 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Darrwall
Date: 2015-03-28 21:10
I am aged 75, started learning the clarinet 3 years ago, and have made good progress. But my left hand pinkie is holding me back. It will not land as firmly and precisely as it should on each of the 4 levers that it operates. It is weakest on the levers that operate C sharp (bottom of the treble clef) and B (just above the break).
I would be very grateful for advice as to how I might:
1. Strengthen that finger; and
2. Make it land more with more precision on each of the 4 levers.
I should add that I am right-handed and that there are no problems with the right hand pinkie.
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2015-03-28 22:00
Darrwall - without being able to watch you play it is hard to tell what is going on. I can suggest three ideas for you: check your left hand position - are your 1st three fingers covering the holes on the pads of your fingers and/or are you having to reach too far for the pinky keys? Once you have checked hand position, then a slow, patient practice of a few minutes a day, increasing the time gradually doing this: play a low g and then with your left hand pinkie press each of the four keys several times, always going back to the g. Keep at it and your accuracy should increase in time. Last, and the most obvious BBoard answer is to get a private lesson to have an expert check out the problem.
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-03-28 22:28
I'm 7 years behind you in age but have been playing clarinet since I was 10. I have definitely developed some slight neurological problems over the past 4 or 5 years (pinched nerves in my elbow and neck) that I'm sure would be causing me far more technical difficulty if I didn't have 50+ years of practicing and skill building to fall back on.
It could, of course, be that your non-dominant hand just isn't stretched out as far as it needs to be.
Regular, concentrated practice using those keys will develop your facility as far as it can be developed. There are exercises for those keys in most beginning method books, or you can just make up your own. Don't overdo to the point where fatigue sets in and be on guard against any build-up of tension in the hand.
The other possibility that you can pursue while you're trying to build more facility through practice is to consult with a highly skilled repair tech to see if he has any suggestions for slightly adjusting the left hand key layout. It could be that a slight shift one way or the other of one or more of the keys or a small extension built onto one or more of them could make the reach more comfortable, since two notes you're finding most difficult are the ones that need the longest reach.
Getting advice from a teacher who can actually see your mechanics is always a good idea. It may be that a slight change of hand position can help, as John suggests, or some other small tweak in what you're doing. But building your strength and facility with those keys may just take time and patient exercise.
Karl
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-03-28 23:05
Hi Rustom:
A couple of ideas.
Start using a neckstrap if you aren't already when playing the instrument.
If necessary, you can even go as far as it regards neckstraps as Stephen Fox's appliance http://www.sfoxclarinets.com/Accessories.html#clar acc, which will basically leave your fingers to do not much more than finger notes, as opposed to also lifting the instrument.
While on Mr. Fox's website, consider purchase (on the same page) of his R1 C#/G# touchpiece. This will allow you to play these notes, normally handled with the aforementioned left pinky, with the right pointer finger (i.e. R1).
Some people play this C#/G# with the right pointer pressing on the key, even without Mr. Fox's touchpiece, depending on whether they are trilling or not, their finger dexterity, and what notes come before or follow the C#/G#.
(Note, the R1 C#/G# touchpiece is contraindicated for use if also using his ringmount neckstrap extension rod.)
Next, try to curve those fingers. Doing so allows both joints in the finger, (knuckle and midway) to share in the bend. A straight finger allows bend only at the knuckle. Still more important, a pinky that hits a left C/F, C#/F#, or B/E key is more likely to hit its target, and only its target if it hits the key from above, as consistent with curved fingers.
Next, consider medical consult, included the use of NSAIDs (if not contraindicated for your use) like Acetiminophen, and Ibuprofin. Don't exceed the former's dosage per day instructions, and know the latter sometimes upsets people's stomachs. Always check with a doctor first, as I'm neither one, nor do I know your medical history or what other drugs you may take or be allergic to.
Stretch [your fingers and hands] before play, and start slowly. Aim for accuracy, not speed.
Good luck. Feel better
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-03-29 00:20
The F#/C# key is often excessively over sprung and heavy which compounds any physical problems. Have a good tech check it and lighten the springing if neccessary.
One simple practice routine is to play chromatically from low E / F / F# / G starting with LH on E then repeat starting with RH on E and continue to repeat this pattern. Start slow and gradually speed up but only as far as you can play it cleanly and accurately.
You can also do this downwards from G and similarly in the twelth above to avoid monotony.
I am older than you and also find my finger strength is not as good as 10 - 50 years ago!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-03-29 00:22
WhitePlainsDave wrote:
> Start using a neckstrap if you aren't already when playing the
> instrument.
