Playing The Piano

Piano and the Risk of Tendonitis

admin Tendonitis , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

Piano and the Risk of Tendonitis

As someone who has lived through 3 incredibly painful bouts of tendonitis, both in my left arm and right arm, I thought it important to pass on some information that has helped me deal with this in the past.



It is important to understand that playing the piano can cause serious injuries such as tendonitis and carpel tunnel syndrome. Both these ailments are known as repetitive strain injuries. The constant up and down, side to side movement of the arms and fingers when playing piano for long periods of time is what causes these injuries.



This is common among piano players. In fact, it is so common that there is a special clinic in Hamilton, Ontario called the Musician’s Clinics of Canada that deals with the prevention and rehabilitation of musician injuries. Naturally their patients include other instrumentalists like violin and guitar but, pianist injuries are certainly among the most common.



What can be done when a pianist gets tendonitis or carpel tunnel syndrome? Well, certainly there are conventional methods of dealing with the inflammation and pain. Unfortunately these types of treatments such as; anti-inflammatories, pain medications and physio therapy are designed to treat the symptoms. Therefore, once the pianist goes back to playing the piano without being completely healed the injuries can re-occur and in the end be quite difficult to get rid of.

Read more articles



It is not uncommon for tendonitis to stick around for very long periods of time. In my case, I once had a problem with my right arm that took almost 3 years to get better. The problem is of course that, as a professional I can’t possibly just stop playing the piano. I can take breaks in between concerts but usually I can only take up to a month’s rest at a time. 



So, how can these injuries be cured while still continuing to play? It’s important to understand that not every case is the same but, for me, I actually had to re-learn how to play the piano the correct way. I realized, after visiting the musician’s clinic, that I had the completely wrong approach to playing piano. Specifically, I was too close to the keyboard, I had the wrong wrist position, the wrong finger position and I didn’t understand the concept of leverage.



Leverage means to use the entire body to create volume on the piano. I was trying to create volume by forcing the keys down with forearm strength instead of using the entire body. Therefore, my arm muscles and joints suffered from the strain of trying to play too loud. What I eventually realized, with the help of the musician’s clinic doctor was that, I needed to create velocity as opposed to force. Once the key reached the bottom of its natural movement it can go no further. Yet, I was trying to force the note passed its end without even realizing it.



The correct way is to drive the note down with extra velocity using the back, shoulders, biceps, arms, wrists and fingers and then release at the exact moment the key reaches its lowest point. Therefore, it’s the velocity of the hammer hitting the string that creates volume. Knowing when to let up is very important in the fight to prevent injury.



In terms of moving the piano bench back, I had to learn also to sit with better upright posture and to generate leverage using my entire body. It’s easier to do this with the right foot (pedal foot) forward and the left foot back under the bench. Then as you pivot forward and backward on the bench you have more balance and leverage.



Once last point I should mention; exercise is very important. I started weight training several years ago because, I find that the extra muscle helps a great deal in preventing injury. Be careful however, to consult a professional when starting weight training. You must do it the correct way in order for it to be beneficial.

 

Paul Tobey – About the Author:

 

Learning piano lessons takes motivation that sometimes can be missing. Paul Tobey’s online piano lessons are perfect for anyone who may be considering learning to play better piano. He a free piano lesson to new members.





Read more: //www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/piano-and-the-risk-of-tendonitis-123703.html#ixzz1NfPd1L00 

 

Piano and the Risk of Tendonitis

admin Tendonitis , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Piano and the Risk of Tendonitis

Piano and the Risk of Tendonitis
By Paul Tobey

As someone who has lived through 3 incredibly painful bouts of tendinitis, both in my left arm and right arm, I thought it important to pass on some information that has helped me deal with this in the past.

It is important to understand that playing the piano can cause serious injuries such as tendinitis and carpel tunnel syndrome. Both these ailments are known as repetitive strain injuries. The constant up and down, side to side movement of the arms and fingers when playing piano for long periods of time is what causes these injuries.

This is common among piano players. In fact, it is so common that there is a special clinic in Hamilton, Ontario called the Musician’s Clinics of Canada that deals with the prevention and rehabilitation of musician injuries. Naturally their patients include other instrumentalists like violin and guitar but, pianist injuries are certainly among the most common.

