Health, wellness, and woodwind doubling

ByBret Pimentel

I got an email from a college student taking an Occupational Health and Wellness course. He asked me some questions about health and wellness issues in woodwind doubling, and I tried to answer the best I could.

How do you prepare for the many instrument switches in a musical which require changes of embouchure and hand position/key action adjustments? How do you deal with the physical demands of switches between many instruments?

The best preparation is to develop good, relaxed technique on each instrument independently. I try to practice each instrument carefully and produce the best possible sound on each one.

If I have the luxury of reviewing the part ahead of time, I will often practice the “choreography” for quick instrument switches, and make plenty of pencil marks so that I know ahead of time what switches are coming up. I try to keep a consistent layout of my instrument stands for each show, so that I get used to where each instrument is.

As I am making each switch (even very quick ones) I will try to take a moment to totally relax my facial muscles, hands, etc., and, maybe most importantly, flip a mental switch to oboe mode or clarinet mode or whatever.

Good reliable stands and neckstraps are vital.

Would you say that having to adjust to the action and key pressure of multiple instruments makes you more susceptible to hand/forearm injury than a musician who plays a single instrument?

I’m not an expert, but I would think that playing a single instrument is more dangerous in terms of repetitive motion injuries, etc. If I spend five hours a day practicing (I wish!) then I think I’m better off with more varied physical activities.

Photo, MissTessmacher
Photo, MissTessmacher

Does playing any one instrument create body tension that affects another instrument? (ex. flute might create shoulder tension which affects playing the sax)

Poor technique creates tension. If I’m tense from flute and it affects my saxophone playing, it’s because I’m doing it wrong. When this does happen, for me it’s most often embouchure tension.

How long are typical rehearsals for musicals? How many rehearsals and performances do you typically do?

These vary widely. When I do community theater, it’s often one or two two-to-three hour rehearsals. The show might run anywhere from one night to six weeks. Occasionally there are two shows a day for weekend matinees or weekday performances for school kids.

How do you keep from getting fatigued, mentally and physically, during long rehearsals and shows?

Physical: good posture, comfortable clothing, relaxed technique, breaks as often as possible, stay hydrated.

Mental: Breaks as often as possible. Try to stay engaged by constantly improving the part—sometimes that means trying to play the most gorgeous whole notes I’ve ever played.

Does the carrying of cases and assembling of instruments factor into physical strain of playing musicals at all?

Not significantly for me. I try to arrive early enough to make several trips from the car if necessary, and to set up at my leisure. If I’m bringing a lot of instruments, I’ll pile the smaller ones into a shoulder bag. I don’t have a cart for bigger instruments, but some woodwind players do.

Anything you’d like to add?

Getting good solid instruction on each instrument is crucial to proper, physically-safe playing technique. Woodwind doublers sometimes try to take shortcuts on this.

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    Here are some of the questions readers sent me in celebration of this blog’s 10-year anniversary. I have edited, combined, and otherwise adapted some of them but hopefully there are answers here for those of you who were kind enough to inquire.

    How do you (or how do you help a student) select the appropriate hardness of reed?

    This is a careful balancing act and involves tradeoffs. In general a too-soft reed causes pitch instability (tending toward flatness), good piano response but limited forte range, improved low-register response but weak upper register, and a thin and/or bright tone. A too-hard reed usually has poor piano response, a more resistant low register, and a stuffy or labored tone.

    I find that many reed players use reeds that are too stiff, perhaps due to the strange but pervasive idea of “moving up” in reed strength as a rite of passage or indicator of skill.

    Also: with clarinet and saxophone, reed strength is (a) inconsistent between brands and (b) tied very closely to the characteristics of the mouthpiece, so it’s not especially useful to make broad recommendations (“beginners should start on a 2½…”). It’s entirely likely that two clarinetists playing different mouthpieces might need dramatically different reed strengths.

    How can I obtain better than mass produced double reeds for my beginning oboe and bassoon students? Do you have any tips on how to learn to improve already made reeds, store bought or otherwise?

