 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Jodi
Date: 1999-04-01 03:57
Hello, hello...
I have a student who is 11 and she has a problem holding the clarinet. Her thumb is always bent at an odd angle and I am wondering if anyone could offer any advice as to how to help her. At first, I thought that she was holding the clarinet with the thumbrest flat on the TOP of her thumb, but she isn't. She has it at the right spot on her thumb and her hand is in right place, but her thumb bends up at the joint closest to her hand, forcing her hand up and her fingers into the side keys. (I told her we should strap a popsicle stick there to hold the thumb striaght....:))
I asked my own teacher and he said that maybe the muscles just weren't developed enough to hold the wieght of the clarinet. She says that when she tries to straighten it out, it is too hard and then her fingers can't reach the keys. (Although to me, they look fine...)
Has anyone encountered this before? I am thinking that maybe a neckstrap would be helpful.
Thanks and feel free to email me.
-Jo
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-04-01 04:09
Sounds to me like she needs a neck strap.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 1999-04-01 15:44
I agree that there is a high probability that the muscles are not strong enough. I also agree with Rick2 that a neckstrap would be appropriate. There is at least one author of beginners books (Robert Lowrey, I believe) who advocates neckstraps as a standard for beginners. This way they won't be plagued with the problems that stem from attempts to hold the horn that often lead to incorrect hand positions, bumping keys, or the potentially more serious nerve, joint, and muscle problems.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Katherine Pincock
Date: 1999-04-01 21:38
Neckstraps are definitely a good idea, but make sure your student doesn't get too dependent on one--the eventual goal is for the muscles to be strong enough to support the clarinet easily. As well, you might want to check the position of the thumb rest (the thumb should be directly opposite the first finger). If that's wrong, it can really make it hard to support the weight of the horn. That's also an easy fix--get a good repair technician to put on an adjustable thumbrest, and you're done. Hope this helps!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-04-01 22:25
Katherine Pincock wrote:
-------------------------------
Neckstraps are definitely a good idea, but make sure your student doesn't get too dependent on one--the eventual goal is for the muscles to be strong enough to support the clarinet easily
------
Katherine, I'm going to disagree with you here. There's no necessity to overtax the thumb joint. If in fact later the clarinet can be supported easily by one's thumb, fine, but it isn't required. I'd have no problem with anyone becoming "dependent" on one - there's a good number of professional players now using neckstaps. Who knows - maybe it'll prolong a playing career!
I fooled with an older clarinet (5 key boxwood) - they were incredibly light. Today's clarinets are much heavier than the originals, and the thumb's evolution hasn't kept pace :^)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 1999-04-02 00:43
Mark Charette wrote:
-------------------------------
Katherine Pincock wrote:
-------------------------------
Neckstraps are definitely a good idea, but make sure your student doesn't get too dependent on one--the eventual goal is for the muscles to be strong enough to support the clarinet easily
------
Katherine, I'm going to disagree with you here. There's no necessity to overtax the thumb joint. If in fact later the clarinet can be supported easily by one's thumb, fine, but it isn't required. I'd have no problem with anyone becoming "dependent" on one - there's a good number of professional players now using neckstaps. Who knows - maybe it'll prolong a playing career!
I fooled with an older clarinet (5 key boxwood) - they were incredibly light. Today's clarinets are much heavier than the originals, and the thumb's evolution hasn't kept pace :^)
-------------------------------
I agree wholeheartedly with Mark. There is absolutely no harm in using a neckstrap forever.
As an engineer, I would never design something like a thumb to hold the weight of a clarinet. It is probably the worst possible design when it comes to a support structure for any weight.
The thumb's purpose is to supply the opposing grip that lets us grasp and easily manipulate small objects. That is its primary function and it's great for that.
That many people successfully hold the clarinet via the thumb for their entire lives does not make it a good idea. These people happen to be lucky. Other people cannot no matter how much they "build up the muscle". There just isn't that much muscle in the thumb. The load on the ligaments isn't such a good idea either and these you can't really build up.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Irwin
Date: 1999-04-02 02:42
Okay, I'll admit that I use a neckstrap! When I started back playing after almost a 30 year absence, I was getting very bad pain in and around the joint at which the thumb connects to the hand. I got a neckstrap, initially, for marching (my group has marched in a few parades). Well, it was so comfortable that now I use it while sitting.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cw
Date: 1999-04-05 01:58
She has inherited double jointed thumb, great pottery throwing possibilities, send her to a art class.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kevin
Date: 1999-04-09 01:40
Hi... Just thought I would try to help. I had a problem in my earlier years of playing. It sounds like she may be wanting to grip the clarinet by straightning her fingers. What I would do is make her exagerate pointing the fingers down... and let the thumb rest, rest on the south east corner of her thumb.. The key is having the fingers pointed down somewhat. Try buying some rubber hose and cutting off a long peice of that to put on the thumb rest so she will have a little more flexibility with the area of the thumb rest. I use a peice of rubber hose myself, and it works great. Hope I was helpful. E-mail me if you want anymore advice. Good Luck.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
