 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 1999-03-01 04:41
I just read an article by Jürgen Löscher (a revised lecture of the 6th european congress of medicin and physiology for musicans, Oct. 15-18, 1998 in Berlin) in the read player periodical "rohrblatt".
He was talking about
"collapsed hands" carrying an clarinet (or oboe),
muscles (acting to hold the instrument with the traditional thumb rest) which handicap the movement of the ring and index finger when clenched, (!)
and especially designed (excentric) thumb rests which put the weight of the instrument to the middle finger-joint (thus using different muscles located in the forearm.
I think, this article would be very informative to a couple of the readers of this board (having problems with the right hand), but my English is not good enough to translate it (I allready had to look up many words for this posting).
Well, here some addresses:
He wrote this article:
Jürgen Löscher / Hehn 259a / 41069 Mönchengladbach / Germany / Tel. +49 2161 591961
The periodical 'rohrblatt' is printed 4 times per year by:
Karl Hofmann Gmbh & Co. KG / Postfach 13 60 / 73603 Schorndorf / Tel. +49 7181 402-0 resp. -125 / Fax +49 7181 402-111 / email = hofmann@hofmann-verlag.de
The aricle was published in No. 1, March 1999, (14th year), ISSN 0935-8900 E 4229 (printed outside) resp. ISSN 0944-0291 (printed inside) [notice: ISSN, not ISBN] - 16.00 DM + mailing expense
editor's office:
Hans-Jürgen Müller / Auf dem Rotental 56 / 50226 Frechen / Tel. +49 2234 61267 / Fax +49 2234 65574 / email = rohrblatt@t-online.de
Manufacturers of the discussed thumb rests:
Casper van der Spek / Kabelgastkaade 42 / 1019 KR Amsterdam / Netherland / Tel. +31 20 4194849
Ton Kooiman / Veldhuizenlaan 10 / 3454 ED de Meern / Netherland / Tel. +31 3066 63379
(Prices: approx. 110 Euros to 170 Euros + taxes)
P.S. Do not forget to post a message here, if you're going to mail Mr. Löscher to get informations you'll post at this site (to prevent him getting ten or twenty mails asking for the same).
I'm not going to mail to him, I'm playing my clarinets very rarely, normally I'm playing my basset horn and there I use two pins (one when sitting, the other when standing) and I really enjoy having nothing to carry with my thumb.
Arnold (the basset hornist)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-03-04 17:08
Very interesting, Arnold, I'm sure most of us have had finger, hand and forearm strains from lengthy playing. I have found that reversing the usual thumbrest and using a rubber cushion on it [in effect raising it] is helpful on the fatigue problem as well as making my right little finger playing of the B/E key more secure. Can you describe the proposed structure and/or give us a bit more info, please. TKS, Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 1999-03-05 13:02
At least I found a photo of a thumbrest described at an <a href=http://www.dolce.co.jp/syohin/sho-aku.html>japaneese internet page</a>:
http://www.dolce.co.jp/syohin/sho-aku.html
The instrument would be "down the large block", the "half circled" seat is adjusted to lay on the second joint of the thumb (count from the tip).
<img src=http://www.dolce.co.jp/syohin/../jpg/tonkooiman/kooiman1.JPG>
[ http://www.dolce.co.jp/syohin/../jpg/tonkooiman/kooiman1.JPG ]
Moreover, I'll try to translate the article to english but I cannot guess how long I'll need to do this job.
Arnold (the basset hornist)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Arnold the basset hornist
Date: 1999-03-05 13:48
Just another image (at selmer's site):
<img src=http://www.selmer.com/selmracc/tonlg.gif>
[ http://www.selmer.com/selmracc/tonlg.gif ]
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Laurie
Date: 1999-03-20 12:52
The Brasswind and Woodwind catalog - http://www.wwandbw.com/ has the Kooiman Thumb Rest which looks like the thumb rest in Arnold's picture. I've been tempted to try it but it's kind of expensive - $65 for the student model which works for one instrument only, and $110 for the professional model which is heavy duty and is supplied with two back plates so that it can be switched back and forth between two different instruments. It also needs to be installed by a repairman. Brasswind&Woodwind will do it for $20.
I think that before I spend that much money for my "little hobby" I will try to locate the FHRED from Quodlibet, Inc. which I read about in another post. That post stated that the price was about $20.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