What can be done when a pianist gets tendinitis or carpel tunnel syndrome? Well, certainly there are conventional methods of dealing with the inflammation and pain. Unfortunately these types of treatments such as; anti-inflammatory, pain medications and physio therapy are designed to treat the symptoms. Therefore, once the pianist goes back to playing the piano without being completely healed the injuries can re-occur and in the end be quite difficult to get rid of.

It is not uncommon for tendinitis to stick around for very long periods of time. In my case, I once had a problem with my right arm that took almost 3 years to get better. The problem is of course that, as a professional I can’t possibly just stop playing the piano. I can take breaks in between concerts but usually I can only take up to a month’s rest at a time.

So, how can these injuries be cured while still continuing to play? It’s important to understand that not every case is the same but, for me, I actually had to re-learn how to play the piano the correct way. I realized, after visiting the musician’s clinic, that I had the completely wrong approach to playing piano. Specifically, I was too close to the keyboard, I had the wrong wrist position, the wrong finger position and I didn’t understand the concept of leverage.

Leverage means to use the entire body to create volume on the piano. I was trying to create volume by forcing the keys down with forearm strength instead of using the entire body. Therefore, my arm muscles and joints suffered from the strain of trying to play too loud. What I eventually realized, with the help of the musician’s clinic doctor was that, I needed to create velocity as opposed to force. Once the key reached the bottom of its natural movement it can go no further. Yet, I was trying to force the note passed its end without even realizing it.

The correct way is to drive the note down with extra velocity using the back, shoulders, biceps, arms, wrists and fingers and then release at the exact moment the key reaches its lowest point. Therefore, it’s the velocity of the hammer hitting the string that creates volume. Knowing when to let up is very important in the fight to prevent injury.

In terms of moving the piano bench back, I had to learn also to sit with better upright posture and to generate leverage using my entire body. It’s easier to do this with the right foot (pedal foot) forward and the left foot back under the bench. Then as you pivot forward and backward on the bench you have more balance and leverage.

Once last point I should mention; exercise is very important. I started weight training several years ago because, I find that the extra muscle helps a great deal in preventing injury. Be careful however, to consult a professional when starting weight training. You must do it the correct way in order for it to be beneficial.

Piano lessons are becoming more popular on the internet every day. Paul Tobey gives online piano lessons that not only focus on making better music but on the business end of the music business to help aspiring artists succeed. Take a free piano lesson today.

Article Source: //EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Tobey

//EzineArticles.com/?Piano-and-the-Risk-of-Tendonitis&id=507160


The Importance of Scales and Arpeggios

admin Injury Management, Keyboard Technique, Piano Method, The Magic Touch , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It is no secret that for any pianist, amateur or professional, it is imperative that they commence with a solid warm up prior to launching into a playing session.  In fact, I prefer to think of the scales and arpeggios as part of the playing session. Why and how so?

 

The benefits of playing scales are all about an adequate warm up, and flexibility of the fingers, and hand. Whist I realise that for a beginner, the idea of incurring an injury at the piano may seem a far fetched idea, it is a definite reality for many people, who may not be adopting the right techniques to play the piano. However, far from wanting to put you off, I'd rather that it be an encouragement to simply follow the right techniques, and processes, to adequately tone your hand, arm, and finger muscles.

 

Playing the piano is not about just pushing the right keys in the right order. It is very much more than that, and certainly, a possibility to master as a skill, when approached the right way. 

To illustrate this example, you can start by playing scales, and then, moving up to arpeggios.

 

However, you can also start improvising, and turning the scales in to musical composition, as you progress. 

 

It is not an automatic thing, no, but certainly a way to move forward, when you need to.

 

As the Late Professor Lionel Bowman said, it is always a good idea to start to learn something new, with a new technique, rather than trying to play something you already know,as your mind has already programmed a certain method into your playing for a particular piece. However, what about if you decide to learn something completely new, following a new technique, like the Bowman method?

 

You will find that you develop greater strength in your fingers, as well as the ability to relax more in the hand and arm, thus allowing a greater degree of stress to remain out of the equation.

Tension and stress, mixed with the incorrect sitting posture can dramatically affect your likelyhood of having problems with tendonitis and also muscular aches in general.

However, getting back to my title earlier, the fact that you are playing scales and arpeggios is an important aspect of the warm up process.

 

I realise that it may take a combination of discipline, and sheer  creativity in time, but you will certainly see the result with less injury over the curse of your piano playing career. For that alone, the issue is a fait accompli.

