More like the rusted one…

 

My HH creates a physical problem for my instrument. The sweat is constantly “gunking” up the rods and right hand mechanism, slowing the keys down. I will often bring my flute to the shop to get it taken apart and cleaned.

Unfortunately, my sweat has done a number on the appearance of my instrument as well. It’s only about 4 years old, but I am asked if it’s an antique.

 

Regardless, I always say how lucky I am to have chosen the flute as my instrument.

Sure, I have problems playing the flute with HH. But when I think about it, I would have a much harder time playing any other instrument.

Of course I didn’t choose the flute because of this reason. I was a kid. I wasn’t thinking about how this choice would effect my future. At that point, I thought I was going to be a hair dresser or professional basketball player or taxi driver (all real ambitions I had as a kid).

 

When I think about attempting to play other instruments with HH, I realize how difficult they would be.

String instruments would be impossible. My fingers would slide off the strings. My swollen fingers would cause problems with the small spacing of the strings.

I’ve played piano before, and that’s not fun either. You will usually share pianos with people, and I hate leaving wet keys behind.

I played saxophone for three years in high school and had a brief few months with the clarinet. I had a lot of problems attaching the mouthpiece and reeds with my HH. I was always using paper towels to help me place the mouthpiece on the cork. You adjust the mouthpiece to tune your instrument with the band. I had so much trouble with this simple task. If I didn’t use a paper towel, the mouthpiece wouldn’t adjust, and instead, I’d accidentally pop the metal ligature off (how the reed stays on).

Double reed instruments like oboe and bassoon would also be impossible I think. You need to make your own reeds using small intricate tools. Remember when I said I cringed when I saw someone on the subway taking their phone apart because I knew I could never do something like that? I would never be able to use these tools with HH.

 

So, I am so thankful to have chosen the flute and I really consider myself pretty lucky! No reeds, no strings, no sharing.

 

Here are some other things I could never do or would be very difficult to do:

1. Lyrical dancing.Usually done with bare feet. I would be a hazard to myself, slipping and sliding on the floor.

2. Be a hair dresser. One of my earliest dreams. I wouldn’t be able to touch people’s hair or style it without making it all oily and gross.

3. Manicurist. Holding people’s hands…enough said.

4. Be a gymnast. I would have loved to be a gymnast. For my hands, I wouldn’t be able to do parallel bars. For my feet, I wouldn’t be able to do balance beam.

5. Be a repair person. Whether using small tools or not.

I could probably do many of these things if I wore gloves, but the feeling of sweating inside gloves is uncomfortable for people with HH. Especially rubber gloves- yuck!

 

Thanks for reading,

Caryn Joan