Late-starter Info - Ergonomics, Predictions

[TromboneAl]

I've played jazz trombone for many years, and have also played piano and guitar in the past. I've been plagued by shoulder problems for years, and it recently got so bad that I've decided to take a few months off and consider some alternatives.

One alternative would be to switch to sax (and clarinet). Here are some questions:

1. Are sax players prone to tendonitis and other repetitive-use injuries?

2. How about clarinet players?

3. I know this one is difficult to answer, but about how long might it take a 50-year-old experienced musician, who typically practices 2-6 hours per day, to be good enough to play jazz with a medium-level small-town local group?

To help with the last question, you can listen to my trombone playing at http://members.cox.net/jazztrombone/ and http://members.cox.net/jazzpassport/. I read both bass and treble clefs and know my jazz theory pretty well.

Thanks,[/url]

[Anonymous]

Since you are already experienced with music and have lung/diaphram built up already -- and practicing 2-6 hours a day you ought to be playing jazz on sax in 6 months. But the really good tone will take longer as the embouchure requires lots of strength in tiny, obscure muscles. HINT: practice lots of long tones and that will build up the muscles in your embouchure quickly.

Sax is really easy to start producing a tone and fairly easy to learn the basic fingerings - it's the fine control of the tone and pitch that takes a really long time to develop but if you're ready to practice several hours a day (as you said) it will come along pretty quickly.

I only notice pain in the joints of my little fingers when I'm practicing for several hours with lots of difficult passages using those fingers. I'm 50 years old and I have minor back and neck problems (not from the sax though) -- yet I really don't experience any difficulties holding a bari or tenor sax for hours on a neck strap. Most people get a harness type strap to take the pressure off their neck. I can't think of any repetitive stress problems - as you get used to the fingerings you get to the point where you barely move your fingers to work the keys and there is never any "slapping" of the keys. It is a fluid and gentle motion with very little movement of anything except small motion in your fingers (unless you want to rock out and swing the horn around).

The thing to watch out for as a new sax player is that at first you won't have a lot of strength in the embouchure muscles so trying to practice for hours may have you biting into your lower lip as you rely on your teeth and jaw for support (because the lip muscles aren't strong enough yet to do it on their own). You may have some good muscle tone already from trombone but you will need to build up some new muscles for sax. The Larry Teal book discribed an "Oooh Eeee" exercise to help build those muscles and I used to do that while driving or working -- I don't know if it really helped or not but I think it did.

[steve]

I agree with Blaine. I play primarily tenor sax...and double on tenor slide trombone. There seems to be no conflict between the embouchers, although they are quite different. No "lip buzz" of course with the sax. The same rule re not "puffing cheeks" applies I would expect you will achieve a tone acceptable to you on the sax in about the same time period as it took on the trombone...but with your practice regimen that won't be long. I agree 6 months is a reasonable goal...you should be to the point where you will not embarrass yourself.
I practice an hour a day...and play out a bit on weekends with a blues band...and have not noticed any physical problems...I'm 60. Get a comfortable neck strap...I like the NeoTech.
Question? Why not look at a valve trombone, trumpet or fluegelhorn? No strain on the shoulder, it would seem.