 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: warden91
Date: 2017-06-05 17:49
Has anyone ever used the Kooiman clarinet thumb rest (either Etude or Maestro) along with a neck strap at the same time?
I have experience of each independently. I like the thumb rest for facilitating a better position of the thumb, which normally I find to be too low. I like the neck strap for taking the weight of the instrument, which a thumb rest can't do, however well positioned things are.
Ideally I'd like to be able to use both together, but don't know whether it could work. The neck strap obviously needs to attach to something, but with a Kooiman in place of the normal thumb rest, I'm not sure whether it's possible.
Would appreciate any sharing of experiences or ideas. Thanks!
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Author: cucme
Date: 2017-06-05 17:59
How about drilling a hole and insert a screw on the top of Kooiman thrumbrest?
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2017-06-05 18:40
I use both. I drilled a VERY tiny hole in the top of the Kooiman and screwed in a small screw that has a loop at the top. I have to screw the screw in every time I use it and unscrew it to remove it from the plate when I store my clarinet. It works beautifully. I've been using this make-shift device for over a year with no problems.
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Author: warden91
Date: 2017-06-05 18:48
Thanks, Roxann. Great to hear from someone who's tried it, and that it's working for you! To clarify, is that with the Maestro or the Etude? Please could you explain a bit more precisely which bit of the thumb rest you attached the screw to? I'm just trying to imagine how it would work, and also why you would need to remove the screw each you pack away. If you were even able to share some photos, I would very grateful!
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2017-06-05 22:44
"Would appreciate any sharing of experiences or ideas. Thanks!"
I don't mean to send you in an entirely different direction Andrew, but an idea:
Stephen Fox, is, IMHO, the King of all things geared to accommodating clarinet play:
http://www.sfoxclarinets.com/Accessories.html#clar acc
(Don't know why the above isn't showing as a link...may be the imbedded space in the URL.)
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Author: warden91
Date: 2017-06-06 01:12
Thanks WhitePlainsDave. It's a good suggestion, he seems excellent. I actually already bought his ring mount extension rod, which is very good and almost solved the problem - but unfortunately it doesn't fit with my Eaton International (the ring mount clashes with the LH F/C key). I would recommend it (for example it fitted my R13 fine), but it didn't quite work out for me in this situation.
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2017-06-06 04:59
For a while Andrew, I too played with a strap, nursing a right arm repetitive use injury (the worst thing for getting clarinet based injuries sometimes seems to be ...........playing clarinet...maybe we should be using some of this gear BEFORE we need to prevent said injuries).
I didn't use the thumb rests you cite though.
Anyway, I too had issue with getting Fox's ring mount to work well and not clash with clarinet keys-even though I was doing so on an R13.
Long story short, for sections of the ring, I cut away at some of its thickness to resolve the clarinet key clashing.
Another thing. I like this neckstrap
http://tinyurl.com/ya6bkp6h
because it takes weight off, but allows the instrument to float like it wasn't being held by your neck. Essentially, all it does is make the clarinet feel lighter.
If you can't get the Fox ring mount to work maybe you can return to your instrument the original thumb rest, put this strap on it, following by Tom Ridenour's Thumb Saddle, which slides on to the manufacturer's thumb rest.
And even if you get this to work, you may have problems with the neckstrap getting in the way of actuating things like the throat Ab key....that's why I used the Fox ring mount to offset the angle of the neckstrap away from its attachment point on the clarinet and change this angle.
Good luck. There's always Fox's support brace/neckstrap combo, even if drilling is indicated.
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Author: jthole
Date: 2017-06-06 11:45
Ton Kooiman is working on a new base plate for the Etude thumb rest, which has an integrated ring for a neck strap. You might want to ask him if it is already available (I'm seeing him later this month, and I'll try to remember asking).
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Author: kevinbarry
Date: 2017-06-06 15:32
I have used the Kooiman thumb rest along with a neckstrap for the last couple of years. I attached a small ring bought from a hardware store to the Kooiman Etude thumb rest using Sugru. This is rather like plasticine, comes in packets, and moulds into any shape you wish and hardens overnight. It was invented in Ireland I gather.
I made a small ball of sugru (it comes in lots of colours and keeps much longer in the fridge for any unopened packets). I pushed the ball of Sugru on the top bit of the thumb rest, just above the indent for the thumb. You have to make sure the indent stays free of course. Then I pushed the ring into the Sugru in a vertical position. Twenty-four hours later it was usable. The neck strap hook just goes into the ring.
I adjusted the neckstrap of course but the thumb rest stayed in its usual position. Eventually I bought a second thumb rest and did the same with it. This decision was made the instant the ring pulled out of the Sugru - which was after about 18 months. I accidentally knocked the ring and it fell off. I carry the Sugrued spare thumb rest with me now just in case!
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2017-06-06 19:35
Attachment: IMG_2784.JPG (1375k)
Here's a picture. I have the Etude. The reason it has to be screwed in and out each time is because the thumbrest won't come off the plate otherwise. The screw must be extending far enough inside the thumbrest to cause this. I don't want the screw to accidentally coming out of the hole so I make sure to screw it in several turns. I've used Sugru to mend frayed electrical cords but never thought to use it in this situation. It's rather spendy unless you have other broken items that need to be repaired as well. It's always good to have on hand!
Post Edited (2017-06-06 19:40)
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2017-06-06 19:41
I've been waiting to hear that Ton has released the new edition with a device for attaching a neck strap, but have heard nothing yet.
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Author: warden91
Date: 2017-06-07 15:10
Thanks to all for the replies, especially Roxann for sharing the photo. That seems to be a good option to me.
I got in touch with Ton directly, and he replied:
"If you are going to the Maestro2, yes the hook [of a neck strap] can be attached to the left ball-joint arm. At the end of the year we might have a new extra accessory to make this possible for the Etude3."
The new Etude accessory sounds promising, so I'm leaning towards employing Roxann's solution for now, until it becomes available. It's also interesting that he suggests a neck strap can be used with the Maestro - anyone with any experience of that?
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Author: kevinbarry
Date: 2017-06-08 13:01
You're right Sugru is not all that cheap. I just had some left over after fixing loose handles on a couple of saucepans.
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