 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: elizabethm
Date: 2014-01-02 04:15
My clarinet teacher calls them ticks... I dont know if anyone on here has developed finger or hand issues like this:
In the last few months, my right hand has been becoming really problematic. It started out as just a slight hesitation when I had to put my middle finger down in a fast downward C scale. Now, I'm at the point that I can't even trill between my index and middle fingers. I've started watching in a mirror to see what is going on. My fingers look and feel relaxed, but my middle finger just doesn't like to come down to the clarinet when it's supposed to... or if it does, it doesn't come down enough.
My clarinet teacher has said to just relax and practice trilling A to A#, E to F, and C# to D really slowly, but it's not helping. I'm playing the Mozart concerto right now, and it's really getting in the way of learning it. I feel like I'm relaxed, but it's still not working. My teacher has tried to figure out what's going on, but she isn't sure what else to do to help me with it. :(
I'm not sure what's causing it. I have some tendonitis issues because I also study piano, and I do sometimes have to play with a wrist brace when I play clarinet. My teacher thinks this could be making my hand become really tense... but, all my other fingers are working fine. I don't know why my middle finger won't work right.
Have any of you ever had problems like this? How do you begin to deal with it? It's scaring me a lot, which is probably making it worse.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2014-01-02 04:53
A visit to a physical therapist who has knowledge of musicians problems might be a good idea.
Tony F.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2014-01-02 05:04
I don't think I have any particular physical problems nor do I think you do (other than overuse or incorrect use), but as far as clarinet goes, my finger strength and dexterity is severely lacking. For example in the Rose Etude #5 of 32 there is a series of trills that are just over the break. The trills are B to C, C to C#, and then D to D# finishing on C#. Not only are the trills slow and somewhat uneven, but it creates so much fear and tension that I end up biting, a problem which I'm usually doing well with, and the last part of some of these trills often ends up in me not supporting and/or restricting the airflow with my embouchure or lifting one of the other fingers slightly off the tone hole. Even when I try to trill these fingers on a table, they feel weak and uncoordinated and slow. I think the problem you suffer from is something that everyone but the strongest wind players or pianists wrestle with every day. I would love to have some progressive exercises I could do when I'm not playing which would help you and I both.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2014-01-02 06:12
Questions like this come up every so often. This really isn't the right place to come first - the right next stop after you and your teacher haven't been able to fix the problem is your doctor's office. If this is simply a problem of overuse or aggravated tendinitis, simple rest or some kind of physical therapy may help. But there are too many other things that could be involved - neurological issues like pinched nerves anywhere from your elbow or even your shoulder down through your wrist or even in the specific area of the finger that's misbehaving. If a physical problem is involved, we aren't the ones who should be diagnosing it. We can't even see clearly what the problem looks like. If your clarinet teacher, looking directly at your hand when you play, can't see a technical cause, nothing reliable is going to come from this BB, and, although the problem certainly doesn't sound life threatening, you may waste a lot of time trying well-meant but useless guesses.
Get the most convenient competent medical advice you can - from your family doctor if possible. You may ultimately need to consult with a neurologist, but your family doc can recommend whatever he or she thinks is appropriate. Don't waste time experimenting.
Karl
Post Edited (2014-01-02 01:19)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2014-01-02 02:05
The cause could range from sleeping on your right side to a virus to focal dystonia. You need a referral from your primary care doctor to a physical or occupational therapist who specializes in musicians' hand problems.
Gritting your teeth and trying to work through it only makes it worse. Get it diagnosed stat.
Ken Shaw
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