Author: Pathik
Date: 2006-08-16 10:01
Whether or not it's possible to provide "scientific evidence" that a sling would take pressure and weight off the right thumb is a moot point. Practical experience is the only thing that will make a difference in matters like these, so I'll share my own experiences concerning this.
Last year I developed quite serious pains in my thumb/hand/arm and decided to try a sling. It may work for some people, but it certainly didn't for me. It did take a little bit of the weight off, but only if I held the clarinet in a very awkward position, pointing almost straight down, which was uncomfortable and felt rather unnatural. I also got the feeling of having the mouthpiece forced up into my mouth which was not a good feeling at all.
Next thing I tried was the Tom Kooiman Etude thumb rest. I can understand why some people find this helpful as it does distribute the weight more evenly across the thumb. However, it was no good for me, as it doesn't actually take any weight off the right arm and I also found that the clarinet tended to "wobble" a bit, as if it was about to fall over to one side.
Then somebody on this BB, I think it might have been Chris P, suggested trying the FHRED peg, which I did, and that proved to be the solution for me, because it carries nearly the entire weight of the instrument. After I started using this I have experienced no more pain in my right thumb/hand/arm, so I strongly recommend anyone with such problems to consider trying this wonderful little gadget.
It does require a thumb rest with a ring screw to clip onto though, so I had to have a special screw with ring on it made to fit my A clarinet. I have recently bought a new Leblanc Concerto II B flat clarinet, a wonderful instrument in all respects, and I am having a ring soldered onto the thumb rest screw so that I can use the FHRED peg with my super new clarinet. Once it's fitted though, that's it, so even if you have a clarinet with a standard thumb rest, it can be adjusted to fit the FHRED.
Best wishes,
Pathik
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