 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2006-09-10 14:27
i just realized that my right hand hurts every time i play. is this normal? i think it has hurt for so long i just thought that is what happens.
maybe my thumb placement is off. (not position - placement). i have an adjustable thumb rest and the post is all the way to the bottom so that it is even with the that opens when you play an alternate Bb or F#.
I think if my thumb were a half an inch lower, it might not hurt my hand.
#1. where is your thumb placement
#2. how to i make it lower when its already at the bottom of the post?
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-09-10 15:04
I never had a problem with the hand hurting. At some point my teacher suggested maybe I should put the thumb rest higher because I play with not round enough fingers. I moved the thumb rest higher and after a little while of playing my thumb hurt very bad. It turned out I had my thumb muscles flexed when the thumb rest was higher. Although it was easier to play with rounder fingers, I couldn't have my hand relaxed. I looked what happens if my thumb is lower, and I noticed it is a position that doesn't allow me to flex the muscles. So although my fingers are "not as round as they should be" at least it doesn't hurt.
For moving the thumb rest I just drilled two new holes (actually my father did, I was just a little kid) and screwed the thumb rest there. If you don't want to do it yourself (or with help of someone) a good clarinet repairer would be able to do it.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-09-10 15:08
A search here will reveal that some of us have simply turned the standard t.r. "upside down" which allows use of the existing holes.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Cuisleannach
Date: 2006-09-10 15:36
Then you are stuck with the repair option...it's not a difficult job but it can be a bit touchy to do it right, so unless you are pretty good with repair work I'd concur with clarnibass and leave it to a pro.
-Randy
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Author: Dee
Date: 2006-09-10 16:20
Before doing this, make sure your hand and thumb position are actually correct. A lot of people play with the hand rotated too far under the horn and end up with a bend in the wrist. Over time this can cause pain and problems not only in the hand and wrist but clear up into the shoulders and back. The hand and thumb should be positioned such that the thumb rest straddles the base of the thumb NAIL. It should not be between the joints or (even worse) at the base of the thumb. Moving the thumbrest will NOT help much if your hand position is incorrect.
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2006-09-10 17:14
No matter where the thumbrest is positioned it will eventually cause pain, stiffness, and spastic muscles in the thumb.
DO NOT waste your time and money to drill new holes in your clarinet, or fret over its placement. Follow Dee's advice as to thumb placement -approximately straddling the root of the thumbnail- and soak your hand in hot water when it hurts. Also shorten up your practice times for a while. It's hard to believe, but it will pass; your thumb will become stronger and will probably develop a callous on its side.
I bought some clear soft plastic tubing and pushed a short segment up over the medieval turture device that Buffet calls a thumbrest. It helped for about an hour.
You know the callous that trumpet players get on their upper lip? Well, a calloused painful thumb is our curse. In time it will pass.
Oh! And take two aspirin and call my office in the morning.
Best,
b/
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Author: z123carleigh
Date: 2006-09-10 17:23
You know, I looked at my right thumb and there is a very noticable fleshy callous on it. Compared to my left thumb, my right thumb is practically deformed...but I never would have noticed if it wasn't mentioned.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2006-09-10 17:26
lol bruno - your post made me laugh. i have the callous already. unfortunately, in the WRONG place. ive been playing with the wrong thumb position for too long. too stubborn to change when i was younger. now the correct postion is halfway over the callous. i put a bandaid over it to help. but actually its my hand that hurts as soon as i start playing. im going to have to work on playing in the correct thumb position as i want to continue playing for a long long time - and hopefully without pain.
one thing tho - maybe dee can help me ... when its in the correct position, i feel like it might slip becuz its not under my thumb enough.
also ... i do have quite a large callous (bump)..it almost impedes me from putting it in the correct position. ohhh if i could go back and do it right. :(
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2006-09-10 17:28
ya, my thumb is quite deformed too. like a bunyon on my thumb. lol
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Author: Ray
Date: 2006-09-11 03:04
While you are trying to figure out the correct thumb position (If there is one.) I suggest you give your abused thumb enough rest to heal.
You can do this by resting the bell on your knee or knees. This will be hard to do if you slump over - it takes a pretty straight back so there is enough distance from your mouth to your knee to fit a clarinet in there.
Two other good things happen - you can breath much deeper and it will cure you of tapping your foot.
Also, I recommend you consider a neck strap which will support most of the weight of the instrument.
Both of these methods are widely used. You will find that your right hand will be less tense and therefore able to adopt the correct curved-fingers position more easily. All of this will lead to more relaxation of the hand and more finger speed.
You may not want to abandon your knees or neck strap when your hand feels better.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-09-11 06:48
Dee wrote:
"No matter where the thumbrest is positioned it will eventually cause pain"
Not true from my experience. There is pain and there is pain. When I play with the thumb in the original lower position, it might hurt a little after a long time of playing, and especially because my clarinet is much heavier than average. When I moved it up, the pain was completely different type. It was the muscles that hurt, and it was a pain that started after a few minutes of playing, and was unbearable. The lower thumb position doesn't cause this type of pain at all.
"The hand and thumb should be positioned such that the thumb rest straddles the base of the thumb NAIL."
Considering the huge differences in hand sizes, I doubt very much the best thumb position is the same for everyone.
"Moving the thumbrest will NOT help much if your hand position is incorrect."
For me, moving it (back) did help.
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Author: brez
Date: 2006-09-11 12:17
Maybe try the Kooiman thumbrest for a while. You only need to get the plastic one, it runs about 25 bucks. If you have a repairman or teacher around to install it, it would be much better, because they can fine tune the adjustment of the anchor. The t.r. will essentially 'retrain' your hand as to where and how it should function properly, so when you switch back, you'll have the built in memory of what feels 'good.'
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-09-11 12:25
Ray:
" . . . it will cure you of tapping your foot."
This is the first time I have ever seen or heard that keeping time with one's foot is something to avoid. Have I missed something of fundamental importance?
Meanwhile, my teacher had me to move my thumb rest position from just below (toward the hand) the thumb joint to above it (at nail root) and it took some getting used to, but is now more comfortable and allows my fingers more maneuvering room.
Eu
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-09-11 12:37
Re the nail root position...it depends on how big one's hands are.
Bob Draznik
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