What the blazes do I do with my thumb?

[fibulo]

Hi!

I'm a recent whistle turn flute player. I have a nice A bamboo flute I got from woodsong, and at times I get a sweet vibrant tone. My embrouchure needs work. However, the thing that's vexing me is the thumb on my left hand. It (aside from the muscles in my cheeks) is the only thing that hurts like bill-o after practicing. I usually just cock it under the flute. I've tried different variations, but nothing seems to work.

Where do all of you put your thumb while the fingers play?

Sincerely,
Fibulo

[Father Emmet]

I've only experienced pain in my left thumb when experimenting with piper's grip, is that what you're doing? I'm a beginner myself, others will be able to give you better explanations of how to hold the flute so I'll defer to them.

[MarkB]

I use both my thumbs to balance the flute when playing, with left thumb doing most of the balancing and the right thumb pushing the flute into my lip.

Hopefully the more knowing will come forward and help you.

MarkB

[seisflutes]

My left thumb is under the flute,just about opposite the space between the top two finger holes.Not pressing very hard.When I first started learning the uilleann pipes,my right thumb hurt a lot.I just had to relax and not grip so hard.

You could try this ecsercise thingy: try playing with that thumb completely relaxed,not touching the flute at all.Then just put it on the flute wherever it feels most natural,not pressing too hard.

I'm not sure I got that exactly right,but try it anyway.I think might be more to it,maybe someone else will fill it in.
Good luck!
-Kelly

[artsohio]

I have less thumb-fatigue if I line it up under T2. However, it seems to creep up under T1 in a cramped postion. If I were brave I would put a little bar on the flute to keep my thumb in the more comfortable position (an idea stolen from my kindergartener's precorder), but I'm scared about defacing my flute.

[Julia C]

I also suffer from left thumb fatigue and I'm soldiering on remembering that playing guitar used to torture my left hand but finally the musculature needed developed in that hand all of its own accord and now I can startle rookie guitar players with my vice-like left hand grip on those barre chords. Too bad the phloot seems to use a different set of hand muscles entirely :roll: Might get a coupla lessons anyway just to check I'm not doing something wrong with the hand. The pain is all in the adductor pollicis! But knowing that doesn't seem to help! Anyone have inspirational story of once-feeble girly-thumb muscle beefed to elephantine strength through stoical practice?

Julia C

[Jon C.]

[Whistlin'Dixie]

Those hands really look relaxed!

sigh.



Mary

[Julia C]

Well Jon that may be inspirational but it's hard to imagine that personage having EVER had the numb thumb/ screaming thumb syndrome that ends all my lyrical flights of ornamentation and melodic cascades of 16th notes with total seizure of the offended digit, followed by stomping round the room shaking a gallon of lactic acid out of it and back up the old arm . It's getting better tho......I can now get through 3 verses of Raglan Road before the rot sets in. Will I be free of it one day? Mary, tell me the tale of your thumb.....

[Jon C.]

I also suffer from left thumb fatigue and I'm soldiering on remembering that playing guitar used to torture my left hand but finally the musculature needed developed in that hand all of its own accord and now I can startle rookie guitar players with my vice-like left hand grip on those barre chords.
Julia C

Julia, the picture was not intended to "rub lactic acid in the wound"... It was just showing the "best case sinerio" of the right positioning of the thumbs. I can relate to your numb thumb problem, as I have a condition that effects my digits. If you find a cure let me know!
His hands do look relaxed, though... :roll:
Jon

[Whistlin'Dixie]

Mary, tell me the tale of your thumb.....

Sad to say, my left thumb is now about paralyzed! It has a very limited range of motion, and it hurts wickedly after I play for awhile. Incidentally, I have developed all sorts of strange aches and pains, due mostly to flute playing, I'm sure. I really wish I had started this whole thing about 20 years ago!


Thank God, it isn't affecting my work, because if it did, I'd have to give up flute, and probably whistle, too, since that makes it hurt as well. As it is, I rely on the Celebrex samples that we get at our office ~ and they don't even help a whole lot.

Mary

[David Levine]

Relax. Do Yoga every day. Swing your arms to get blood flowing to the fingers. Drink some whiskey. Drop your shoulders when you play. Play more slowly. Relax. Lift weights to get stronger. Play for yourself, uncritically, slowly, beautifully, as if nobody is listening. Learn to play in such a way that you learn to love to play and will look forward to playing.

[peeplj]

Some thoughts from a flutist with arthritis in the hands (now in remission, hopefully to stay that way):

You don't grip the flute. Grip implies muscle tension and strength. You balance the flute.

No part of your body should hurt. No set of muscles should be particularly tense. Speed and accuracy of fingering is impossible if the fingers, wrists, or even elbows are tense. Efficient breathing is impossible if the shoulders, arms, or chest are tense.

Different flutists find different grips that work for them, and there is no "one right way".

That said, the approach that works for me:

There are 3 points of contact to balance the flute: the chin, the base of the left index finger, and the right thumb.

The chin (or the lower lip, depends upon how you look at it) is a fulcrum. The flute rests gently against it but isn't held up by it.

The base of the left index finger rests on the side of the flute away from you, and presses gently in. It doesn't go underneath the flute, and it doesn't "hold the flute up." The left thumb can either hang free or be held gently to the flute but it doesn't go underneath the fute and it doesn't hold it up.

The end of the right thumb rests on the side of the flute closest to you, about midway between the first and second finger right hand. Again, it doesn't go underneath the flute, but rather against the side of it, pushing gently out.

Try to keep your wrists straight. This will bring the elbows up and away from the body, and that's ok: that helps with good breathing and good posture in general.

The head should be held normally, and the neck should be relaxed.

That's the approach that works for me, and for many other flutists. If you ever hear a flutist talking about the "Rockstro grip" or the "James grip," this is it. (Note: I'm not that James.)

Best wishes, and keep working with it! You'll find a way that works for you.

--James

[AaronMalcomb]

My cramping stopped when I stopped playing pipers's grip. My thumb is at about T2 as well. The big thing was turning my palm out a bit. Once I did that it was the right position for my hand to strenghten up quickly.

Cheers,
Aaron

[bang]

excellent advice from David L. & peeplj. you might try long tones on 1st octave C#, paying particular attention to how little effort it takes to support the flute. then, slowly alternate between C# and other 1st octave tones, using the smallest possible effort to cleanly sound the lower notes, & completely relaxing on the C#. i try for feeling like the fingers are "floating", both above open toneholes, but also "floating" when closing toneholes. (long tones are a great way to *notice* what's going on as we play.)

fwiw, /dan