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[Chris Brimley]

I've just tried out something which seems to work (astonishingly well for me!), and thought I'd share it for interest and development.   This is for players who play sitting down, or standing with right foot on a stool, which are my preferred playing positions.  I'm going to call it the Tri-Point Strap System, for want of a better description.

I was musing about the 1 strap/2 strap thread on this forum.   I tend to use the 2 straps, though I originally started with one.   However I've never been entirely comfortable with either, however I adjust the straps. There's something that's not quite natural about each system.

Many agree that the two strap system improves playing , but many also like the single strap system.  I was trying to work out what it is about each that players like, and this is what I came up with:  The two strap system reduces the tendency of the top part of the keyboard to wobble about at right angles to the top part of the right shoulder strap, and also to rotate about a vertical axis (because your chest/stomach is flat against the back of the keyboard).  Some people also like the two-strap because it spreads the weight of the box between each shoulder.  Unfortunately, in doing so it also takes the weight off the lower part of the keyboard, which reduces the effectiveness of the right thigh as a clamp.  This is because in order to get the left shoulder strap tight enough to stop the wobble it has to lift the box position, basically because your shoulder is too high.  I think that what is nice about the single strap system, is that the box is easier to steady at the lower part of the keyboard.  And it is also more natural to play the box lower down, because it makes the right forearm and wrist position easier.

So I tried to work out why you can't have the best of both worlds, and it struck me that what is needed is a simple system that keeps the weight of the box on your lap, but stops the top part of the keyboard wobbling forwards and backwards.  If you could also restrain the RH side so that it doesn't rotate about a vertical axis, and even reduce the pressure from the right thumb, better still.  Then the obvious answer struck me - take the strap off your left shoulder, and fix it round your back instead!

So I tried this:  Take the box off yourself.  Take the bottom end of the left shoulder strap off the bottom clip, and fix it instead about halfway along the right shoulder strap, so you get what I've called a 'tri-point'.  You'll need to adjust the left hand strap length to suit your size and comfort. 

Now put the right shoulder strap on in the normal way.  You now need the left strap to pass from the top fixing point UNDER your left armpit, and round your back to the tri-point, and to be tight enough to hold the top end of the keyboard against your chest.  (At first, this is not easy to get into.  It's even worse trying to get out of - be particularly careful of knocking your teeth out with the top of the keyboard!  I'll discuss a solution later.)

And this is the best bit - just sit down and try to play!  This is what I immediately found, and it was absolutely astonishing:

1.  It's a natural position, and so much more comfortable.  This is how the box was meant to be played!
2.  I can play more quickly.
3.  I can play more accurately because the buttons stay put.
4.  I can get a precise staccato sound much more easily.
5.  The sound is immediately more dynamic.
6.  I make fewer mistakes (Yes - it's true, it's because it's far easy to find the right buttons).
7.  You can make bigger leaps around the keyboard with confidence.
8.  You don't have to use as much thumb pressure, and can even use your thumb for playing, with a little practice.
9.  Your hand feels much lighter on the buttons - it feels more like a pianist's position.
10. The keyboard, being lower down, is closer to being at right angles to your forearm, which is the natural angle for ease of movement up and down, and is more comfortable for long periods of playing.
11.  Your wrist is in a more natural untwisted position.
12.  You can see the buttons if you want to (mostly unnecessary, many would say, but it's very useful at the start of a tune).
13.  The action of the bellows seems to be more in line with the RH side, and therefore the bellows go in and out more evenly, and so can be kept in a more closed position, which again makes the sound more dynamic.
14.  The tension of the left strap keeps the right strap on your shoulder.
15.  You can play at a greater range of sitting heights because the up and down movement of the whole box is less restricted without the right shoulder support.
16.  You can probably use the straps you've already got, assuming you have two.

I tried one particular tune - Irish Washerwoman, which I expect many box players use, gradually speeding up, for the end of the dance Circassian Circle, and the immediate improvement in my standard of playing at full speed was very noticeable, and I found I could play it faster still with ease.

The only snag with this system seemed to me to be getting in and out of the straps.  But I also found an easy solution to that one - get a quick release clip for one end of the left strap, then it's actually easier than having two straps.  There's a sort of hook with a spring-loaded lock that is used for dogs' leads and this works well.  Another idea would be those double plastic clips that go on rucksacks, or perhaps even a double-sided velcro strip.

I've experimented with different positions for the tri-point, and it doesn't seem to be particularly sensitive, but you can try out what suits you best.

All I can say is, just like the advertisements:

Try it out yourself - You'll be delighted!
:)

All comments welcomed.

Chris Brimley

[Chris Brimley]

(Replying to my own post) I reckon, following a spot more practice, that the quick-release is best located on the top fixing of the LH strap.  That way, it just falls away when you release it, and it's easy to whip it round your back and clip it on.

Chris Brimley

[BruceHenderson]

(snip)  The two strap system reduces the tendency of the top part of the keyboard to wobble about at right angles to the top part of the right shoulder strap, and also to rotate about a vertical axis (because your chest/ stomach is flat against the back of the keyboard).  (snip)

   For *you*, maybe.  You're a young guy, right, Chris???

