The Complete Handbook of Clarinet Straps & Supports

Chapter 1: Understanding Clarinet Straps & Supports

Pick up any modern clarinet and the first thing you notice, after the feel of the keys and the weight of the instrument, is the thumb rest. This small, often black plastic or metal piece, mounted at the lower end of the upper joint, carries the entire suspended weight of the instrument. For a full Boehm system clarinet, especially those built with a plateau key mechanism, a heavy barrel, or a bell with a resonance hole, that weight is measured in pounds. Your right thumb is a strong digit, but it is not designed to form a shelf. The small joint at its base, the metacarpophalangeal joint, was built for bending and reaching, not for holding up several pounds of grenadilla wood, metal, and cork hour after hour during a three-hour rehearsal.

This is where the category known as clarinet straps and supports comes in. It is a deceptively simple segment of the instrument accessories market, but one that directly affects a player's physical comfort, technical accuracy, and long-term health. At its core, a clarinet strap or support is a mechanical system that transfers the downward force of the instrument from your thumb and wrist to a larger, more robust part of your body, typically your neck, shoulders, or torso. The design philosophy is simple, but the engineering, material choices, and selection criteria are not. The differences between a $12 cord and a $140 harness are measurable, both in their materials and in