Author: Mark Charette ★2017
Date: 2006-08-14 17:34
Chris P wrote:
> You're right (BelgianClarinet) - even with a sling the right
> thumb still needs to support the clarinet, using a sling only
> makes the clarinet point downwards leading to bad posture.
>
> You don't need maths to see it's not ideal, practice proves
> it's not ideal.
I'm sorry, that's not correct. A vector diagram is trivial - including both the support point for the sling on the clarinet, the moments, and the differentials. The angle of the neckstrap will revieve a considerable amount of force in the vertical dimension and a will add a small amount in the horizontal force (towards the body), along with adding possibly a small moment (torque) depending on the center of gravity of the clarinet and the attachment position of the strap.
As to why the clarinet is supported (badly) by the thumb - I've played period clarinets with up to 4 keys, made of boxwood, with only a nail as a thumb support and have been perfectly comfortable - but they're incredibly lightweight. The modern systems, with all their keys and the requisite dense wood to support all that mechanism, are much heavier and the thumb is not engineered to support that much weight. Thus the systems (including neckstraps) to alleviate the excess weight.
Let's see - Ricardo Morales uses a neckstrap, as do many other fine players. If their "bad posture" is the source of their magic, give me that 'bad posture'. If it helps Bob Spring to wade through all that technique, give me two. If it doesn't help you ... that's fine too.
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