The Classical Piano method- known as the Magic Touch, is available here.

How Can I still Play the Piano After Experiencing Tendonitis and Other Hand Injuries?

admin Injury Management, Overcoming Adversity , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

It is not uncommon for professional, or serious, regular pianists to experience various hand injuries over the course of their piano playing days. This is particularly problematic for people who may have small hands, and who play complex works, such as the Rachmaninov Concerto Number 3, and so on. However, this problem is certainly not confined to only classical pianists, or even professionals. These various injuries can affect just about any pianist, casual or professional, from time to time.


The most typical injuries include tendonitis, and wrist strain, mostly as a result of either not having sufficient strength built up in their fingers and hands, as well as other playing issues such as correct position at the piano. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a common list of problems, as I have mentioned earlier.


For some piano players, the thought may even have crossed their mind to give up playing, due to the repetitive injuries. Whilst this is an extreme option, there are other ways to reduce the injuries, and actually end up by playing better. One method that has been proven by many students after being adopted is the Bowman method.


Professor Lionel Bowman was a distinguished piano player, at the peak of his career around his late thirties, who had developed very great problems with tendonitis. After having to actually stop playing for a number of months, while his hand healed, he took the time to actually study the anatomy of the hand and arm, and created his own method of playing the piano. His style has enabled him to become a better teacher, and his crowning achievement through this process was that he not only was able to resume his playing, but succeeded in helping others play better, with less incidence of injury as well.


The Bowman method encompasses the strengthening of the fingers, as well as an overall approach to muscle coordination. Far too many people start to play the piano a certain way, and find that, over the years, their discomfort increases, due to the method of playing that creates tension and stress in the joints as well as fingers.


One aspect of the method is about sitting in the right place, with reference to the notes being played. As an example, the hips need to be loose, in that for certain parts of the score, the pianist will need to sit right, or site left, and even sit back, to allow the wrists to become lower then the keys. By moving the hips, so the pianist's body is in front of, and at right angles to the keyboard, will minimise the stress on the wrists as well as muscles of the wrist, and tendons.


It can often aid the pianist to make specific notes on the music score, like sitting right, or sitting left, as this will aid the pianist to achieve an optimum posture and comfort. This comfort will translate into relaxation, and thus, a better overall sound as well as reduced injuries.


 

This technique needs to be practiced, and actually, it can be beneficial to start learning a new piece, rather than trying to relearn an already known piece of music. The best proof is in the action, and seeing for yourself.

 

 


Are you able to store your piano performances for future listening? Have you been having trouble recording your piano performances, for the long term? Not only can you record your performances, but also gain an enhanced comfort and improvement in your playing, with less stress and injury. To learn more, see The Magic Touch.  

The Benefits of Learning from Someone Who Has Been There

admin Lionel Bowman, Overcoming Adversity, Piano Method , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I understand the title to this entry may seem a little vague, but in effect, it becomes clearer with further reading.


What do I mean?


Well, in the case if Lionel Bowman, he is a classic case of someone who was a dedicated, and convincing pianist, at concert level.


In fact, it would be accurate to say that he was at the peak of his career, in his late thirties. 

Unfortunately, he experienced a set back, in the form of a hand and arm injury, through sprains, and difficulty of playing, as his hands were relatively small.


Whilst he still played the piano well, he often ended up needing medical assistance to help heal the injuries in his hands.

For many people, this may well have signaled the end to their career, but Lionel was no ordinary person, prepared to give up at the first sign of resistance. In fact, he turned what could have been a professional disaster into a gain, not only for himself, in that he was able to continue playing, but also for countless numbers of others.

 

He managed to develop a technique for playing the piano, that not only allowed him to play pain free, but actually enhanced the sound of his playing. The method involved the strengthening of the fingers, and a modification to the technique that he approached the keyboard with. The result was The Magic Touch, expressed in written form by Mr Wallace Tate, himself a past Music Examinations Board Director in Western Australia.


Professor Bowman has been able to bring the very best of a terrible and painstaking journey to light, in the form of a manual and instructional video to help others improve their playing skills. Whilst the professional pianist can certainly gain from the lessons, the techniques are also very valuable for the teacher as well as more junior student, in that the application of the correct technique early on will mean not having to relearn a method that works, and unlearn another.


Terms of Use - Privacy Policy