplex.ibm.com/ or on the USPTO site? The IBM seemed to detail the mechanics of it quite well to me. It looks like only one new screw hole is needed in the LJ, and the spring-load allows setting its position as desired. I have never actually seen one! Luck, Don
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-02-26 19:21
I should have posted above the Bay pat no US 4,348,935, and then I searched for a Kooiman pat [couldnt find!!, can someone help?]. Using keywords thumb AND rest, I found Brunkow 3,988,958 which seems to be similar and earlier than Bay. Its a "jungle" out there. Don
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Author: Jerry K.
Date: 2000-02-27 05:16
Don, I looked up the Bay patent at www.uspto.gov, but that IBM site is a lot nicer than uspto. I reread the patent and I think I understand it better now; I'm not used to reading patents. (I think your URL code is incorrect, however. I used www.patents.ibm.com to get to the site.)
Kooiman thumb rest is from Europe, isn't it? The Netherlands, I think. Perhaps that's why you couldn't find the patent?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-02-27 18:24
Thanx, Jerry, yes to both points. I searched US pats only, there is a European and maybe a World [Intellect. Prop. Org.] site which might have a K's pat. Will look. In regard to IBM, the earlier site was under "womplex!" so it is now a carryover in my "favorite places", glad its been eliminated from the URL. Regards, Don
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Author: Chris
Date: 2000-02-29 05:19
My teacher has Bay thumbrests on his clarinet- They are like plates, about a square inch, that are bendable, with rubber padding where the thumb comes in contact. They are really good, for comfort, and right hand positioning. They come with Neckstrap loops, and there is another one that is cheaper that is bendable, just not adjustable.
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