The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

To all adult amature beginners/late starters

Author: Noverbuf
Date: 2010-03-23 14:04

I asked for help on this board before but I wish now I asked more/read about prevention of the health problems than about how to go over the break easily though these are related things in a way when you already got that tendonitis/tendovaginitis in your wrist.
The latter one is exactly what I got in my right wrist extensor that runs on the pinky side of the wrist.

After about 1 year of extensive and diligent practice and I practiced only about 1 and a half hour a day I developed:
- quite good speed for my music needs
- ease of going over the first break and ability to go over the second break though not as smoothly
- a range up to high G over the second break (and that's I think is all most of adult amatures will ever need)
and filally...
- the tendovaginitis in my right wrist extensor

Yes, it only took me one year to make a good progress and get the tendovaginitis.

A doctor specializing in hand problems looked at me with a grin and said that this is what I likely was going to experience when starting the clarinet at the age of 37. She wasn't suprised.
The moral is watch yourself and stop playing once you get any sensation like pain in wrists and hands. I think this is a common knowledge that adult beginners are particularly prone to this kind of RSI.
Children are OK - they can recover quicker and their tendons and muscles have much more fexibility and recovery potential.

Get the best clarinet you can afford with the best set-up, use only the best of reeds, take breaks often.
My tendovaginitis is not an extreme case, I can still play and experience the pain only after playing for awhile and it mostly goes away when I finish my practice session.
Nevertheless I had to stop playing because I now want to heal my wrist as I'm planning to return to clarinet later if possible.

The saxophone I learned to play before the clarinet wasn't a problem -there is no such thing as constant strain applied to your right hand wrist unless you play a soprano but clarinet is a good source of injury unless you are very cautious.
So again - take breaks often and regularly when you practice and don't push yourself/don't let your instructor push yourself. You'll most likely end up with some kind of RSI if you can't do something easily like going over the break and apply extra effort to speed up the learning process.
You better go slowly and save your tendons. The ability will come to you later but at a less/no cost.

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics