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Re: Learning new tricks

Author: gsurosey
Date: 2010-10-05 16:42

I just turned 30 at the end of last month. Getting up there...

As for health issues, there are a bunch of them. Which ones would mess with my playing? I'm asthmatic, but I don't think that's too big a deal in that I don't wheeze when I play or anything. I do notice that I have to take breaths a lot (capacity isn't the greatest). As far as my hands/wrists, they bother me when I play (the right more than the left). The left side usually is ok while I play, and I'm hoping that working on that hand position helps. I notice sometimes when I'm not playing that my wrists ache and my fingertips tingle.

As the for the bell-resting thing, I'm thinking that's going to not stay around. It feels weird. I feel like I have to lean way forward to make it work.

As for RH thumb position, it's funny to change that, but that's probably just because I'm used to the setup I have. When I play alto sax, I have to consciously shift my hand down and make sure my RH fingers are actually on the keys. If I'm not paying attention and try to use a similar position to clarinet, my RH 1st finger is on top of the keycup above the top key instead of being on the right spot. That position shift really bothers my thumb; that's why I have to cheat and rest the sax on my chair when I can (good thing I don't play it all that much). Therefore, I'm not thinking that shifting the thumb rest up would help me (and my thumb rests aren't adjustable). Of course, my sax is a lot heavier than my clarinet, so who knows?

Tips are good; keep them coming!