 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bombus
Date: 2009-10-09 22:41
Whenever I use the keys for my right little finger, the second joint on the finger almost always collapses/will not stay curved. Can anyone offer any exercises to fix this?
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Author: grenadilla428
Date: 2009-10-10 02:25
Try this: Make a circle by touching the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger. Press gently, but not so much that you cannot maintain a circle - the object is to exert a little pressure without letting the circle collapse. If it does collapse, back off the pressure a bit. Hold for a few seconds, then go on to the next finger. As this is technically resistance training (on a tiny scale!), you can overdo it, so don't feel like you have to do it all the time. This is a great exercise to do when you're watching tv or riding in the car, whenever you think of it.
Also, practice with a mirror - the more you are aware of the problem, the more annoyed you'll be by it and the quicker you'll be able to fix it.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-10-10 13:02
Grenadilla428's exercise is excellent.
At the Clarinet Symposium several years ago, Larry Guy gave some finger-strengthening exercises. Go to http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=20&i=289&t=289 and then to the section "COLLAPSING JOINT."
Also, you're almost certainly pressing too hard on the key spatulas. Experiment to find how lightly you can press them and still have them cover. You may well discover that the pads need to be reseated, or even that the grain of the wood around the rims needs to have filler put in to make it perfectly even.
One way to lighten your fingers is to reverse the muscle action. That is, use (relatively) strong muscle action to lift your finger going up, but let the finger drop by gravity going down, adding only the absolute minimum of pressure to overcome the spring that holds the key open. My clarinets are set up with all the springs set at the minimum pressure consistent with a tight seal.
Ken Shaw
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