Fixing a Tight Grip?
Andrew & Kristen Lenz
that I'm gripping my practice chanter and pipe chanter too tightly,
resulting in thumb fatigue/pain.
I try and loosen up my grip, but I lapse into a tighter grip after a
while when I don't pay attention. Part of me is toying with the idea of
taping a thumb tack (pointy side out) to my chanter to force me to
lighten up, but the other part of me is looking for alternatives!
Any tips from folks who have dealt with this problem?
Andrew
--
Andrew & Kristen Lenz
al...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu
Santa Cruz, California U.S.A.
jma...@scotlandmail.com
> taping a thumb tack (pointy side out) to my chanter to force me to
> lighten up, but the other part of me is looking for alternatives!
Actually this is the method my instructor uses. He claims great sucess
with getting students to lighten up.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
John910
>Okay, after two years of learning the pipes, I've come to the conclusion
>that I'm gripping my practice chanter and pipe chanter too tightly,
>resulting in thumb fatigue/pain.
>
>I try and loosen up my grip, but I lapse into a tighter grip after a
>while when I don't pay attention. Part of me is toying with the idea of
>lighten up, but the other part of me is looking for alternatives!
>
>
>Andrew
I need those tips too..I have a death grip on the chanter <both practice and
pipe chanters> and I am only making fingering tougher on myself.
John
CONNOR2345
kidding , i have the same problemsky[ rushin 4 problem,lol]
Jimmy Findlater
Andrew & Kristen Lenz <al...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu> wrote in message
news:387582CF...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu...
> Okay, after two years of learning the pipes, I've come to the conclusion
> that I'm gripping my practice chanter and pipe chanter too tightly,
> resulting in thumb fatigue/pain.
>
> I try and loosen up my grip, but I lapse into a tighter grip after a
> while when I don't pay attention. Part of me is toying with the idea of
> taping a thumb tack (pointy side out) to my chanter to force me to
> lighten up, but the other part of me is looking for alternatives!
>
> Any tips from folks who have dealt with this problem?
>
> Andrew
ALIXGUNN
I'm gripping my practice chanter and pipe chanter too tightly, resulting in
thumb fatigue/pain.
I try and loosen up my grip, but I lapse into a tighter grip after a while when
I don't pay attention. Part of me is toying with the idea of taping a thumb
tack (pointy side out) to my chanter to force me to
lighten up, but the other part of me is looking for alternatives!<
My old teacher always threatened to tape popsicle sticks to my fingers, to
keep me from curling/clenching. I tend to play closer to the second knuckle
than the finger tip- so that usually keeps me from clutching.
I find that clutching - for me - happens when I am stressing or insecure
about a tune or a movement; or I'm tired. Sometimes the tension moves up from
the hands...sometimes down from the shoulders.
Try this - - practice chanter resting on tabletop or knee. Cover the holes
lightly with your fingers. On the bottom hand, where you don't use your thumb
to cover anything - move the thumb out of the way. (hold it up, or rest it on
the side of the chanter - not the back.) Now play. Stay conscious of the
movements, and feeling the holes under your fingers.
Couldn't hurt, at least.
Ken MacKenzie
<al...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu> wrote:
Well, this may not be totally acceptable to the net nannies but here
goes.
I had an old P/M tell me to hold onto my chanter like it was a thinly
varnished turd. Squeeze it too hard and you had crap all over your
hands. Too lightly and it was all over your shoes. The image has never
left me and when I relay this to kids I am instucting one of two
things happens. They go home and tell their mother and I never see
them again or they get the message.
Ken
>Okay, after two years of learning the pipes, I've come to the conclusion
>that I'm gripping my practice chanter and pipe chanter too tightly,
>resulting in thumb fatigue/pain.
>
>I try and loosen up my grip, but I lapse into a tighter grip after a
>while when I don't pay attention. Part of me is toying with the idea of
>taping a thumb tack (pointy side out) to my chanter to force me to
>lighten up, but the other part of me is looking for alternatives!
>
Chris Eyre
up in my hands. It took quite some time to correct it but I managed it and
my playing is improving considerably because of it. There are three big
things
you can look at for starters.
1. The position of your pipe chanter. Ideally you should be able to take
your hands of the chanter while you're blowing and it won't go anywhere. If
you are having to hold the chanter in position to stop it flying away, then
you're asking for tension. Try retying in your chanter stock so that the
chanter sits in just the right position for your fingers.
2. When using your practice chanter, always rest the end of it on the table
or your knee. Then your thumbs don't have to carry the weight of the PC.
This is particularly important if you are using a heavy long wooden PC. Some
of the modern long plastic ones only weigh a fraction of the weight and
would be helpful for someone with your problem.
3. Another possible cause of tension building up is when you're not
confident enough on your technique. Take a grip for example. If you know
your grips tend to be rather light (not enough low G coming through) or not
very reliable (sometimes missing a low G completely), there is a natural
tendency, if you're not careful, to compensate by pressing harder, thinking
that this will ensure you get the movement in. In fact it just makes things
worse. The way to go, I found, was to double the amount of time I spent
practising these movements with TOTAL relaxation, aiming to land on the
holes with virtually no pressure. It worked for me.
Chris Eyre
Andrew & Kristen Lenz <al...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu> wrote in message
news:387582CF...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu...
| Okay, after two years of learning the pipes, I've come to the conclusion
| that I'm gripping my practice chanter and pipe chanter too tightly,
| resulting in thumb fatigue/pain.
|
| I try and loosen up my grip, but I lapse into a tighter grip after a
| while when I don't pay attention. Part of me is toying with the idea of
| taping a thumb tack (pointy side out) to my chanter to force me to
| lighten up, but the other part of me is looking for alternatives!
|
| Any tips from folks who have dealt with this problem?
|
| Andrew
| --
| Andrew & Kristen Lenz
| al...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu
| Santa Cruz, California U.S.A.