    Absolutely double reed players should, if at all possible, work with private teachers for this very reason. The ideal scenario is for a private teacher to make and continually adjust reeds for beginning double reed players. An alternative might be to connect with nearby symphony players, professors or graduate students, military musicians, or other nearby double reeders who might be willing to sell reeds (face-to-face, so adjustments can be made) or do occasional reed classes or adjustment sessions.

    Improving/adjusting reeds involves some specialized skills, one of which is playing the instrument at a high level. Reed adjustment is an iterative process of making a small change and then testing, small change and test, small change and test. If you can’t play the instrument well, then reed adjustment is shooting in the dark.

    One possible exception is that minor changes to bassoon reed wires are basically reversible, so there may be some room to experiment with that. I won’t get specific here as wire adjustments have been dealt with in detail by many previous authors, but careful, small adjustments can potentially improve response in various registers, pitch, and tone.

    Thanks for your questions, and good luck with your reeds!

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    I certainly see this phenomenon in my own woodwind playing and teaching. How many times have you encountered these?

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    • Embouchures losing their shape, reverting to a neutral/normal mouth position

    • Voicing, such as the high, cold-air voicing needed for clarinet playing, or the low, warm-air one for flutes and double reeds, lapsing into a medium, luke-warm state that negatively affects tone, pitch, and response

    • Pitch sagging at ends of notes as breath support peters out

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    A factor in this is establishing a suitably high bar for success. For a beginner, the only question might be, “did a sound come out?” For a slightly more advanced student, it might become, “did the correct approximate pitch come out?” A more advanced player might examine the precision of the pitch, the quality of the tone, and the immediacy of the response, among many other factors. It takes a relatively low amount of energy to meet the beginner’s threshold of success, but potentially much more for the advanced player’s.

    Additionally, this intentional use of greater energy resources must be managed carefully to avoid its misapplication, which can result in excessive tension.

    I find that when I am playing at my best balance of efficiency and effort, an hour of playing a woodwind instrument leaves me feeling like I have done some light exercise; I’ll feel the mild and pleasant fatigue of having taken a walk or reorganized a bookshelf. Serious tiredness or soreness are warnings that I’m overusing my body. (Your results may vary depending on your physical capabilities.)

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    • Talk to someone. It might be a colleague who can directly relate to what you’re going through. Or a friend or loved one who cares about you. Or a mentor who can offer wisdom. Or a professional counselor who can listen dispassionately and offer coping strategies. Or maybe all of the above.
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    Have more ideas on coping with frustration and burnout? Please share in the comments.

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    My EWI is customized with the really excellent Patchman soundbank which seems to be more or less de rigeur for EWI players. It has 100 different sounds designed especially for wind controllers. But it has been difficult to find sounds that work well for me for the music that I’m trying to play.

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3 Comments

  1. I played a show where I loaded the smaller items into a duffel bag and slung it over a shoulder while carrying other things in my hands, such as a bass clarinet. My shoulder hurt for a couple days afterwards. No more duffel bags for me.

    I used to play a tenor sax with a case having an optional backpack configuration. It was a great way to carry my heaviest routine instrument. I upgraded my instrument a few months ago. The new case is ridiculously heavy and has to be carried. I’m considering spending the money for a backpack-style case for the new sax.

    Reply

  3. Fantastic advice, Bret! Your opinion about playing multiple instruments being perhaps less harmful than one instrument has merit. In my experience as an Alexander Technique teacher working with musicians, I find there are primarily two reasons that musicians have chronic pain: poor use of themselves (how they maintain posture and balance, hold their instrument, breathe, etc.), and overuse. Making thousands and thousands of specifically precise contractions can easily lead to overuse, no matter how relaxed and efficient technique may be. Anything to switch it up (another instrument) is helpful.

    Besides learning to play with much less tension, it’s also important (as you so rightly mention) to get the appropriate rest. I particularly like you suggestion to pause between instruments to relax your hands and facial muscles (as well as shifting mental gears), even if for a brief moment. These little “micro -breaks” offer huge benefits. Finally, your statement that “Poor technique creates tension”, is absolutely true. I might suggest that the opposite is true, as well: excess and misdirected tension really interfere with good technique. Thanks for this. I’m definitely sharing!

    Reply

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