Clarinet Basics: Part One - Holding Your Clarinet by Julie DeRoche
When it comes to proper hand position, it's all in the wrists
It has always been interesting to me that the clarinet is considered by many (although certainly not by clarinet players themselves) to be an "easy" instrument. In fact, it is very difficult to achieve a beautiful sound, smooth legato, facile technique, clean articulation and, above all, musical flexibility on the clarinet.
The hand position must be correct and comfortable, breathing must be natural and efficient, the embouchure must be correct and strong, the tongue must be in consistent and proper position (whether slurring or articulating) and the equipment must be of high quality. In addition, this is all achieved through listening, which of course makes it difficult to describe in writing.
There are, however, clear and precise strategies that can be used to develop quality execution in all of these areas, and these strategies can work for all players. In fact, I have found that these strategies can be successful for any clarinetist, regardless of age, experience or physical features. Music educators can teach them to entire groups of beginning students. These techniques will also work for adult amateurs, and they can similarly be used with the most sophisticated college music majors or professional performers.
We'll begin with holding and hand position, since before anyone can do anything else, they have to know how to hold the instrument. Future installments will address embouchure formation, breathing, tongue position and articulation, as well as development of technique and expression.
Correct holding and hand position is important in two basic ways. First, we must carry the weight of the clarinet comfortably to avoid developing physical problems such as tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome. Second, we must place the fingers in a relaxed but effective position in order to achieve smoothness from one note to the next, as well as speed and dexterity, and accurate coordination.
One of the difficulties of holding the clarinet comfortably is that the right-hand thumb is often given "responsibility" for carrying much of the weight of the clarinet. In fact, many players place all of the weight of the instrument on the right thumb, putting a great deal of strain on the right wrist as well as the thumb itself. While neck straps can be helpful in alleviating the weight problem, particularly with young children, I do not think that they present the final, or even the best, solution. The key is even distribution of weight between the handsand correct wrist position.
To achieve correct wrist position, hold your arms and the palms of your hands straight in front of you with the palms of your hands facing down. Make sure there is no bend or twist in your wrists. Now bend your wrists slightly so that the palms of your hands move in an upward direction. You now have a slight curve in your wrists. Keeping the shoulders relaxed (not raised with tension), bring the elbows down and in toward your body so that the upper arms are parallel to it.
Do this by relaxing your upper arms. Be sure to maintain the slight curved position that you have achieved in your wrists. Your fingers should not be pointed up or down, but should be relaxed and slightly curved while your thumbs stay in their natural position.
Next, turn your forearms so that your hands "face" each other. Place the fingertips of your hands together. They should now form a curved tent, and your wrist should have a slight inward curve. Place the right hand below the left hand and slide the clarinet into position. Do not alter the wrist position. Your wrists should never be curved out and away from you or the instrument. Conversely, the inward curve should not be extreme. The middle knuckles should stay curved, as if you're holding a tennis ball with only your fingers.
Your thumbs, however, do not hold this imaginary tennis ball, but have two different positions. The left-hand thumb stays at an upward angle to manipulate the register key comfortably, while the right-hand thumb actually lowers itself under the thumb rest. The shape of the space between the index finger and the thumb should resemble the letter U rather than the often-described C. This will create a much more facile and relaxed motion of the fingers.
It is critical that the thumb rest not be raised too high. Although it often can "look" as if the right thumb is more comfortable when keeping it in line with the index finger, in practice this causes the player to have to strain the muscles by forcing the thumb to press up toward the thumb rest. It is better to let the clarinet "hang" on the thumb slightly while carrying the weight of the instrument in the left hand whenever possible, which creates less pressure.
To do this, experiment with playing (or ask a student to play) a low C without using the right hand at all. You will find that the tone improves, and the grip of the four fingers and thumb of the left hand becomes more secure. A balance or leverage is created between the left hand and the top teeth. It is possible to play low C and D without the right hand at all.
While maintaining the left-hand "grip" on the clarinet, return your right hand to its correct position. This should relieve some of the pressure toward the top teeth, but not all of it. (You do want slight upward pressure toward the top teeth, which I will explain while discussing embouchure in a future column.) Grip the lower joint of the clarinet between the thumb and fingers. This should be done, of course, without tension, as if you're squeezing the clarinet with the fingers, not crushing it between them.
Create a balance between your upper and lower hands so that you are carrying the weight of the instrument with both hands, and hold the clarinet with your fingers and thumb, using the tone holes and keys that you need at any particular time.
In other words, playing a low E allows you to balance the weight evenly between both hands, enables you to squeeze the clarinet gently between your fingers and thumbs, and permits you to remove much of the weight of the clarinet from your right thumb. As you play, you should practice using your wrists, hands and fingers in this way whenever possible, so that the only time you use the right-hand thumb alone is when playing an open G.
Although it is true that each person who plays the clarinet will have a different hand size, muscle strength and bone structure, the holding and hand position described here will work for anyone. It will help enormously with technical control of the instrument and allow comfort while playing.
Teaching this to young players and encouraging them to pursue it will help them avoid common bad habits of hand position that many of us have either had ourselves or have seen in our students. In the future I will address other aspects of clarinet performance and provide recommendations to help players of all types achieve ease, quality and security in their clarinet performance.
Julie DeRoche, associate professor of clarinet and coordinator of winds at DePaul University, Chicago, also serves as director of performance education for the Leblanc division of Conn-Selmer, Inc.
