I’ve been playing flute and whistle on and off for 3 years and the bohem flute for another 5 before that, and I just love this instrument! Lately though, I haven’t been able to satisfy my flutist needs due to pain and premature weariness in my left wrist. After not more than two tunes, it annoys me to the point I have to stop and wriggle my wrist around before restarting. After 15 minutes, I can’t even finish a tune…
I’m 22 and in good shape without any known problems that can affect my wrist. Let it be noted though that I work with computers all day, which sometimes causes me wrist fatigue too.
Here are some pictures with my natural grip on them in which I’ve circled the pained areas:
However, interesting pics. Greater minds will surely step in here, but it does look to me as if your thumb is too far underneath the body of the flute, leading to a generally cramped hand position. I understood that the thumb should be to the side of the flute, and not particularly gripping the flute. In fact, you ought to be able to waggle it around. Even whilst playing! Maybe try doing that. If the rest of your hold is OK, there should be no issue of dropping the flute.
It’s obviously painful, judging from those pics. Look at what you’re doing to those thumb joints!
Try moving your thumb considerably to the left (toward the head of the flute), either directly behind your index finger, or even further toward the head. Looking at your upward-facing palm & fingers, cock your wrist a bit to your right, from | to / . Relax your hand, you’re currently squeezing your fingers together into Mr. Claw Hand.
While there can be a lot of variety of hand positions that work for a flute player, take a look at these Google Images, and you should see a few with more relaxed positions, and the thumb generally advanced further toward the head.
Ditto on the doctor thing. My joints get easily aggravated and I was recently diagnosed with a rheumatological condition. There might be any number of issues causing such pain and only a doctor can help with many of them.
From a practical standpoint, make sure your hands and wrists are as relaxed as possible le. IMO your grip looks way too tight for any instrument.
Beginner flute player here, but a physician - take the advice for what it is worth. Your grip should not pinch the flute as yours appears to be doing. Rather, and according to Rockstro, the palmar aspect of your first knuckle should push the flute into place against your lower lip. There should be no effort to keeping the flute in place from your intrinsic hand muscles. Also, there should be a bit of space beneath your index finger and the flute. You might want to Google Rockstro grip and review his recommendations.
Good luck!
Youtube is your friend !
Have a look at the zillion clips about holding a flute. This is a good one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c67lD9WIX50 .
Don’t mind that it is a Boehm flute. The technique is exactly the same on any flute.
What they said. I started off holding the flute similar to you and got cramps. Over time you will loose the death grip, but rotate that thumb up and around. If you do it right you don’t need that thumb for support. If you get a flute with a Bb key that thumb needs to be free to operate it. Spend some time experimenting with it, can be frustrating, but and you’ll get it.
Thank you all for your support! I now have hope that I’ll be able to play normally! I’ll try all your corrections and come back to tell you how it went.
One thingt: it’s not the first time I’ve read that both hands have to be relaxed on the flute, but if I try to do so, I have the feeling that the flute will slip out of my hands and that I don’t have enough tension to do rolls (especially on the B and A).
Not as easy as you think. Try this, either with your flute over something soft, like a bed, or with a round wood dowel of reasonably similar thickness:
Gripping the flute with your left hand in approx. playing position (for a right-handed player), turn it vertically -
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Begin to relax & loosen your grip gradually until gravity starts pulling the flute down toward the bed. I think you’ll find that it doesn’t move and get away from you that easily. It doesn’t require much tension to keep it from slipping. And that’s with it hanging vertically and otherwise ready to drop. While actually playing, unless you’re flinging the flute across the room away from you, it isn’t likely to go anywhere. Also, your left hand is pulling the flute toward your lip.
You know what I do? Ill sit down and watch a game or whatever and hold the instrument for hours, playing during commercials or when I get bored with the show. Just get used the thing being in your hand and get comfortable with it.
I think some of this goes in phases. When I was working on my tone, I felt the I would grip hard and really push the thing on my lips. As my tone got to where I want it, it was easier to relax and work on other things, just an observation…
When I had a workshop with Kevin Crawford he told us he often worked on things while watching television - usually something like repeatedly playing over a difficult passage until it came automatically.
After a week of playing while applying your tips, I can now play without pain in my wrist! I still feel my hand tire relatively quickly, though, but I think this might be due to me not being used to the new position. I’ll keep playing and if I see no improvements, I’ll come back here. Thank you all for your help!
Perhaps you can apply some of these things to your job as well. I find that computer use directly affects some of the same body parts that fiddle and flute do. Ergonomics is more than some overused word.
Hello Chiff and Fipple, I’m unfortunately back! As I said in my previous message, things have been a lot better: I was able to reduce the general tension in my hand and move my thumb out of the way (I think), reducing the pain to a minimal, very bearable level. Now, I’m experiencing fatigue in my wrist which might be due to the new position not being very familiar.
To go through with things, and just to make sure I’m not doing anything wrong, I filmed myself playing and I was wondering if you could have a look and tell me if everything is alright. Sorry for the hiccups and poor rhythm: I’m not used to playing for a camera.
The only thing that looks off to me is that your left wrist looks cramped at an angle. Try this: put your left arm straight out in front of you, palm down, with a level straight line along the top of your forearm through to the base of your fingers on the top of your hand. Like a ruler was on top of your arm and hand. Should be a fairly relaxed position. Keep the wrist straight, and rotate your shoulder and elbow to bring your hand to the flute. You may have to make some adjustment in wrist position out of line so that your fingers cover the holes, but I think you should be nearly as straight in line as your right arm/hand are. Possibly you need to bring that left elbow in closer to your body, towards the right, instead of holding it up like you’re doing a chicken dance.
Interesting. I would say that you left hand looks a lot better now. But I now wonder whether your left hand is still being put under too much pressure, this time because of the position of your right thumb. It looks too far under the flute to me. I just tried doing that myself and it immediately put more pressure on my left hand. The right thumb should be more to the side than underneath and should basically be tending to push the flute away from you. It’s amazing how much pressure that relieves from your left hand if you get the right hand thumb pushing the flute away. It really doesn’t need to be underneath the flute.
I still feel my hand tire relatively quickly, though, but I think this might be due to me not being used to the new position. I’ll keep playing and if I see no improvements, I’ll come back here. Thank you all for your help!