[SteveS]

Hello, players of the Black Stick of Agony! Getting some right thumb soreness, possibly from playing clarinet, but definitely aggravated by playing clarinet. Looking at some of the ergonomic thumbrests out there, and the Ton Kooiman line appears to be the best stuff.

There's a Maestro model for almost $300, and it looks great, but the product info says drilling might be required. I'm not very interested in drilling into my Buffet Festival, however.

There's also an Etude 3 model for about $40, and it looks like it would probably do the job too. Unfortunately, seems hard to find dealers in the USA who carry it. A couple dealers, like Roberto's, appear to carry the Maestro but not the Etude.

First of all, looking for hints about Kooiman USA dealers. Also, anybody have any other recommendations on ergonomic thumbrests? I think I'm definitely experiencing some arthritis or tendonitis here!

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

Hello, players of the Black Stick of Agony! Getting some right thumb soreness, possibly from playing clarinet, but definitely aggravated by playing clarinet. Looking at some of the ergonomic thumbrests out there, and the Ton Kooiman line appears to be the best stuff.

There's a Maestro model for almost $300, and it looks great, but the product info says drilling might be required. I'm not very interested in drilling into my Buffet Festival, however.

There's also an Etude 3 model for about $40, and it looks like it would probably do the job too. Unfortunately, seems hard to find dealers in the USA who carry it. A couple dealers, like Roberto's, appear to carry the Maestro but not the Etude.

First of all, looking for hints about Kooiman USA dealers. Also, anybody have any other recommendations on ergonomic thumbrests? I think I'm definitely experiencing some arthritis or tendonitis here!

Thanks,
Steve

I moved my stock thumbrest up on my two wood clarinets and use a thick slide-on rubber cushion. Yeah, drilling into a clarinet can be sketchy. You have to measure the original hole depth and mark the drill bit with tape accordingly.

 

[mmichel]

Hello, players of the Black Stick of Agony! Getting some right thumb soreness, possibly from playing clarinet, but definitely aggravated by playing clarinet. Looking at some of the ergonomic thumbrests out there, and the Ton Kooiman line appears to be the best stuff.

There's a Maestro model for almost $300, and it looks great, but the product info says drilling might be required. I'm not very interested in drilling into my Buffet Festival, however.

There's also an Etude 3 model for about $40, and it looks like it would probably do the job too. Unfortunately, seems hard to find dealers in the USA who carry it. A couple dealers, like Roberto's, appear to carry the Maestro but not the Etude.

First of all, looking for hints about Kooiman USA dealers. Also, anybody have any other recommendations on ergonomic thumbrests? I think I'm definitely experiencing some arthritis or tendonitis here!

Thanks,
Steve

I think that you can get them at Muncy Winds, which is where I got my Maestro.

I haven't tried the Etude, but the Maestro was life-changing for me. I started on clarinet as a student, but I never got very far with it because it always felt uncomfortable and awkward to play. Over the years I'd pick it up to play a big band double or something, but I'd never stick with it for more than a month at a time and always wound up putting it back on the shelf. After getting the etude, I was able for the first time to practice for hours at a time without any pain or discomfort. Moreover, the improved balance and stability imparted by the Kooiman dramatically improved the dexterity of my right hand (which no longer struggled to balance the clarinet) and my technique around the throat tones (where there's normally little contact to stabilize the instrument).

I bought the Maestro for about $300 and put it on a clarinet (Selmer series N) that I bought for $200 and restored myself, which seems ridiculous (it took some time for me to pull the trigger on the purchase). But it's been one of the best investments I've ever made in music gear.

I moved my stock thumbrest up on my two wood clarinets and use a thick slide-on rubber cushion. Yeah, drilling into a clarinet can be sketchy. You have to measure the original hole depth and mark the drill bit with tape accordingly.

Yeah, you'll have to drill it (or get your tech to do it for you); there are three holes instead of two, and you'll need to use all three to prevent the plate from working its way off the instrument over time. However, you would also have to do this to move your thumbrest. I did it myself exactly as Sacks Of Phones suggests.

 

[dirty]

I've never loved an ergnomic thumbrest, but I do agree with the advice to move the existing thumbrest up a bit, if you can. I don't know why Buffet goes to the trouble of fitting adjustable thumbrests and then sets even the highest position so low.

I have had good luck with neck straps, though. I got Stephen Fox's thumbrest mounted neckstrap extension rod to get a strap hook that sticks out from the body of the instrument a couple of inches. I find it balances too low, though, and prefer to screw the removable rod into a lyre holder mounted on the top ring of the lower joint of the instrument. I suspect the ideal mounting point might be another inch or so higher, but this is fine and doesn't require any new holes.

When I'm using the neckstrap, the thumb rest barely matters. I don't think I even need it. My right thumb is just stabilizing the instrument at that point. There's almost no weight on it.

For me, this has been a great solution, especially since I was having some neck, back and shoulder pain from working from home in a less-than-ideal ergonomic setup for a while. I've fixed my home office ergonomics so that I don't always have to use the neckstrap, but if I'm playing for more than a couple of hours, it's helpful.

It's also remarkable how much easier it is to move my fingers once I take the weight and tension out of my right arm. It's not a lot of weight, but it makes a difference in the super fine movements involved in moving the fingers fast.

 

[Bari Gordon]

I have had all three iterations of Kooiman's Etude on my Selmer Series 9. My problem was right wrist, and the original Etude cured my soreness immediately. Unfortunately, it broke, so I bought the Etude 2. At some time I contacted Ton Kooiman with some questions and he generously sent me an Etude 3! I gave away the Etude 2 to someone on Clarinet Board.

A few years ago I bought a Bakun Alpha to use while my Selmer was getting some crack work. I wondered if the wrist pain would come back, but the moveable thumb rest and reduced weight of the plastic Backun never caused any problems.

I really like the Etude 3 and would recommend it to anyone experiencing pain. From a quick search on the web, a lot of US dealers are out, but Forrest Music in Berkeley has them listed and doesn't mention being out of stock.

 

[Serafino]

From a quick search on the web, a lot of US dealers are out, but Forrest Music in Berkeley has them listed and doesn't mention being out of stock.

Thanks for this. I received awesome service from Forrest Music, and they have good pricing

 

[dirty]

Forrest is great! I've been in a couple of times and am jealous that double reed players get such a great shop full of enthusiastic and knowledgeable people. I wish there was something like it for single reed instruments around here, though I know we are spoiled for choice with great sax and clarinet techs.

 

[SaxPedalGuy]

+1 to clarinet neck straps. If you're worried about price and modifying the horn you have nothing to lose.