[BruceHenderson]

    For a more serious reply, I've done something similar for my two-row and three-row.  I broke my back in a few places a while ago and it healed leaving me "left wing down" -- the left strap tends to slip off my shoulder.

    So I fabricated a cross strap between the two straps, to lie horizontally pretty much across the bottom of my shoulder blades and long enough to locate the straps about where they'd normally lie without it.  But this is pretty much a closed harness, so I took the lower mounting of the left strap off the fixing bracket and put a simple spring clip on it.  Now, I put my right arm through both straps and then duck my head between the two straps.  This leaves the end of the left strap hanging down just behind my left hip - I just reach back to take it and clip it onto the bottom strap bracket.

    Because of my bent back, I need to adjust pretty tight but it's not absolutely mandatory to pull things tight to get the same benefits that you mention in your original post.

    My way is probably pretty extreme but it may be helpful for some people (it may also be over-kill for others so (I'm not pusing it as a cure-all but the principle may give people some ideas to help their own particular needs.)

    If you'll be at MaW, I'll show my system to you.   Best regards, BH, NC USA

[Chris Brimley]

Bruce, I am (regrettably) young in spirit only!

But re your first posting, you have a good point, so perhaps I should add:-

Advantage 17:  It restrains the rounded bits and makes you look slimmer than you are.     

I'm afraid I can't make MaW, which is a shame because I would have liked to have had a look at your idea.  My first thought was that in your photo, you are playing standing up.  Therefore you may need the two straps anyway. I think my idea only works for sitting or standing on one leg.  With your arrangement, if you just take off the bottom fixing of the LH strap and shorten the back strap, you would have the same arrangement as me, I think.  The crucial difference is taking the strap off the left shoulder and letting it go under your armpit instead.

Regards,

Chris

[Chris Brimley]

Developing the Tri-strap arrangement by doing a lot of playing over the last couple of days, I now think the best position for the tri-point for me is about two-thirds of the way down the RH strap, rather than half way.  My Saltarelle straps have a buckle at about that point, which provides a good attachment point.  Although it's not all that critical, with this position it seems to pull the bottom of the keyboard in to you, and increase the tension on the LH strap, clamping the keyboard more rigidly against your body, but optimising the orientation of the keyboard to your right hand.

I've also noticed that the extra rigidity with the tri-point arrangement seems to improve subtle and quiet playing too.  Again it's all to do with being able to rely on the position of the buttons.

I'm also beginning to think the system maybe gives most advantages for the heavier boxes, but I've not worked this through yet.

I hope some of the 140 or so viewers of this thread so far are trying this all out!  I'm very interested to hear of your experiences.

Chris Brimley
 

[Matthew B]

I'm still trying to visualize this.  Would you are to share a picture?

[Chris Brimley]

I'll try to take some photos tomorrow, and post them if Theo allows attachments.

In the meantime, say you are looking at the BACK of a box player sitting down, with just one strap over the right shoulder.  Imagine the new strap attached at one end to the middle of the vertical line of that strap, as you look at it from the back.  This strap then goes horizontally round the player's back, under the left armpit, and the other end clips onto the top fixing on the box, so that it holds the top of the box to the player's body.  That's how it works.  I hope that's a bit easier to visualise?

Regards,

Chris Brimley

[Chris Brimley]

Here's a couple of photos attached (if it works).

[Pete Dunk]

Interesting. I might have a go at that sometime, but isn't that a large metal clip on the top bracket? If it is I'd be worried about how much damage it could inflict on the woodwork. 

[Chris Brimley]

Yes, it is a metal clip, but I've found with mine that the metal base of the fixing point prevents it from contacting the wood.  However If that doesn't work for you, I'd suggest a short length of strap going to a plastic quick-release clip like you get on rucksacks.

Chris Brimley

[Québécois]

I tried this with bits of straps and clips I had left, the only thing I find is that the weight of the melodeon rests on only one strap, although the left-side strap definitely maintains the stability better than the traditional 2-strap setup.

[Matthew B]

Thanks Chris,

I'll give it a go and report back.

[Folkiekay]

This looks interesting with the photos, and I think I'll give it a shot, but my guess is that it is a man thing - and won't work for a woman who is not anywhere close to flat chested.  Have any of you over-endowed females tried this?

Kay

[Chris Brimley]

Kay,

I had a look at your Youtube videos and noticed that your technique involves a strong right thumb pushing against a tight and almost horizontal single strap to cut down on keyboard movement, and I notice you move your thumb up or down the keyboard every now and then when you're doing pull notes - my guess is that the tri-point system might ease the right thumb pressure quite noticeably - why not give it a try?

Regards,

Chris

[Folkiekay]

Thanks - I'll give it a try.  When I play on the streets, my right thumb gets a real workout and after 5 or 6 hours of playing, I don't even want to use that thumb the next day.

Kay

[ladydetemps]

This looks interesting with the photos, and I think I'll give it a shot, but my guess is that it is a man thing - and won't work for a woman who is not anywhere close to flat chested.  Have any of you over-endowed females tried this?

I had a similar question in mind.
How did you get on with it Kay?