Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2014 Clarinet Thumb-rest Function: The edP agogy of Positioning and Electromyography Evidence Kathryn Elise Young Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Young, Kathryn Elise, "Clarinet Thumb-rest Function: The eP dagogy of Positioning and Electromyography Evidence" (2014). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 691. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/691 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. CLARINET THUMB-REST FUNCTION: THE PEDAGOGY OF POSITIONING AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHY EVIDENCE A Monograph Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in The School of Music by Kathryn Elise Young B.A., University of Rochester, 2009 M.M., Louisiana State University, 2011 December 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not be possible without the help of many incredible people. I am indebted to these individuals for helping me from long before this project, all the way through its completion. First, a thank you to the members of my committee. To Deborah Chodacki, who cares deeply for the well-being of her students and the craft of teaching healthy music-making. She supported the project from its inception and was a positive cheerleader for exploration and research. To Dr. Jan Hondzinski for welcoming me into the Kinesiology Department and setting an example of the diligent, dedicated professor I would like to be. To Dr. Griffin Campbell for assisting me in improving my writing for this document, and mentoring me in my playing over many juries. Thank you to Dr. Kenny Fasching-Varner, who graciously donated his time and energies to serving on the committee. And perhaps most important, to Dr. Sara Winges. Dr. Winges worked intimately with every step of the research planning, execution, and analysis. She is a creative thinker, inquisitive researcher, and patient mentor. This project would not exist without her. I owe a huge thank you to many individuals who provided information for my research. Thank you to Albert Rice, whose deep passion for history and research shines in his life’s work. His extreme generosity with advice, information, and pictures enriched the historical accuracy and depth of this document. To Luis Rossi, who graciously provided his innovative thumb-rest which made this experiment possible. Thank you to the diligent salesmen, repairmen, curators, and specialists at Buffet-Crampon for repeatedly sharing their valuable opinions and details of their company's history and products, especially: Mona Lemmel, Maurice Vallet, and Gregory Demailly. ii Thank you to the Matthew Buras and Dr. David Blouin, of the LSU Experimental Statistics Department for their time consulting and mentoring me. They made this paper, and my own understanding of my findings, much clearer. Thank you to the 20 subjects that gave their time and talents to for this research, for helping me achieve my own goals, and helping the clarinet community. Thank you to my dear friend Cathy who gave incredible emotional support, guidance, and editing during the entire process of getting this degree. I owe a huge amount of gratitude to my family, Cindy and Peter and Becca. They believe in me and patiently support me wherever and whatever I do. They make me who I am today. To my Grandfather, Jack B, whose warmth and support can be felt no matter where I go. And to John. Thank you for being a deep well of support, love, and laughs. I am the luckiest. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................. xiii PART I CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION & METHODS OF ANALYSIS ....................................1 CHAPTER 2: THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLARINET THUMB- REST ...................................................................................................................................3 2.1 Overview of Clarinet Development from 1696-1850 ........................................3 2.2 Origins of the Clarinet Thumb-rest ....................................................................6 2.3 Relationship between keys and the first thumb-rests .........................................7 2.4 Large instrument support .................................................................................12 2.5 Narrowing angle of the clarinet .......................................................................13 2.6 Placement of clarinet thumb-rests ....................................................................15 2.7 Balance of the clarinet .....................................................................................17 2.7.1 Early concepts of balance .................................................................17 2.7.2 20th century concepts of balance .......................................................19 2.8 Changes to clarinets within the past fifty years ..............................................20 2.8.1 Widening of walls ..............................................................................21 2.8.2 Thumb rest shape and size ..................................................................21 2.9 Adjustable thumb-rests ....................................................................................23 2.10 Redrilled thumb-rests .....................................................................................26 2.11 Conclusion .....................................................................................................28 PART II CHAPTER 3: THE ANATOMY OF A CLARINETIST ..................................................30 3.1 Skeletal structure ..............................................................................................30 3.2 Muscular control ..............................................................................................36 3.3 Passageways for tendons and nerves in the wrist and neck .............................39 3.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................41 CHAPTER 4: PREVENTION AND TREATMENT APPROACHES FOR MUSICIANS......................................................................................................................42 4.1 Introduction of overuse and musician injury ...................................................43 4.2 Existing research on musician injury ...............................................................43 4.3 Traditional medical treatment ..........................................................................45 4.4 Musician-directed approaches to preventing and treating injury .....................46 4.4.1 Warming up ......................................................................................47 4.4.2 Cooling down ....................................................................................48 iv 4.4.3 Mental practice..................................................................................49 4.4.4 Stretching ..........................................................................................50 4.4.5 Exercise: increasing strength ............................................................52 4.4.6 Breaks while playing.........................................................................52 4.4.7 Consistent playing level ....................................................................52 4.5 Alternative healing concepts ............................................................................54 4.6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................58 PART III CHAPTER 5: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH ON STATIC LOADING TASKS ..........59 5.1 Clarinet task .....................................................................................................59 5.2 EMG research and other static tasks ................................................................61 5.3 Motivation for current research .......................................................................62 CHAPTER 6: METHODS .................................................................................................64 6.1 Subjects ............................................................................................................64 6.2 Materials ..........................................................................................................64 6.3 Preparations......................................................................................................65 6.3.1 Thumb-rest positions ........................................................................65