Okay I will admit- I have been a little over-zealous about my first low D- a Dixon. I got it in the mail today and ever since I have come home I have been (trying to) play…
so the pipers grip thing is weird but despite my very small hands I can get out a passable (if fuzzy) version of Amazing Grace using the pipers grip. I am very proud of this accomplishment of course- only one thing- My hands really HURT- especially my right thumb. my left hand seems to have adapted to the grip easier but my right hand is just deficient- and my thumb- I put it in the “right” position and it hurts- I try other positions and it hurts… I am assuming all this hurting is probably because I am just not used to the grip and am tense and trying to hard…
but anyway what I wanted to ask is it unusual for your hands to hurt when first playing the low whistle? And when does this hurt go away? I figure probably after lots of practace but I was just surprised that it did make my hands and wrists ache so much. Granted I have tiny hands so I am sure that is not making this any easier…
So did anyone else have this trouble when first playing a low D? What did you do about it? Any advice would be gratefully recieved…
My first low D was a Laughing Low D and for the first couple of weeks my right wrist ached but after a while it went away and I’ve had no problems in the months since then.
Give your hands lots of rest, don’t play for too long at a time, but keep at it. Try to balance your whistle on your thumbs a bit, holding it at a more horizontal angle, so you don’t have to grip as hard.
Let my echo Ava’s advice. Don’t overdo it at first and, if you miss notes, start wheezing, don’t get a proper seal, don’t worry about it. You’ll get used to it in time. I play guitar and keyboards, so I’m used to a stretch, and have fairly large hands. I still couldn’t play properly for quite a while. Sometimes I’d just practice for a few minutes a day.
Another thing that helps is to get a low F, say, and practice a lot on that. Not only do you get valuable practice for your low D and a very worthwhile instrument in itself, you build up confidence that it will happen for you on low D eventually.
It’s quite natural for your hands, and especially the thumbs and fingers that support the whistle, to be sore. Try to r-e-l-a-x. Remember that it’s called a “Piper’s grip”, not a “Death grip”. Try to keep your hands loose (without dropping the whistle). Believe it or not, with practice, loose hands will HELP you get a good seal on those seemingly cavernous holes. Don’t spend too much time on the whistle at first. Stop when your thumbs start to ache. Over a very short period of time your hands will get used to the low D.
My two-bits. My fingers used to hurt, for the first week. Then I decided I could not badly hurt an alloy tube by dropping it on the carpet, and relaxed. Now my fingers don’t hurt, I get the seal with minimal pressure AND I never, ever dropped the whistle.
Yours is plastic, virtually unbreakable…
[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2002-12-10 03:49 ]
Try doing some stretching of your fingers before and during playing. A low whistle is a big stretch, especially for a beginner. I still have some cramping while playing my Tenor recorder, which is roughly the same size, and I’ve been playing it for years. Alternate with a smaller whistle if your hand starts to hurt. All in good time…
I too have little hands, so I cheat and play my low D (with piper’s grip of course) using my little finger on both hands instead of my third/ring finger. It looks weird but it works for me. Maybe it will for you too.
On 2002-12-09 21:57, atarango wrote:
but anyway what I wanted to ask is it unusual for your hands to hurt when first playing the low whistle? And when does this hurt go away?
Angela, don’t listen to these guys. You shouldn’t suffer any pain at all when playing and if you do it is a sign from above that you should immediately stop playing and send me the offending instrument…
Seriously, go slow, as little as ten minutes at a time until your hands get used to being stretched in new ways. Also, before playing limber your fingers up some with a few “twiddling” exercises. Then all should be fine. You should gradually be able to increase how long you play and/or how often each day until there is little or no pain even after playing for quite lengthy periods.
If severe pain persists, then you need to see a doctor about it as you may be aggravating an existing condition – and then you can send me the offending instrument…
Angela, my first (and only at the moment, but not for long, I GETTING A HOOOOOOOOOOOOVER…but I digress..) low D was the standard Dixon too. I started out playing without using the pipers’ grip, my fingers are rel. long, but my right wrist sure did ache! With my right hand I’ve managed to switch to the p-grip, not yet with my left. If I play for a long time it’s my left wrist that gets (slightly) sore.
You’re hands are doing something they are not used to, go slowly, they will adapt!
Good luck.
Amar.
