 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2001-06-14 17:10
How do you protect the wood under the right thumb?
What will happen to this area over time?
Is it possible to purchase Buffet or Yamaha adjustable thumbrests?
Matt
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Author: Fred
Date: 2001-06-14 17:30
Lots of very old very used clarinets out there . . . no thumb rot reported yet.
And yes, I've had an adjustable thumb rest replaced on a newer Burret R-13. Shop had to order it, but it's available.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-15 09:29
Nearly everybody has their adjustable thumb rest set at the highest position. So why have one?
They do tend to interfere with easy assembly and smash against other keys if one is careless. It shouldn't happen but it does.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-15 09:33
What did you have in mind for wood damage, Matt? The only problem I have encountered with this wood is when the thumb rest has been knocked or wrenched and has pulled the screws, and perhaps a splinter, out of the wood, stripping the threads in the process. That is why my previous post on adjustable thumb rests is relevant. Just because something is marketed does not mean it is necessarily desirable.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-06-15 12:55
It depends on your individual chemistry. Myself, I get nervous at times when playing before groups (not confident in my playing yet) and my hands tend to sweat. I noticed that the sweat on the wood in the area of the thumbrest tended to open up the grain of the wood. Anyway, I oil the wood on the outside and inside of the horn and use a polish on the outside. I keep that area of the thumbrest well oiled and polished and have seen no changes in the wood since beginning this regimen. Of course I am overly protective of my horn and there are no doubt many jazz players (which I hope to see soon) in New Orleans in steamy clubs that have never oiled and waxed their horns in many, many years and still play on!
The Doctor
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2001-06-15 14:33
Hello all:
I have a new clarinet and where my thumb sits there is already a noticeable "spot" after only 2 months or so. I tend to sweat a lot and am afraid that the moisture over time will discolor the wood in that area. I like L. Omar Henderson's suggestion to keep that area oiled and polished.
Adjustable thumb rests: I find that this clarinet has the thumbrest set a little too low which crimps my hand a bit. This makes the right hand "B" more difficult to finger cleanly. I have flipped the thumb rest over - giving myself an extra 1/2" of space - and that has helped. In this case I think the adjustable rest would allow me to optimize the position.
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Author: John Scorgie
Date: 2001-06-15 17:46
Matt Locker's approach of flipping the thumbrest over is the quickest and cheapest solution to the problem. Since rotating the thumbrest 180 degrees results in a concave surface which tends to dig into the thumb, I attach one of these rubber pads which fit over the thumbrest. My preference is the Runyon which works fine and costs only 2 or 3 bucks. Other brands are available and may be just as good.
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2001-06-15 19:58
John:
I've already put the rubber pad on, and it did help. I also know from trying clarinets that the Buffet adjustable thumbrest is VERY comfortable, which is why I may try to get one.
Matt
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Author: David Kinder
Date: 2001-06-16 05:49
I noticed that my thumb rest was set low as well on my R-13. I bought a buffet adjustable thumb rest about 5 years ago, but buffet was PRICEY! It was $80 + the installation charges! I think/hope the price has come down since then. I bought the buffet model to keep it with the same brand.
Bottom line, my fingers work a lot better with it, my hand is more relaxed, and it's easier to finger quicker passages. Just make sure you get a top-quality technitian to install it. Otherwise, you might have some more trouble with the wood than you would be prepared for!
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-16 11:37
1. Turning 180 degrees means you have the discomfort of the thumb sitting on the screwed area of the rest, but I agree, it is the easiest fix for a too-low rest.
2. What I was really suggesting is that it is quite a lot cheaper (and a lot less precarious to just move a standard rest up the instrument and fill the old screw holes than it is to buy an adjustable one that will probably finish up in this same position anyway.
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Author: Karel Vahala
Date: 2001-06-16 15:21
On the subject of pads for thumbrests: I found the commercial varieties hard and uncomfortable. I have recently fashioned one from insulating tubing (for aircon pipes), using the smallest and simply fitting it over the thumbrest. It is soft, pretty stable, and 2 metres cost about $2. Much gentler to the thumb than surgical tube.
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Author: Sara
Date: 2001-06-17 03:55
I found an even cheaper thumbrest pad solution, if you don't mind the color being unprofessional. Anyways, I use those little pencil pillows they sell in the packs of five and I cut them to the size of the thumbrest with a little extra so that when I pull it over the thumbrest it covers the screws and the end with a little overhang. Oh and I keep my adjustable thumbrest two noches below the highest setting but thats becaus, and higher and it would be difficult for me to reach the pinky keys, but I have small hands, and htats just me, I haven't tried moving it in the last year, so maybe next session, I'll experiment a little!
Sara
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Author: Karel Vahala
Date: 2001-06-17 08:32
Sara, I can get about 100 pads out of a $2 length of tube, and being foam rubber, incredibly comfortable. Is your version really cheaper than 2c?
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2001-06-18 13:06
Gordon:
How do you know where the "correct" location for the thumbrest should be? That's what seems to be the real value of the adjustable thumbrest - experiment until you find what's just right, then don't touch it again.
And I guess I don't know what you mean by "precarious"?
Matt
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Gordon (NZ) writes:
>2. What I was really suggesting is that it is >quite a lot cheaper (and a lot less precarious
>to just move a standard rest up the instrument >and fill the old screw holes than it is to buy
>an adjustable one that will probably finish up
>in this same position anyway.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-18 14:28
What I mean is that in my experience players with adjustable thumb rests almost always finish up with them in the highest position. So why not just locate an ordinary thumb rest in this position. I think that for most people this is the 'correct' position.
Ergonomically, If I place my fingers on the clarinet in their necessary locations, then position my thumb where it naturally and relaxedly likes to be it is level with the junction of the bridge keys, ie well above where any thumb rest is ever located. But I hesitate to generalise from my own hand shape.
I do wonder that the thumb rest may be normally located so low simply to ensure that its retaining screws are not sufficient close to the tenon socket to risk splitting. Most thumb rests can, however be safely moved up about 1/2 inch, providing the screw holes are correctly drilled and threaded.
"Precarious":
When a thumb rest is knocked it is common for the retaining screws to be ripped out from the body. An adjustable thumb rest sticks out further so it has a much stronger lever action to rip out the screws. It is also often located so it can hit keys during (inattentive) assembly, and bend the keys, the thumb rest, or rip the screws (and maybe a chunk of timber) out. Hence my use of the word 'precarious'.
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2001-06-18 17:17
Gordon:
Thanks for the answers to my questions.
One of the experiments I'm planning is to remove the thumbrest and see if I can determine an "optimum" placement based on that input. I'm just not sure yet how to keep the clarinet from sliding away from me. Any suggestions?
Thanks again,
Matt
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-19 14:40
That's a challenging one....
There are some rather smart 3M Company plastic hooks of various sizes which incorporate a double sided self adhesive strip to attach them very securely to a wall. What is smart is that if you don't like the position then a tab attached to the adhesive material can be pulled and all of the adhesive drags out like stretched chewing gum. Replacement strips are available to re-attach the hook in a new position. How about using these strips to attach the thumb rest until you find an ideal position. Note that you can use less by cutting them in half, or smaller.
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