Hi! To me when i hold the oboe by the thumb,under the place: my thumb hurts alot.My teacher gave me the advice to buy a neck strap.But i would like to know what you people think.
Do they help?
How much do they usually cost?
Clarinet and oboe straps are alike?
What about there quality?

I use a regular old sax strap, but, I have a ring built right in on the thumb rest.

The use of a neckstrap is detrimental as much as it is helpful. While it relieves the pressure off the thumb, it also adds to the strain of the neck, so you`ll just be injuring another part of your body. I suggest getting an "etude" thumbrest, it is sold by forrests, and moves the weight of the instrument to a stronger more supported part of your thumb. I bought this gadget because i was practicing so much i was getting the onset symptoms of tendonitis, and my thumb/right had got pain a lot. After buying this i never have felt that pain again.

Let me know if you want more information.

Adam Parnell

hey
just wondering, what`s your name???
kinda confusing with 2 ppl with the same name on here
byebye!!!

corinne

oops, scratch that last reply, lol, replied to the wrong post...

but, i used to have problems with my thumb hurting, but either i got used to it or it was b/c of the thumb pad i got a while back. just try out different thumb pads and see which one helps the most. good luck!

corinne

If you don`t have cork on your thumb rest or it`s still causing you a lot of pain, get a pencil grip (you knwo the squisie brightly colored ones that you can buy from a drugstore?) cut them so that it will fit on the thumb rest and that way, it may give you some relief. Straps can be expensive, and I would try buying someing for under a dollar that can be easily replaced before gong out and buying a strap

I used to have the same problem. My thumb would swell at first! That was until I bought a squishy clarinet thumb supporter. You can get one at any music store and it fits the oboe thumb rest perfectly. It costs only $1 or less.

you shouldn`t use straps on the oboe.
Its best for the sound if you hold it in ca. 70° ancle. And in that ancle no strap will help you

I concur with Adam.

I`ve been a professional for 30 years and I`ve never liked the feel of neck straps for oboe or English Horn.

Plus, they can be dangerous...if you raise the instrument incorrectly, you can jam the reed into your lip or teeth.

I recommend a PHRED support. You can get one at my local double reed store (Forrest`s). Here`s a web page that shows it: http://www.forrestsmusic.com/cgi-bin/showcatalog.pl?continue=1&ShowItemsStart=11&Level=

Forrest`s also sells an Adjustable Thumb Rest that works quite well. Here`s the picture of it: http://www.forrestsmusic.com/cgi-bin/showcatalog.pl

What I currently use is a foam cushion pad that slips over the thumb rest and feels great on your thumb...cheap too, lasts for years, and fits in your oboe case without modification. I don`t see this on Forrest`s site, so you`ll have to check around on the web.

Dane