Picture this scenario. A musician is playing, but their fingertips are white and are pressed so hard into the instrument that they are flat. If this image seems familiar, it’s because this is a common problem on every woodwind instrument. When one starts learning to play an instrument, it’s still a relatively foreign object and students will develop pretty creative ways to handle this new item and the baggage that comes along with it. One of which is pressing the fingers so hard into the instrument that the fingers lay completely flat. Figure 1, shown below, shows where the fingers are, and where they should be (directed by an arrow).
Fig. 1
Now, why is this done? Why would a student be doing this anyway? There has to be a reason? Well, there are a few actually.
1. Finger accuracy might still be a problem for the student - This is the most common reason why students press down on the instrument. For example, let’s say a student is having trouble getting from throat A to long B on the clarinet (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2
That’s a lot of fingers to move and some may not land on their appropriate targets. This may cause the student to misdiagnose their problem as a pressure problem, not an accuracy problem. As a result of their misdiagnosis, they will attempt to “fix” the issue by pressing more into the instrument. This isn’t the issue at all though. In this case, it’s the position of the fingers, not the pressure of the fingers, that needs to change.
2. There might actually be something wrong with the instrument - Yes teachers, it’s not just an excuse students use! If you, as the teacher, have tried to work with your student to alleviate their pressure and you still hear notes not speaking, but you see that everything is pressed down, it wouldn’t hurt to test the instrument yourself just to see if any keys are leaking or not sealing properly. If you do notice anything, either adjust it yourself (if you know what you’re doing) or send it to a repair person to get it checked out. Because COVID-19 is still around (at the time of this article), I would actually recommend just sending it to a local repairperson to have it checked out instead of play-testing the instrument yourself.
3. They have tension and stress in other areas of their life - It may not even be the instrument. Often if a student is exhibiting tension and stress outside, then there may be something going on inside as well. This is why it’s important to check in with your students every time you see them to see how they are doing and to build a healthy relationship with them. As the teacher, you have more responsibilities than simply teaching them how to play their instrument.
Now, what are ways to go about teaching proper finger/hand position anyway? Here are my favorites activities that you can start using with your students in a pinch:
1. The classic “c-shape” - This is my favorite activity to use with younger students because it gets straight to the point. “Form your hand into a c shape. Now, without moving your hand, transfer that to the instrument.” The downside with this activity is that it focuses a lot on the position of the hands, but not the tension in the hands that may still be present. This is where the second activity comes into play.
2. “Release the tension” activity - Take your hand, hold it upward, and straighten your fingers (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3
Notice how this takes effort and thought to make happen? Now, relax your hand (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4
Notice how your fingers are curved? This is the natural position of the hand and it is why the fingers should be curved when playing a woodwind instrument.