 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2024-06-30 02:56
I've read that most concert pianists are very careful with their hands, avoiding their use for many things other than piano playing. A few felt otherwise; Arrau pursued manual work like gardening. Anyway, I've never been particularly careful about my hands, and that's never given me any trouble. Until it did.
A few months ago I attempted something efficient but stupid that involved picking up a plastic crate full of paper with my right index finger alone (so I could carry two of them with one hand, you see.) I felt the main knuckle of that finger give, and I knew right away it was trouble. And so it's been. Amazing how often that knuckle supports everyday activities. Grasping single coins was a b. Pertinently, clarinet playing was thoroughly compromised.
At first it hurt too much to even hold the clarinet and try to cover that finger's tone hole. I've been patiently rehabbing the thing on my own, light massage, cautious motion exercises, avoiding overuse, etc. Gradually the pain has grown less, and functionality has been returning - but maybe not exactly to where it was.
It's become necessary to retrain my right hand for clarinet playing. The relationship between fingers has shifted, so I'm having to learn small details about positioning that in the past were unconsciously functional. Every day (sometimes twice) I start just with careful stretching of the hand, then work on slow right hand clarion intervals. Oddly the pinky has been especially thrown off, so I'm having to train independence back in for that and the other fingers. If I lose conscious awareness of that stuff, which eventually I want to be able to routinely do, there's a tendency for something - finger, hand, or wrist - to move somewhere, and then right-hand holes cease to cover completely.
Stamina of the injured joint seems to be a thing too, and at some point during practice the joint lock up to where I can't cover the holes no matter what. So, I take a break, and notice, oh yeah, it hurts now, and then I pause or turn to something less involving, or long tones, or staccato drills. Or, for the first time in my life, improvising. The injury seems to be getting better, and probably I'll build facility back eventually.
In a way, I'm lucky to not have performing responsibilities, so I'm sort of doing what I've always done, patiently working on improvement. But playing something like, say, Rossini Theme & Vars is lovely and all, until the finger tires or the hand strays, and then even simple phrases are impossible. Frustrating. Live and learn.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2024-06-30 10:12
Hi Philip,
It may be helpful to see a hand therapist- could be either a physical or occupational therapist specializing in hand treatment.
Even though it is now a chronic problem (physical problems often are more difficult to treat when they become chronic), it is very likely you still can get benefits from seeing a specialist.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2024-06-30 15:37
Philip,
This sounds like a hyperextension of a finger tendon or muscle. In football, it is often called "jersey finger" as in a defensive player grabbing the jersey of an offensive player. The fix is usually PT, hand surgery, or just leaving it alone.
Your primary care physician can guide you to the appropriate person to evaluate your injury and develop a treatment plan. See m1964's post above.
Hank
Post Edited (2024-06-30 23:46)
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