The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Re: Collapsing finger

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2022-10-27 18:58

Dan Oberlin wrote:

> The second (proximal interphalangeal) joint of the ring finger
> on my grandson's right hand often collapses while he's playing.

At 16 he's old enough to be aware of the sensations in his hand(s) as he plays and of the effect his collapsing finger has on his technique.

So, the first question is, does it affect his technique? Are scales that involve moving that finger uneven? Does he feel a lack of coordination with the other r.h. fingers?

In the end, each player's hand position is different. If there is no trade-off between the collapsed joint and decreased fluency, it might not be worth changing anything. I'm not going to say that a collapsing - hyperextending - finger is a good thing. The hyperextension often means that the knuckle has to unlock before it can lift, which takes extra time each time the finger has to move. But I will say that when I've had students with this kind of problem, it wasn't just one finger, it was usually at least the three in the middle and sometimes even the pinky. If the one collapsing ring finger isn't causing a problem, it might be OK to just ignore it.

If it *does* seem to be causing technical problems, it may be that to reach the pinky keys - especially r.h. E/B - the stretch doesn't allow him to keep his ring finger curved. Adjusting the thumb rest height or just moving his thumb in and out under the thumb rest might produce a position that works better. If the pinky stretch is causing his ring finger to hyperextend, whatever he can find to reduce the stretch may help. For example I play a lot of passages that should be done with r.h. B(4) on my left hand with a slide from B to C#. It isn't "correct" but it's much more comfortable for me, especially (and counterintuitively) as the speed of the notes gets faster. And the remaining rh pinky keys don't demand as much stretch so the other fingers are more relaxed.

What clarinet does he play? I don't know how others are designed, but Buffet's rh pinky keys are perpendicular to the instrument's body, while the ones on my Selmer 10Gs are angled upward toward the hand (it was a design feature Gigliotti included when he collaborated on the 10G with Selmer). If your grandson's pinky keys are perpendicular, finding a clarinet with angled pinky keys might help.

Another discovery I've made recently (and belatedly) is that a neckstrap, aside from just taking weight off the right thumb, also allows more flexibility in how far my thumb needs to go underneath the thumb rest. Some passages are easier for me with my thumb farther out (which increases the reach of my pinky), a position that feels less stable when I play without the neckstrap.

Karl

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics