I am having trouble with a numb thumb after playing the oboe. I am considering buying a Kooiman metal thumb rest. I am just wondering whether anyone has any expereince of them and whether the posture takes a bit of getting used to. At £150 it is a considered purchase. Also as it appears to involve drilling new holes into my oboe ( Howarth S40C) so I need to be totally convinced it will be beneficial. I don't intend to sell my oboe but I also wonder whether it would affect the value or resale.
Hope someone can help or advise .
WoodyBCR

I was suffering not from a thumb problem but from shoulder problems (initially brought on by writing on the blackboard and aggravated by playing the oboe and cor anglais). I bought a plastic kooiman thumb rest to try which fitted with the holes that you were already on the oboe and the cor but I didn't like it on either. It was too big for my thumb and I found it uncomfortable.

I ended up buying an adjustable clarinet thumb rest for the oboe, which I found a much better solution. Again, it fitted the holes I already had and depending on the amount of pain I could adjust the thumb rest up or down. I would like to put one on the cor as well but unfortunately the holes are not in the same place and so it would need to be redrilled.

As an even cheaper solution, have you spoken to your teacher about your thumb? I had a painful thumb/wrist when I first started playing the cor and my teacher solved this by carefully watching the way I was playing and getting me to alter very slightly the position of my thumb. (I'm assuming that you only have the problem when playing the oboe, unlike my shoulder pain).

I got the Kooiman Etude thumbrest and it didn't suit me at all. Fortunately the shop took it back - if you buy online, you could ask them first if they will let you do this, with not being able to try it out in the shop.

Many thanks Kerioboe,
I initially thought about the thumb rest watching a clarinet player with an adjustable thumb rest. I had considered just giving the plastic thumb rest a try and if it fitted the holes so much the better. The plastic one did look cumbersome compared to the size of my thumb. The cork on the metal one looks comfier.
Presently I am not having lessons but I am considering returning (this might be the impetus). It's more then a quarter of a century since my last lesson !
WoodyBCR



Thank you Skylark.
I had a look at the thumb rests when Howarths were in Liverpool last weekend. My idea was to go to Howarths over Christmas if I decided to have it fitted. I hadn't thought of buying online because of the fitting. The difficulty is being able to try it out for a few hours and then waiting to see whether my thumb is numb for the next day. The numbness usually last for a day after playing. If everyone says thumbrests haven't suited them I will heed the warnings.
WoodyBCR

I have a Kooiman thumb rest for both oboe and clarinet. It's wonderful on clarinet, but terrible on oboe. I wouldn't advise getting one for oboe. It think because the oboe has a much thinner bore than the clarinet, the thumb rest is counter productive in what its job is, to hold the instrument in a position where it is supported and you can reach and play the notes easily.

I think there are other, better alternatives available.

It's looking like a 'no' so far for the Kooiman then BassoonBoy'. Thank you for your help. Do you have the plastic or metal Kooiman thumb rest? WoodyBCR

£150 for a thumb rest !?!?!

I am sure that for £150 there is a good guarantee with the product (Also I was hoping Santa was going to pay for the thumb rest.)
A sling or support would also be a cheaper option. Anyone use a sling or a support on thier oboe?

I think you'd be better off getting the thumbrest - the sling's not really necessary. Fair enough if you're playing cor anglais but the oboe's nice and small... And if Santa's paying, then you might as well! Still... £150?! It seems so much for such a small thing! Oh well, maybe Santa will be willing to fork out £150 on me too!

I use a sling all the time with the cor anglais and have used a sling on occasions with the oboe but don't find it altogether satisfactory with the oboe. It does take the weight of the oboe but because of the angle at which the oboe is held it gets a bit in the way of the first octave key and the left-hand thumb (probably even worse if you use a thumbplate system).

I still recommend an adjustable thumb rest. Mine has a ring so that I can use a sling as well if I really need to.

The other thing I suggest is that you see a doctor to determine why you are getting a numb thumb - they might even have some suggestions as to what you can do to prevent it (I have developed some "avoidance strategies" to limit the onset of shoulder pain which are reasonably effective, although as I said my initial pain isn't triggered by oboe playing, just aggravated by it). I also suggest you try and have at least a consulation lesson with a specialist oboe teacher to try and see if there is something you can do about the way you are holding the instrument.

And Stephie, yes the oboe is a small instrument and yes it is light enough for children to hold BUT this does not mean that the weight is never a problem.

Thank you Kerioboe
I will ask the advice of teacher I know about how I am holding the oboe and about a clarinet adjustable thumb rest with a ring (hopefully one that will not require drilling new holes ) and I will ask a doctor (probably a long wait for a non urgent appointment) . I think Santa can buy me some lessons .

I suppose when you put it that way I see what you mean - my right arm gets cramps after orchestra rehearsals, but I've never considered a sling...

What I meant was not a cramp from orchestra rehearsals - which goes away after a rest - but an underlying medical problem which means the pain persists for days afterwards. In my case just lifting my right arm was painful and putting any sort of weight on it made the pain considerably worse. Since you can't play with your right arm stuck to your side I was trying to find a way of making the pain bearable and some days the only way I could do this was with the sling.

Ouch sounds painful. Maybe a sling is a good idea for that then.