Sam Ramsay built & affixed a small shelf-like thing to his Schmidt. It was made of wood and covered with carpet scraps. I don't remember how it was held on. Maybe it was cable ties. It was completely removable and reversible, however.
The shelf supported the heel of the hand so that the thumb was actually in the right position to operate the change valve. Sam's Schmidt, with gizmo attached, was as comfortable to play as any horn, and more comfortable than some. Like you, I have very small hands; most women have larger hands than I do. Eva Heater (?) once emailed me that she had a bean bag-like thing that she taped to her Schmidt with gaffer's tape or suchlike. She sent me a JPG, lost in a hard disk crash. The purpose was much the same as Sam Ramsay's shelf, to support the heel of the hand. She said it worked well. If she's still on the list, and if I've remembered her name right, maybe she'll chime in. I share your like of Schmidts, everything but the ergonomics. I wish I'd been more aggressive in trying to persuade Sam to sell me his. I don't know what happened to it after he died. If I thought I could fix the disastrous ergonomics I'd have bought a Schmidt long since. HTH. Howard Sanner [email protected] "Pessimists are surprised as often as optimists, but always pleasantly"--The Giant Rat of Sumatra, by Richard L. Boyer, p. 61. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
