 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: StephanieG
Date: 2006-03-30 19:18
Ok i know that there have to be others out there besides me. I am (and have before i stopped playing for a while) right thumb and wrist pain. The thumb joint just feels really sore after practicing and the wrist pain goes about mid way up the forearm. I already use a neck strap for practicing and a good thumb rest padder. any other suggestions would be most appreciated!! thanks in advance
steph
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2006-03-30 19:43
Last October I began playing after many years.
I bought the cheapest wood clarinet I could
find, a "Maitre" eighty eight bucks.
It was really heavy...felt like 10 pounds and my
thumb was begging for mercy.
So I bought and tried a "Ton Kooiman Etude
Thumb Rest." It really takes the pressure off
your thumb. But it takes a little getting used
to. I don't use it any more but it really got
me over a hump when I thought the pain in
my wrist and thumb were going to stop me
cold.
You can buy one online from the ever ready
Woodwind Brasswind Co.
These days I just tough it out ... when I'm
not resting it on my ancient knee!
Clarinet Redux
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Author: Aussiegirl
Date: 2006-03-30 21:03
My wrist was doing a similar thing to yours awhile ago when i was playing a lot of bari sax and working a lot of hours scanning groceries at a supermarket...best advice for the time been is to go and see a doctor, just to see what they say about it. Mine just said to rest it as much as was possible at the time and to take ibuprofen ( i think) for the pain, but its better to get it checked out now then start thinking about how to prevent it once its getting better.
Hope this helps!
Fiona
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-03-30 21:16
Lots of advice in our archives, use the Search [above] asking for thumbrest, thumb pain etc. I suggest that before investing in a fairly expensive adjustable TR, that you remove and INVERT the present one to see if it helps in having your thumb and 1st finger more nearly in a "pinch" orientation. That has been all I have needed for years, and also has benefit in rt. pinky fingering of the E/B touch. Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2006-03-30 23:41
Stretching does wonders. Get the Bob Anderson book. Stretch before playing, and don't skimp on the routine. Stretch after as well if you can manage.
I had some nasty tendonitis a year ago, and am almost totall recovered now.
What kind of neck strap do you use? Some are much better than others; I prefer the non-elastic ones. Also, I'd suggest using it for performances as well. I never play Bb or A without it now.
Further, do you use a regular computer mouse? For me, that was half the problem. Look into a trackball or vertical mouse. $20-90 is a small price to pay. I'd also recommend a split keyboard. Anything to reduce repetitive, prolonged outward motion of the wrist.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: StephanieG
Date: 2006-03-30 23:45
I have a Neotech strap and where would i find this bob anderson book
steph
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2006-03-31 00:12
Got my copy of the newer edition at the local Borders. I imagine most big bookstores would have it, and a search for "anderson stretching" brings it up on online retailers.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: StephanieG
Date: 2006-03-31 02:00
thanks a bunch alex!! i give it a look. diffently something i have not tried before!! steph
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2006-03-31 04:12
I had similar problems that almost ended my career.
The things I did to correct the problem are as follows:
I had the thumbrest moved up so that the thumb is almost even with the index finger.
I made sure that my hand position is correct. (curved fingers, not too much finger pressure.)
I rest the clarinet gently on the knees, in addition to using a neck strap.
I only practice for an hour at a time between breaks.
I see a chiropractor to have him work directly on my hands with an activator.
If this doesn't give you relief, seek help from a specialist. I went to the Mayo Clinic as soon as I started to have hand problems. They watched me play, and came up with most of the suggestions I mention here. The hand specialist is also the principal oboist of the Rochester (MN) Symphony.
Chris Hill
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Author: StephanieG
Date: 2006-03-31 06:36
chris,
do you mean to physically unscrew the thumb rest from the clarinet or just move it up the highest it will go? i have a buffet festival with an adjustbable thumb rest and i have it as high as it will go without physically altering the whole thumb rest. thanks for the info on the chiropractor....also something i have not heard of or tried!! steph
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Author: OpusII
Date: 2006-03-31 09:42
I also had similar problems.... it's a very serious problem!
The things I did to correct the problem are as follows:
- Stopped playing for a month
- Installed a Kooiman Maestro Thumbrest
- I rest the clarinet on the knees
- And learn to relax your muscles...
I hope that your problems will be over soon.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-03-31 12:34
Some adjustable thumb rests are a joke as they don't allow for enough upward adjustment. Some of us just turn a stock thumbpiece upside down.
Bob Draznik
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Author: William
Date: 2006-03-31 14:33
I have been experiancing some thumb pain, but I attribute most of it to lack of regular practice. If my "chops" are in optimum condition, so is my thumb. Also, when first experiancing thumb pain, I find it helpful to stretch my arm a bit. This usually occures at the start of practice or rehearsal and seems to help condition my hand muscles to support my clarinets weight with less or no pain. On the rare occassions that I play bari sax, I also experiance a lot of thumb and wrist pain toward the end of the gig. But I attribute that mostly to the fact that I seldom play bari and am certain that if I played more regularily, the pain would go away. I think, mostly, that thumb, hand and wrist pain results from lack of conditioning (regular practice) than anything else. But, not being a physical therapist, I could be wrong--just know what seems to work for me..............
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2006-03-31 17:08
I second the chiropractor recommendation. Ask around about who's good in your area... all chiros are not created equal, but some are @#$% fantastic.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: sylvangale
Date: 2006-03-31 17:25
There's always the FHRED
http://www.quodlibet.com/
Transfers the weight of the instrument to the chair. You can shift weight from your hands the the chair and vice versa.
Regards,
Stephen
(edit: clicky link)
♫ Stephen K.
Post Edited (2006-03-31 20:03)
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Author: D
Date: 2006-03-31 18:41
If the problem is related to hand position and you have worked on trying to correct this, there is the possiblilty that moving the tone holes might assist you. Sounds daft, but if you are twisting to but you fingers in the right place, it could be that your fingers and your hole layout just don't marry up. If you are wanting to spend a fortune you could see if you could get one of the smaller specialist manufacturers to make you a clarinet that would allow a different hand position.
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Author: Ryan25
Date: 2006-03-31 20:52
I had this problem while I was in undergrad and a couple of things made it stop.
Guitarists at my school were shown a stretching excercise by Ricardo Izanola (a some what well known guitarist) and he wanted them to do these everyday before they played to help prevent problems. I learned how to do them and they helped a lot.
I also learned to rest the bell on my leg. I only did this when I had been playing for many hours already.
These things made it go away for me.
Good luck
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