 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: lala
Date: 2002-03-25 01:59
I am in my 11th week now and it still feels OK to practise an hour once in a while. Should I stop at the 2nd or 3rd trimester? Afterall, playing the clarinet requires lots of effort, both mentally and physically, and I am a bit worried. Please share your experience.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-03-25 02:33
Play as much or as little as you feel like. It will not hurt you. Many women do get very short of breath so you may want to keep your sessions short.
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-03-25 02:54
I think you might very well end up with a very musical cherub!
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Author: diane
Date: 2002-03-25 03:39
The final decision rests between you and your doctor. I know of one woman who played clarinet until three days before she delivered _twins_! I know of several more who played until the third trimester. The limiting factor in all cases was whether they could get enough air to play (as the fetus grows, the size of the uterus and the upward positioning of the other abdominal contents limits the ability of the diaphragm to move into a fully contracted, inspiratory position). I have no idea how on the earth my friend with the twins played so long - as far as I can tell, her diaphragm had nowhere to go after her fifth month...
Interestingly, it took all of them longer to get back to playing after the baby(ies) were born than they'd had to stop playing before hand. The abdominal muscles were realy slow to come back.
Diane K.
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-03-25 04:05
To second Diane, clear ALL activities with your Dr. After all, that's why you are paying him/ her.
That said, my wife sang a concert on a Sat. night and gave birth the following Tue. morning at 4AM. A woman in our community band performed in a concert (on flute, and played the piccolo solo on Stars and Stripes) a week before her daughter was born.
Our son is quite musical, if that is from the music heard while inside or not I don't know. I rather suspect it was from bringing him to so many rehearsals while he was a toddler and beyond. The amount of music in this house (we both sing extensively, she plays piano, I'm the clarinetist) may have had much to do with it as well.
My best to you with both clarinet and parenthood.
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Author: Alyson
Date: 2002-03-25 07:54
I am a musician in an Army Band so you can imagine that I play all day. I played pretty much all day, every day right up until 2 weeks before my son was born. The only reason I stopped was that I was on leave! During my pregnancy (at 5 months)I also went on tour with the band for approx. 10 days. This involved quite a bit of playing. The only problem I found was that it was quite hard to phrase anything properly. Maybe this is the experience that helped me to learn to blend in well!?!
I would also echo the others who have suggested to check with your doctor, but in MHO, why stop? My baby loved it when I played! He even bopped around during concerts.
By the way - enjoy your practice time now as you may not have time after the baby is born.
Good luck with your pregnancy, it is a very exciting time indeed.
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Author: Jean Adler
Date: 2002-03-25 12:22
I played bass clarinet close to the end of my pregnancy. Getting back to it was not so easy as my son was a c-section. I'll admit breath control was a bit of an issue at the end. The fun part was that my son would start moving when I started playing. Only time will tell if that affects his musical "ability".
Take care of yourself. And get as much sleep now as you can, believe me once that baby arrives getting enough sleep is impossible.
Jean
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2002-03-25 13:03
It's fine to play! ...only I had to stop performing near the end of pregnancy, because I could not phrase properly with the inability to "fill my lungs"! Both of my children were born at home, and they love classical music! My 8-year old is now a budding, very talented clarinetist! It is a great way to relax...
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Author: SusieQ
Date: 2002-03-25 14:17
I had the same experience as Jean Adler. I played bass clarinet to the end of all my pregnancies and all 3 moved around a lot when I played. Now they all leave the room. My oldest son is a percussionist. I wonder if that is from sitting in front of the drums when I was pregnant with him. Congratulations lala!
SusieQ
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Author: Jill
Date: 2002-03-25 20:31
I played in a show just before my older daughter was born. We were doing "Some Like it Hot." My daughter was colicky. Before my second daughter was born, I was playing "South Pacific." She was quiet and peaceful. Any connection?
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Author: lala
Date: 2002-03-26 01:26
I will consult my doctor next time, though I doubt he has much experience with clarinetist. The funny thing is, I has been short of breath since the 5th week but now the problem seems to vanish. I don't know if it's normal adjustment or that I have been helped by my practice. I do find it necessary to change the reed from 3 to 2.5 and insert more breathing breaks.
Last time I went to buy the reeds, I found myself eyeing the E clarinet and wondering if I can find a good mouthpiece for my son/daughter... pregnant women do daydream a lot!
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2002-03-26 07:52
Play as much as you feel you are able. It will help the musical ability of the child if he/she hears music before birth. It has been proven that babies can recognise tunes before they are born. Some musical educators feel that this can only help the child form a love for music.
Don't worry about hurting yourself by playing during pregnancy. Pregnancy is a natural state, not a sickness. Pregnant women are much hardier than people give them credit for. My wife sang Messiah (in the chorus) five days before giving birth to my daughter. She had to sit down to rest occasionally, but other than that was fine.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-03-26 12:41
Eoin wrote:
>
> It will help the
> musical ability of the child if he/she hears music before
> birth.
??? Perhaps. Citation, please.
> It has been proven that babies can recognise tunes
> before they are born.
I seem to remember one such study. One study doesn't prove anything - there have to be more, lest it be relegated to the "Journal of Unreproducible Studies". Can I have the citation again. I actually do keep a list around...
The "Mozart Effect" is still disputed since there have been studies both "pro" and "con". The term itself is a registered trademark used to sell books, CDs, lectures, etc.
> Pregnancy is a natural state, not a sickness.
It's natural, but that doesn't really mean much here. An expert's advice is really warranted since we can't see what's going on - and I would have no real idea even if I <b>could</b> see!
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2002-03-27 15:59
My wife played flute and piccolo into the 8th month. She said that every time she reached for a high note, the baby kicked.
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Author: Carmen izzo
Date: 2002-03-30 03:22
This just came to me , but it sounded interesting in my head so I'll ask your opinion.
Do you think that will all the playing and technique established in a clarinetists muscle and neural memory is given to the child in some way? Sorry if this is weird, but i was just pondering
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Author: Carmen izzo
Date: 2002-03-30 04:36
This just came to me , but it sounded interesting in my head so I'll ask your opinion.
Do you think that will all the playing and technique established in a clarinetists muscle and neural memory is given to the child in some way? Sorry if this is weird, but i was just pondering
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