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Post by Zi on Feb 10, 2023 8:30:36 GMT
I've now got two harnesses/slings for my clarinet. The first one cost an arm and a leg and it attached to the waistband of trousers or skirts and goes round the neck. It is really awkward to put on and the clasps are really awkward to open and close. The second on is a simple sling that goes round the neck and that's much much better. However, in both cases, attaching the clarinet to the sling is really awkward. I can't help thinking that societies that create bots capable of wiping billions off share prices ought to be able to make a decent sling for a clarinet!  |
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Post by evergreen on Feb 10, 2023 22:12:01 GMT
If they can't design supermarket trolleys that go straight, I can't see us having a decent clarinet sling any time soon!
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Post by Zi on Feb 11, 2023 10:00:27 GMT
If they can't design supermarket trolleys that go straight, I can't see us having a decent clarinet sling any time soon!  Sling no 2 isn't bad. It just goes round my neck. At the moment because it's winter I'm wearing cowl necklines so it rests on that. I bet in the summer it will be less comfortable though. Getting the tabs to stay on the clarinet isn't easy. According to one, they need to be soaked in hot water to soften them and I'm assuming once they're in position you leave them. I wish when people described what it's like to play an instrument they'd list all of these issues. They don't tell you, for example, how recorders fill up with water if you play for any length of time... Nor do they tell you that bits can get stuck and it can require two of you to have a tug of war to take them apart! edit - Oh and the swab stuck down the recorder/clarinet lark... No one tells you about that one either! I have no idea how people dry a French horn! |
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Post by pavane on Feb 11, 2023 10:49:36 GMT
One funny thing about clarinets is that, according to several people who do really know about these things, the thumb rest is always in the wrong place. I image you have all come across this one, but 'tis said that if you let your arm hang loosely by your side, with hand open, and then bring fingers and thumb together, you'll find the natural position for you of where your thumb should be relative to your fingers (for clarinet, recorder, oboe, probably other things too) and for most people it's close to opposite your first finger. The rest on a lot of clarinets, even where it's adjustable, won't go high enough, so you are doomed to discomfort from the outset. I'm not entirely convinced about any kind of rest for a clarinet. It's the wrong shape, when you think in terms of how you hold it relative to the rest of your body. What you really need is a hook on the front of it above the A key, and a helium baloon attached to that. A more practical solution is to try one of the Ton Kooiman rests. The maestro is absurdly expensive but the other one is cheap enough and works pretty well. |
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Post by Zi on Feb 11, 2023 11:07:04 GMT
What you really need is a hook on the front of it above the A key, and a helium baloon attached to that. Ohhhh - that's what the Americans shot down - a Chinese clarinettist's thumb rest balloon! |
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Post by Zi on Feb 11, 2023 11:10:41 GMT
Woah the maestro is indeed a bit expensive. I could buy a different instrument with that or even a new thumb... But the others look reasonable enough especially when you compare it with the price of synthetic reeds or slings!
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Post by pavane on Feb 11, 2023 12:25:15 GMT
I bought a maestro 2nd hand from ebay but even then it was expensive. I found it virtually impossible to set up, plus it needs to have the back plate screwed to the body of the clarinet so either needs to involve a proper technician, thus boosting the price even further, or you need to do yet more girding of loins and hunt around for your smallest drill bit. The other one is easier to use and easier to attach, as you can very probably take off the existing thumb rest and use the holes and screws to attach the Kooiman rest. Might be worth a try - clarinets aren't really particularly heavy (no more than a large mug of coffee) so the problems really come down to the ergonomics of the thing. Obviously if you go down the helium baloon route, it would be best not to play in the skies over America  |
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Post by Zi on Feb 11, 2023 12:49:42 GMT
I have a problem with helium. I don't think humans should be using it with quite the abandon they do; so I've bought a Kooiman instead. It's the cheaper one. £260 or whatever is a bit steep especially as the jury is still out on whether I'll ever be able to play the clarinet to a level that even I find acceptable... Mr Z says I will improve but I'm not sure if he is simply hoping that's the case... So far, I haven't heard any improvement at all... And honestly, I've set really low standards... as low as I dare (The Collie likes low notes!)
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Post by Zi on Feb 20, 2023 13:33:02 GMT
My latest thumb rest has arrived. It and I are going to look at each other for a bit. It involves screws. I have a suspicion that I know what means...
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Post by Zi on Feb 20, 2023 17:17:13 GMT
Thumb rest fitted. It was a really fiddly task and I almost gave up and asked my husband but eventually managed to do up the tiny screws and get it fitted correctly. However, I can't see how my sling will work now... perhaps the new super-duper high tech thumb-rest doesn't need a sling...
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Post by pavane on Feb 21, 2023 11:00:31 GMT
I hope the thumb rest turns out to be good - I feel a little responsible given that I recommended it!
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Post by Zi on Feb 21, 2023 11:18:22 GMT
I hope the thumb rest turns out to be good - I feel a little responsible given that I recommended it! Oh, no, no, no... I made up my own mind about that! And I was interested in whether there is a better ergonomic design and I think it is a vast improvement but it makes the clarinet difficult to get into its case and I don't want to keep removing the thumb rest slidey part each time so I am tending to leave the case unzipped. I still think your helium balloon idea might be the way forward if I could overcome my dislike of using helium. I have wondered about buying a Nuvo plastic clarineo to learn on but that would mean handling even more fingering and I bought the first clarinet to learn on so buying another clarinet to learn to play the clarinet I bought to learn to play the clarinet seems just a smidgen illogical... So far, what I've learned about the clarinet is that it's quite hard to get a nice sound and I now respect clarinet players a lot more than I did. I just took them for granted before. Now I wonder how they play an entire clarinet concerto without having to stop because their mouth is all vibrate-y and their thumb hurts... |
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Post by pavane on Feb 21, 2023 12:48:33 GMT
I have wondered about buying a Nuvo plastic clarineo to learn on but that would mean handling even more fingering and I bought the first clarinet to learn on so buying another clarinet to learn to play the clarinet I bought to learn to play the clarinet seems just a smidgen illogical... Well - just a little I had absolutely no idea how Nuvo Clarineos cost and just looked them up. They seem widely available fairly cheaply - a place here in Ireland came up selling them new for €80, and I see there are a few used on ebay around the £55 mark. But... If you want to try something a bit different but related to something else you play, how about the harp guitar? I had never even heard of such a thing until today. Looks, er, interesting! |
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Post by Zi on Feb 21, 2023 17:49:50 GMT
I did try the guitar very briefly and I found the strings really uncomfortable to play! And I wanted to hold the guitar the wrong way round. We didn't exactly meld. I really would like to get a bit further with the clarinet. I think I prefer to play wind instruments. The harp guitar looks seriously weird. If it were a vegetable it would be a kohlrabi.
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Post by Zi on Feb 21, 2023 21:16:09 GMT
This is what the harp guitar sounds like...
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