Etude

The new Etude Thumb Rest has been changed and the lower part of the casing has been made bigger to ensure more support for the thumb. At this spot the surface has been made more course to “explain” where to put the thumb. The Etude3 Thumb Rest has an in height adjustable hook (for players with smaller hands). The Etude3/small has a different rubber in the hook allowing for a smaller thumb diameter.

With the info in the manual, one can fix the mounting slide onto the body themselves, but our advice is to ask a repair person to do this for you, if you feel some hesitation to do this yourself. When buying a new Etude Thumb Rest, often the mounting slide has to be changed as well. Check the depth of the original holes to prevent the wood to be pulled upwards when screwing in the new screws. And please do not tighten too much easy does it. Too loose is not good either. Then the slide wiggles to much and becomes more loose. This is also prevented by using the double sided sticky tape at the back of the mounting slide.

You can use two of the holes to fix the new mounting slide. Some of my fellow repairmen want 4 holes and will drill two extra. But not everyone likes extra holes to be drilled. So you can also use two layers of 2-sided sticky tape (Tesa Carpet tape) at the back of the mounting side to add extra strength when only two screws are used in the original holes. The mounting slide of the Etude Thumb Rest can be fixed onto most brands due to the 6 oblong holes in the mounting slide. Please check if the mounting slide is fixed about 22 mm from the top of the lower joint if you hesitate which row of three to use.

The adjustment in height of the whole thumb rest has be done by pulling the casing down (not with the hook). When you go down too much, then shift the thumb rest further down and off the mounting slide and slide it at the top down again. (It goes only one way like the tie ribs). Some “clicks” will be heard. When you count these clicks , you will know that the thumb rest will be at the same height next time. The hook can be adjusted in height separately by turning the long screw. The head of the screw is at the bottom.

I cannot give you the exact measurements for hands and it also depends on which kind of hands too. But when you know of yourself that your hands are pretty small, then the Etude Small will be the best choice. You cannot go wrong because if you buy the regular one with the black rubber around the hook, there is enough possibility of adjustment to adapt to your size of hand/thumb (turning the screw at the bottom to the right will lower the hook). The dark red rubber of the Etude3-small allows for a tighter snug fit in case of a smaller thumb though. Either the black one or the red one (this is the part that turns the thumb rest into either the regular [black] or small [red] version). One of the most important things to remember is that you have to bend your thumb a little downwards (instead of upwards as you are used to do now).

The only other option for musicians with large hands that remains, is to purchase the more expensive Maestro which covers all sizes of hands! The Etude Thumb Rest covers about 70% of the “market” (or hands existing)

Bending the thumb is crucial, but don’t use the thumb too much as a lever. Pulling the inside thumb muscle only a little bit. It is the combined use of several other muscles, than you are used to previously. Together they are stronger than the one “hanging on”in the past. And being shifted to the place between the two joints of course. Nevertheless, these muscles have to be trained a bit sometimes. So immediately playing for a long time will not work OR right before a concert. You need a little playing in time, to train in the new situation. How long is different for all musicians. Sometime within days, and mostly within weeks.

The Etude Thumb Rest can be used on both Clarinet and Oboe. This is possible because of two rails at the back of the mounting slide and will compensate for the difference in diameter of the two different bodies (Oboe approx. 25/26 mm and Clarinet approx 28/29 mm). The Etude Thumb Rest can also be used on recorder very well. For other instruments such as English horns we advise to use the Maestro Thumb Rest.

The Etude Thumb Rest has no requirements for using a neck strap yet. Apart from tying a shoe lace around it. The new design (nr3) did not make this possible and the (plastic) construction is not suitable for it. Some people ask a for using this extra possibility to take away a portion of the weight of the instrument. In a future new Design, this option will be made available.