Posted by Klaus on December 14, 2001 at 05:50:19:
In Reply to: ambidextrous playing...? posted by Tim Kelly on December 14, 2001 at 05:20:33:
Some people have their brains wired in a way, so that playing with right or left hand is no problem in its own right. I am one of them.
That is not to say, that my left hand playing is as fast as the right handed equivalent. But that is more a matter of less extensive and less regular left hand playing.
On a lot of woodwinds all of the octavedetermining fingerings are allocated to the left thumb. Rumours have it, that the left thumb of a bassoonist has 11 functions.
On 5 valve French horns the left thumb often shall manage 2 independent valve paddles/triggers. I have such a horn, a 5 valve single Bb Hoyer. The left thumb is the least of my problems on that instrument.
My understanding of the whole finger allocation problematic is, that if you teach each finger to have a fixed function, which is not put into a context of a general understanding of fingering as a way to trigger certain additions of tubelengths, then you will make yourself very inflexible.
If you work out of a general understandig of, what is happening, then you will end up much more versatile in any musical context.
I have fourth valves for my left thumb on a number of trombones and horns. For the left hand index on a tuba and a euph (I actually use the middle finger on the latter). And for my right pinkie on tubas, a corno da caccia, and a trumpet.
Which has not bothered me but for one situation: The main tuning slide trigger of my euph is activated by the left thumb, Prestige style. When I had the trigger installed I ran into problems. My left thumb considered the trigger being the fourth valve. Which created some funny sounds until the proper routines had been trained.
Klaus