>
With the problem fingerings' being on his left hand, I'm not sure how much help a neck strap, which takes stress mostly off of the right hand thumb, will be.
But I did slightly misread the original post and thought Rustom was talking about the long F#/C# next to the E/B lever, which he did refer to. Rustom, it's possible (again, only one of several possibilities) that the spring on the F#/C# key is too heavy for your comfort. Especially if the other three are less heavily sprung, the contrast could be causing you to feel as though your pinky is too weak. The action can be lightened easily by a skilled tech. You only need enough tension in the spring to keep the pad closed.
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-29 00:43
I think we touched on it but I wanted to make sure.
If your pinky is "stick straight" there are all sorts of excess stresses going on. You can adjust the "angle of approach" of your left hand to a wide degree (for example your first three fingers can be perpendicular to the horn rather than angled downward). By choosing a perpendicular approach, you can easily reach the left pinky keys with a curved pinky. This way, there is much less stress and it should aid you in putting the effort into depressing the levers (but you do want someone of experience like a good tech to ensure there is no unnecessary spring tension that would only hinder your efforts).
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-03-29 02:34
Go to a physical/occupational therapist who works with wind instrument players. She/he will spot the problem immediately and give you exercises to deal with it.
The solution may involve changing the angle of your left wrist so that your little finger falls more naturally on its keys. This is easy to do once, but difficult to do consistently, because it involves changing a strong habit. Be prepared to have things feel unnatural for a while.
As Norman says, have the springs set as light as possible for reliable action.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2015-03-29 04:38
Spring tensions can adjusted to compensate. Strong spring tensions are used to keep a (normally closed) pad closed even if the pad isn't perfectly installed. Reducing spring tension on these keys may necessitate changing the pad.
The E/B pad and F/C pads need to be installed perfectly for the left hand B to speak easily (plus they must be correctly regulated). In this case reducing the spring tension may actual benefit poorly installed pads.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2015-03-29 07:41
I am working with a friend to resolve this problem. Her left pinky is severely arthritic and operates more like a switch than a normal finger. It really only has 2 positions, up or down. She also has very small hands, which compounds the problem. The arthritis limits her reach and she has problems with the l/h pinky cluster. I'm waiting on delivery of an order of Sugru modelling material, and I plan to work with her to establish a key shape which works for her. Once we've got it right I'll modify the keys on her clarinet to give a more permanent fix.
Tony F.
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-03-29 20:04
I agree Karl. Ordinary neckstraps might not help a left hand issue given this hand's all but non-existant role in holding clarinet weight.
The left hand though does help hold clarinet distance and angle that Fox's support brace neckstrap might address alleviating stress from.
http://www.sfoxclarinets.com/Accessories.html#clar acc
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2015-03-30 19:18
About twenty years ago (in my mid-50's) I had a weakness in my left hand little finger that was cured by surgery to move my ulna nerve. (It runs through the arm over the elbow.) One of the simple tests a doctor did to demonstrate my problem was to have me spread the fingers on that hand and try to resist while I used my other hand to push the fingers together. The little finger and ring finger (also controlled by that nerve) offered little resistance.
The day surgery may not have been the first treatment option had I not also been left handed.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-03-30 21:46
If you're having trouble with the positions of the LH pinky keys, they can either be bent to a better position or the touchpieces can be built up to make things easier.
If none of that proves satisfactory and they're just too short to be bent to a better ergonomic position, then the keys can always be cut'n'shut to lengthen them to make them easier to reach, but that will be a fairly costly thing to do but it will benefit you if it makes playing easier.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-03-31 16:13
You might also experiment with an easily-reversible, easily-altered fix that worked for a friend who developed a left-hand pinkie weakness: He got a pack of those small, stick-on felt pads designed to go on the bottoms of vases and ornaments to prevent the metal or ceramic bases from scratching the furniture. He stuck these pads on the tops of the left-hand side keys that he'd been having trouble pushing all the way down. The pads do lose their adhesiveness over time and need replacing, but they raise the tops of those keys just enough so that pushing them down all the way is less work. Also, the pads come in different thicknesses.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2015-03-31 16:52
Lots of suggestions above, I think John's last sentence is the best -
take a few private lessons, make sure you are holding the instrument correctly, and have your hand and finger positions checked out by a good teacher.
I'd do that before messing with instrument modifications.
Then some of the studies of mechanism in the Klose' book.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Darrwall
Date: 2015-04-03 22:39
Thank you all for your invaluable advice and suggestions. I will analyse the material and work through it. Just reading through the contributions has resulted in some improvement already.
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