 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: igor
Date: 2005-07-01 18:46
They haven't heard of clarinet straps in a local samash store.
Would a sax strap work?
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Author: Markael
Date: 2005-07-01 19:24
I use the Claricord neck strap, which attaches to itself with Velcro. It has two holes to attach to the thumb rest; one that works with a Bb clarinet and the other for an A.
It works.
Looking at the picture in Paul’s web link, the BG looks a little more substantial than the Claricord. I wonder if anyone on the BB has tried both?
Also, I wonder if any of you have tried Tom Ridenour’s Thumb saddle, and whether it would be possible (or desirable) to use it along with a strap.
It seems to me common sense that support for the thumb is a good thing for anyone who plays much at all. So what if people might tease? I imagine that there are a lot of hearing impaired people who once made fun of their co-workers who wore ear protection.
I find it interesting that the people at your local Sam Ashe store haven't heard of clarinet neck straps. Maybe you just talked to the wrong person. I say that because the person I know at the Sam Ashe store nearest to me works long hours because she has trouble getting help. She is a clarinet player, and I'm quite sure she would know about these things. But someone who is a bit green, or perhaps a brass player without a lot of woodwind knowledge, might not know.
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Author: senior
Date: 2005-07-01 19:32
( Also, I wonder if any of you have tried Tom Ridenour’s Thumb saddle, and whether it would be possible (or desirable) to use it along with a strap. )
I use the Ridenour thumb saddle. Easy to put on and take off. Really makes it easy on the thumb. I am ordering the BG strap today and will report back to the BB on what I find.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2005-07-01 20:58
I have a BG and a claricord. I find the claricord extremely irritating because it's velcro and is both noisy to remove and inconvenient to adjust. Additionally, unlike the BG with its nice hook, the Claricord is inconvenient to attach and remove from the clarinet, especially if you have an additional thumb pad on... I ended up leaving mine attached to the clarinet even when putting it away. The BG is significantly more friendly, though mine is longer than I'd like (it's adjusted straight up to my throat... perhaps I have the Alto Clarinet model?)
The local Sam Ash people also are always out of V12s, but have buckets of Rico in stock.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-07-01 21:40
I have tried a couple of clarinet "straps" and find them "impossible" to use. In order to take any weight off of one's thumb it would be necessary to allow the clarinet to hang close to one's body. When you try to move the clarinet away from your body some of the weight goes to your thumb but then that puts an unusual pressure against your neck. I think sax straps are effective due to the "straight out" position of the sax neck/mouthpiece.
I will say that if one is a stand-up clarinetist then the strap is effective in holding the clarinet when you're not playing.....taking the place of a clarinet stand so to speak. I am only speaking about Bb clarinets here. One supplier offers a rod that sticks into your stomach to hold the clarinet away from your body.......a real Rube goldberg of an idea in my opinion.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Robyn
Date: 2005-07-01 23:45
To each his own. I personally could not survive without my neckstrap and notice a substantial difference when I go without it. I use a BG strap right now, but I started with a Claricord. Both worked fine for me, but I prefer the BG because it is not as ugly as the Claricord and adjusts up and down quickly and easily with one hand.
Do make sure you get an elastic strap though. I accidentally bought a non-elastic strap once, and after using it for a week, I had increased my hand problems instead of solving them. Something about the fixed length didn't agree with me.
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Author: Francesca
Date: 2005-07-01 23:48
The BG neckstrap is the only way to go (for me, at least). The velcro one simply doesn't take enough weight off my thumb. FYI, BG has stopped making their neckstraps. Pick one up while you can.
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Author: igor
Date: 2005-07-02 02:01
<<<I find it interesting that the people at your local Sam Ashe store haven't heard of clarinet neck straps. Maybe you just talked to the wrong person. I say that because the person I know at the Sam Ashe store nearest to me works long hours because she has trouble getting help. She is a clarinet player, and I'm quite sure she would know about these things. But someone who is a bit green, or perhaps a brass player without a lot of woodwind knowledge, might not know.>>>
Interestingly, I talked with two different people with the same result.
After posting my original message I decided I didn't want to wait for the online order so I'd just stop by Sam Ash on my way home and buy a sax strap, because well it is just a strap and I can always return it if I don't like it. Guess what. The person who I talked to this time gave me such a look as if I asked for a pair of drumsticks for my clarinet. And then he said that "clarinets don't come with straps. Unlike saxes, they don't even have a hook to attach the strap to". Yes, there are all green there. And I find their procedures very annoying. I buy a $3 gadget and it takes them a few minutes to fill out and print out a fancy receipt that looks more like an invoice and they also want my name, phone number, AND sometimes even home address! When I politely refuse to waste so much time, those kids look so confused as if I forced them to violate a federal law. If one is patient, online order is one's best bet.
Now that I have a strap I must admit that it didn't quite work for me. I'd use it if I had to run a marathon carriying my clarinet. But when it comes to actually playing, I find it clumsy, restrictive, and not really taking much weight off. Resting the bell on my right knee works best for me.
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Author: SueSmith
Date: 2005-07-02 02:23
Quote:
After posting my original message I decided I didn't want to wait for the online order so I'd just stop by Sam Ash on my way home and buy a sax strap...Yes, there are all green there. And I find their procedures very annoying
When I was in college, I inquired about working in their "orchestral/band" department. Unfortunately, I hadn't yet acquired my BM, and without a college degree was deemed "unfit" for employment in that department. I suppose a store's gotta have its standards...;)
Post Edited (2005-07-02 02:26)
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Author: Andrewcn
Date: 2005-07-02 02:41
<<One supplier offers a rod that sticks into your stomach to hold the clarinet away from your body.......a real Rube goldberg of an idea in my opinion>>
Translation, please, just for an Aussie? Is a Rube goldberg idea a good one or a bad one? It sounds like an insult! I use a support that has a rod that joins a curved waist bar and so takes the weight - it works really well, though I suppose has what you might call a nerd factor about it. But as it works, I don't really care.
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Author: ClarinetGirl312
Date: 2005-07-02 02:48
BG all the way...tried the elastic years ago, gave up neckstraps....found this one at Clarinetfest last summer and haven't stopped using it since!
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2005-07-03 01:16
Aussie translation: "Through his wacky cartoons which depict the most elaborate and ridiculous devices to accomplish the most mundane tasks, RUBE GOLDBERG'S "INVENTIONS" have become synonymous with any maximum effort to achieve minimal results. His ingenious drawings follow their own impeccable logic, demonstrating that the unnecessary can also be the mother of invention - often with hilarious results. " See more at: http://www.rube-goldberg.com/html/gallery.htm.
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-07-04 14:57
"But as it works, I don't really care"
And I agree with your sentiments totally.....
Bob Draznik
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2005-07-04 16:13
Yup. Ol' Heath and ol' Rube are virtual equivalents. I ran into the same translation problem when reading of some of the Home Army's defensive efforts in 1940.
Rube has joined cartoonists like Walt Kelly, Al Capp, and Gary Larson in passing from the scene. Most folks don't recall any of that crowd any longer, although Rube's name lives on as a term for the devices he popularized.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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