Belts are useful. They hold up your pants. Or, if you need a little extra support, your violin. I learned about this adaptation from Samantha, a fiddle player in California. When Samantha was twenty-one, she was in a car accident. Even though she had no major injuries from the accident, her neck hurt playing … Continue reading Another Use for Belts
Instrument Stands
There is a one-handed clarinet!
Guess what! You can play clarinet with one hand! I am so excited to tell you about this new instrument! Peter Worrell, an instrument maker in the UK, has done tremendous work for musicians with limb differences. He recently developed a one-handed clarinet! As you may know from my previous posts, instrument stands are … Continue reading There is a one-handed clarinet!
Look, Ma! No hands!
The more I talk about instrument adaptations, the more I hear about amazing stories and solutions! Through a friend of a friend, I heard about Richard Ferry, a determined flute player who created a handheld support for his adapted instruments. After losing his left index finger in a car accident, Richard needed to find … Continue reading Look, Ma! No hands!
Instruments are for playing, not holding!
Part 2: Stringed Instruments True or False: Cellos are always played with the strings perpendicular to the floor. False! All you need is ingenuity, perseverance, and a cello stand. Inga and Elena play cello adaptively. They use their left feet to bow and their right feet to press on the fingerboard. Inga and Elena … Continue reading Instruments are for playing, not holding!
Instruments are for playing, not holding!
Instrument Stands Part 1: Brass As I see it, there are three main ways to play an instrument adaptively: 1. Modify your technique 2. Modify the instrument itself 3. Modify the way the instrument is held Musicians with limb differences need to use all of their functional body parts to play their instruments effectively. Therefore, … Continue reading Instruments are for playing, not holding!
Another Way to Play 