Thumbthing or other

[Doug Campbell]

I was playing around this evening on the pc trying not to use my right thumb. It was sore, and I thought it might be a result of an unconscious tight grip. Most of my trouble is on my right hand (I'm left-handed), particularly with movements involving D gracenotes. So, partly to give the big dumb ole guy a rest and partly to see if it was the source of problems, I tried this experiment of playing without using the thumb to grip the chanter - and it turned out to be a good exercise. It wasn't particularly 'hard', but it was 'different' - like seeing the movements from the fingers' point of view. I feel like there's some value in it, although I can't say exactly what it is...
Anyway, I was wondering if anybody else uses this technique for right hand work, and also if there have been any pipers of note who were missing their right thumb? Because I'd like to shake their hand.
badomp!

DC

[Matt Kelley]

I use to do this to ensure that I wasn't gripping the pc too hard. It worked!

[BK Wynd]

Okay, lemme make sure I have this straight, you play the PC like normal, just tucking the right thumb in so it doesn't support the chanter, right?

sorry, brain must be farting tonight. :wink:

[Stormy]

Get the thumb back on the chanter and behave yourself! :confused:

[Ken MacKenzie]

This is a fairly common exercise , apparently, and is meant to help lighten the bottom hand grip. I say apparently since I was exposed to it only in the last few years but it came from a few different sources. I've not had the problem but those who have and use this technique report great improvement.

One well known instructor I heard giving this advice was Mike Cusak so that would carry some weight... :)

Ken

[Stormy]

I was taught to hold the practice chanter as if I was holding a "fluffy wee yellow chicken" in your hand. Strong enough so as not to hurt it but not so loose as to let it escape from your grasp.
If a beginner is taught not to use the thumb of the right hand on the back of the chanter then how in hell can they ever learn the scale??? Try playing High G and High A with your right thumb off the chanter!
I'm sorry, but I cannot go along with this at all.

[Adam Sanderson]

My first instructor put a blob of sealing wax on the back of my practice chanter, just where the thumb goes. He pulled the wax away quickly when it was soft, and it hardened into a sharp point.
This cured my "death grip" quite quickly, but it did not have the same effect when my missus thought she'd try it with the handle of my favourite beer mug. :rolleyes:

[Doug Campbell]

Originally posted by Stormy:

If a beginner is taught not to use the thumb of the right hand on the back of the chanter then how in hell can they ever learn the scale??? Try playing High G and High A with your right thumb off the chanter!
I'm sorry, but I cannot go along with this at all.I wasn't suggesting that one would actually *play* that way. It was just an exercise I stumbled across that seemed like it might have some value.

DC

[Matt Kelley]

About not using my thumb on the practice chanter...

I always play with the chanter supported on something, table, lap, whatever. If I feel my right hand is getting tense, I simply remove my thumb from the back of the chanter and it helps to lighten the grip. Simple as that. I don't play the pipe chanter like that or when not having the practice chanter supported..it just wouldn't work

[Stormy]

Very pleased to hear that beginners are not taught this way of holding the chanter.
As an excercise - I tried it and saw no benefit whatsoever. If anything I had less control of my fingers on the bottom hand, and my chanter is always supported on a table of some sorts.
If the hand is sore, uncomfortable or tense and you feel that you are holding the chanter too tight I think you should learn to relax more.

Maybe someone could explain exactly what they can achieve, if anything, by this strange excercise?

[Matt Kelley]

I only did this "exercize" a few times. Part of learning is doing different things and finding what works best for you. Leaving my thumb off the chanter had no negative affect, infact I have an extreamly light grip on the chanter now. Maybe it's because I left my thumb off the chanter for a few tunes or maybe I"m just relaxing more. Who knows, I'm just reporting my experience...

[Ken MacKenzie]

I think that perhaps the wrong message has been sent here. The act of playing a bit on the PC with the thumb off the chanter on the bottom hand is not an "Exercise" in the way it's usually meant. It's more of a "Demonstration" that will show those who grip the chanter too firmly that a light frip will suffice. Once one is made aware that "No" grip will work to an extent, then the message can be put across that it won't hurt to lighten up a bit and "The grip of death" is uneccessary.

I was a bit sceptical about it when I first heard it but when I saw it used as a demonstration to get the point across, it made sense.

If I remember correctly, Mike Cusak related a story about a piper he knew that actually had no thumb on the bottom hand and his ability gave him the idea to use this as a method to illustrate a point about having a lighter grip. It was a few years ago so with my failing faculties, it could have been someone else who told the story but it was definitely Mike who "Demonstrated" this and it has definitely been helpful for me in getting through to students from time to time.

Ken

[Stormy]

Originally posted by Ken MacKenzie:
.....the thumb off the chanter on the bottom hand is not an "Exercise" in the way it's usually meant. It's more of a "Demonstration" that will show.....KenThanks Ken for explaining what was happening here. It does make sense when put so eloquently by yourself.