Bob Cameron
Ken MacKenzie wrote:snip
I had an old P/M tell me to hold onto my chanter like it was a thinly
> varnished turd. Squeeze it too hard and you had crap all over your
> hands. Too lightly and it was all over your shoes. The image has never
> left me and when I relay this to kids I am instucting one of two
> things happens. They go home and tell their mother and I never see
> them again or they get the message.
I hope that practice chanter was bellows- blown, or the image you present
is even worse- don't want to go there, no siree
JOHN BROADWELL
conceptualisation of "varnished t...s" what kind of a mind was at work in
that scenario????? I mean, I have heard of Gilding the Lily, but this,
Pheww!!!!!!!!! Mind you, there are people out their who make jewelry from
reindeer droppings, who knows, instead of phenolic practice chanters we
could have.......... er...........no, I don't think I shall go
there!!!!!!!! ROTFLOL ;~) ;~) ;~)
Slainte
John B
"Ken MacKenzie" <akm...@uniserve.com> wrote in message
news:m6cc7sk50p9f0o58m...@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 07 Jan 2000 06:04:20 GMT, Andrew & Kristen Lenz
> <al...@alumni.cse.ucsc.edu> wrote:
> Well, this may not be totally acceptable to the net nannies but here
> goes.
>
> I had an old P/M tell me to hold onto my chanter like it was a thinly
> varnished turd. Squeeze it too hard and you had crap all over your
> hands. Too lightly and it was all over your shoes. The image has never
> left me and when I relay this to kids I am instucting one of two
> things happens. They go home and tell their mother and I never see
> them again or they get the message.
>
> Ken
Zudupiper
>pipe chanters> and I am only making fingering tougher on myself.
I don't know how much difference it makes, but I notice that when I started
playing an easier reed (and an easier overall setup), that I started gripping
the chanter less hard.
You can try (as an exercise) playing PC without the right thumb even touching
the PC. Prop the PC on a tabletop, the other end goes in your mouth, and your
right thumb nver needs to touch the chanter.
Zu
Bagpiip
>conceptualisation of "varnished t...s" what kind of a mind was at work in
>that scenario?????
I think it's an OK with adults, but I just about fell out of my chair hearing
he was telling this to children. Not a "full deck" kind of thing to do at all!
Bill
Mar a bha, mar a tha,
mar a bhitheas gu brath,
ri tra'ghadh's ri lionadh.
John Mitchell
Jimmy Findlater <jimmyfi...@home.com> wrote in message
> ask john mitchell, i hear he has a VERY tight grip
I lost my grip on reality along time ago!
You just got learn how to relax and go with the flow.
-----------== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News ==----------
http://www.newsfeeds.com The Largest Usenet Servers in the World!
------== Over 73,000 Newsgroups - Including Dedicated Binaries Servers ==-----
Bagpiip
I agree with John, reality is hard to keep a hold of... (not that I'd know lol)
Ccc31807
worked on on isolation. You MUST support the chanter so that your
fingers do not need to hold it, and you MUST keep your fingers
naturally straight. When you practice, make your self conscious of your
grip. You will not be able to do anything else at this time, so you
cannot work on other problem areas.
Focus on your grip, and your grip alone, for as long as it takes
whether it's a couple of weeks or a couple of months or longer. You
just have to work on this until the problem is fixed.
And then, when you move to the pipe, the tension in your shoulder
migrates to your hand, so you have the same problem. When you pipe,
consciously segregate the tightness in your shoulder from the looseness
in your hands. Again, you have to focus on this one aspect until the
problem is solved.
The good news is that this problem resolves itself after the
application of diligent and sustained effort. You can train yourself
out of this bad habit if you apply yourself and make it a priority.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Richard Mao
Hi...
I agree with what Charles wrote... may I add my perspective...
Your goal is to achieve the light grip so it becomes automatic and
subconscious...
Your method is to practice the downward/light finger pressure calibration with
sufficient repetition consciously... so the subconscious "sees" good examples to
"learn"
Toward this end... a couple of tips that might work...
Play both practice chanter and full pipes/chanter supported as Charles has said
(i.e. your hands/fingers are doing none of the weight bearing).... Then play
(tunes or scale/doubling exercises) with your low hand THUMB OFF the chanter...
you will find if you slam too hard the chanter goes flying! To an extreme....
tape the high A note hole and play with your high hand and low hand thumb off
the chanter (or maybe low hand thumb veeeeery lightly on) (imagine the hiA note
when it comes up). You will begin to develop a pressure that covers notes
adequately waaay short of a death grip
As above... but go through no-brainer taorluath, grip, crunluath scales... with
your attention solely on your hand pressure.
As above... but practice in front of a mirror... with your visual attention as
immediate bio feedback on the pressure of your hands... if you can read a
newspaper by the light of your fingers pressuring the chanter... you are holding
too hard...
Good Luck
“It's going to be a good day....I woke up on the right side of the grass this
morning” words to live by for sure. My good Friend Sara...
Richard Mao, The Peking Piper ( Pekin...@mao.org )
Royce Lerwick
<sunn...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>Jimmy Findlater <jimmyfi...@home.com> wrote in message
>> ask john mitchell, i hear he has a VERY tight grip
>
>I lost my grip on reality along time ago!
>
>You just got learn how to relax and go with the flow.
That would be conceptually, an "unvarished turd" then.
Royce
(And a fresh one at that.)