m3838 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Why did you curved the rubber strap then? Doesn't it tend to "straighten" itself and cut into your wrist? Also, why did you chose to use rubber instead of leather? And what is the result? Are you playing standing? Do your straps take the weight off thumbs or just add to the control while pulling the bellows? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buikligger Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Why did you curved the rubber strap then? Doesn't it tend to "straighten" itself and cut into your wrist? Also, why did you chose to use rubber instead of leather? And what is the result? Are you playing standing? Do your straps take the weight off thumbs or just add to the control while pulling the bellows? Thanks. Hi M 3838 and all, my friend Willy (who makes belly recumbent bikes = buikligger) does many construction tasks with the cheap used rubber car tires and bike tires. I follow him: cheap, multifunctional and plenty at arm reach in my attic. the curve helps the strap to settle on the back of your hand, and not on your knuckles or fingers so that they can remain free to move. rubber is soft, doesn't slide and is strong enough, whereas leather some times tends to be sharper and slides away more. I play seated, but tend to pull quite a lot at bellows. So the straps take off completely the forces of pulling. So more control and more force. Hope this makes it more clear. At your service if you have any questions kind regards, Dirk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henrik Müller Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Hi Henrik , Hermann and all, i got some inspiration from you. As I'm not so handy as you are i can only rely on my brains for solutions. This is my solution for the moment. I took off the little finger rests since i didn't use them anyhow. I cut myself two curved rubber hand straps from the inner tire of a car and put some holes in it. The upper side i fixed with the big round bolt, the lower side i fixed with the screw in the middle from the finger rest. The left side plays best when i insert my 5 fingers, and put my thumb into the thumb strap (I use middle, ring finger and little finger for the notes). At the right side i put thumb and 3 fingers through the loop and the little finger outside the loop (I use index, middle and ring finger for the buttons). It's not according to the rules, but for me it works: i don't have pain in my thumbs after having played for several hours yesterday. kind greetings from Dirk , Belgium Hello, Dirk - You've certainly proved your handyness. I understand also that some obvious restrictions are in play here: any change should be reversible, so the instrument always can be returned to its original condition. But isn't that interesting: "i don't have pain in my thumbs after having played for several hours yesterday." Good luck with more experiments! /Henrik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Evans Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 After reading these postings many times I screwed up my courage and made the plunge. Opting for Fiddlerjoebobs solution, I called up the Buttonbox and got the hardwear and straps. Changed my playing right away. I had become more comfortable with the push rather than pull (beastly thumb pain). Now I'm taking the bellows all the way out and adding some fun accents with a little wrist power (must find a middle ground eventually). The pinkies with just a little reminder are abandoning their rests and may, just may get involved in the playing process over time. The set-up certainly lends itself well to putting a little more bounce in the Irish tunes, example the Providence Reel which had me a bit dissapointed with thumbs only. Now I'm getting some delightful punch on the A section E to launch things off, and the double finger repeated notes are clearer. I'm suprised the wrist straps did not feel more restricting than they did. Had to re-work how I go for quick low notes on the right side however. One really has to curl those fingers a a bit more. This might just add a few years of playing life to this old dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiton1 Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 After reading these postings many times I screwed up my courage and made the plunge. Opting for Fiddlerjoebobs solution, I called up the Buttonbox and got the hardwear and straps. Changed my playing right away. I had become more comfortable with the push rather than pull (beastly thumb pain). Now I'm taking the bellows all the way out and adding some fun accents with a little wrist power (must find a middle ground eventually). The pinkies with just a little reminder are abandoning their rests and may, just may get involved in the playing process over time. The set-up certainly lends itself well to putting a little more bounce in the Irish tunes, example the Providence Reel which had me a bit dissapointed with thumbs only. Now I'm getting some delightful punch on the A section E to launch things off, and the double finger repeated notes are clearer. I'm suprised the wrist straps did not feel more restricting than they did. Had to re-work how I go for quick low notes on the right side however. One really has to curl those fingers a a bit more. This might just add a few years of playing life to this old dog. Hi Mark, I am glad that you at least tried it. For many people wrist straps give extra comfort and stability. For others apparently not (hee Simon Thoumire does a great job without straps and even finger rests....). Keep on playing! Hermann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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