Q&A: Ergonomics of piano playing

Tags

exercise, health, healthy eating, piano, practice, stretching

Source: Pixabay

While a computer tech was trouble-shooting at the house this week, he was interested in my ergonomic keyboard. In fact, he is going to purchase one.

Take a look!  http://www.thehumansolution.com/keyovation.html

That got me thinking about this post, first published in 2010.

Someone searched this blog recently for “ergonomics of playing the piano.”  Let’s replace that with “playing the piano safely.”

We can maintain our ability to play the piano for decades by being aware and looking for variety.

Awareness of warning signs is important to avoid injury.  Once someone incurs an injury, s/he becomes more vulnerable to further injury in the future.  So even if you think it could never happen to you, it happens all the time.

Be Aware

If you feel numbness, tingling, or pain, you need to take a break.

If anything hurts, even a stiff neck, you need to look at that.

Practicing mindlessly for hours on end without a break is never a good idea.

Incorporate Variety

What’s your plan?  How do you practice?

Going at something as fast and loudly as possible will get you injured in no time.

Here are a few ideas about staying safe.

You can practice:

• hands alone
• slower than performance tempo
• loud/soft
• changing range on the keyboard
• alternating difficult passages with less stressful ones
• mixing up a stint of staccato practicing with legato (use your body in different ways)
  
• for leaps and glissandi, measuring distances and calculating timing by faking it (above the keyboard ~ no need to play all that often)
• feeling chord shapes in your hands, also above the keyboard
• more carefully when you’re tired
  

You can:

• alternate practicing and gripping activities with passive activities, such as reading or taking a walk, talking on the speakerphone.  For example, lifting weights and practicing are both stressing your body, thus making you more vulnerable to injury.  Your body needs a break in between.
  
• play with your hands and arms in a natural position (you don’t have to be exactly lined up with the keys!)
• look at your practice setup ~ lighting, chair height, your distance from the keyboard (do you have room to navigate?)
• always use healthy body alignment (feet on the floor, supporting your body ~ no slumping forward, no legs wrapped around chair legs, no feet on chair rungs, no head on hand on elbow resting on the piano)
  
• look at the music away from the piano
• conduct, sing, walk the rhythm, clap, speak the text in rhythm, try dynamic changes out with your voice
• take a 20-min. break every hour
• practice in more than one chunk of time during the day
• eat 3 healthy meals every day (don’t skip a meal in order to practice!)
• exercise!
• stretch your body and warm up your hands before practicing (5 min.)
  
• stretch your arms, shoulders, and back after practicing (5 more min.)

Computer use (i.e. more use of your hands)

Same thing.  Look at your setup, use good body alignment (don’t lie on your bed, resting on your elbows).  Take breaks.  Move your arms, shoulders, and back when you type, like you would on an old manual typewriter with tiered keys.  Stretch before and after computer work.

Computers probably demand more fast work without breaks than practicing an instrument.  No one talks about good body alignment in workplaces.  Deadlines are much more important.  (Fed-Ex leaves in 5 minutes!  Are you done yet?)  And, unless you’re self-employed, you’re likely to have someone who wants you to produce more, faster than you need to be going.  Pressure means vulnerability to injury.

Why not take a look at your usual approach to the computer during your time off, at home?  Try looking at yourself in the mirror, or ask a friend to help.

At work, you can set your phone alarm to alert you once an hour.  Stand up, walk around, stretch, breathe, and something relaxing.  Take a break!  The up side of leaving your work where it is for a few minutes is, you won’t turn into a pretzel!

What do you think?  What is your approach to practice and computer use?  Do you have certain ways of going about it that work particularly well for you?  Do you take breaks?

Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section!

You can read much more about ergonomics here.

And while you’re here, please take a look at my E-book! “Goal-oriented Practice” is all about being smart, saving time, and achieving better results.

If this post has been helpful and you think your friends and contacts would benefit from reading it, please share. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

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Recent discoveries: links to continue previous conversations

Tags

blog-related articles, congregational singing, links, music education, pedagogy

Source:  Wikimediacommons
File:  Nuovo_regno,_fine_della_XVIII_dinastia,_conversazione,
1352-1336 ac ca, da el amarna poi hermopolis.JPG

The links provided in this post will take you to articles related to recent posts on this blog.  Links to my posts are also listed here.  Please take a minute to look around! Comments welcome!

on Congregational Singing:

From TheologyInWorship.com, “Why We Should Still Be Using Hymnals”

Which points do you agree or disagree with?

Also from TheologyInWorship, “Solutions for a Church that Just Won’t Sing”

What do you think?

Thanks to Nancy Andersen for posting both links on Facebook!

For your convenience, here are links to each blog post in my series on Congregational Singing:

Part I
Why choosing music that is singable by untrained congregants is crucial.

Part II
What to look for when choosing music for congregations.

Part III
This rock song could be adapted for congregation, choir, or both (video).

Part IV
An astute reader’s comment.

Part V
How to introduce new hymns/worship songs.

Part VI
Readers’ responses to Part V.

Part VII
Resources for alternatives to standard hymns.

*****

on Perfect Pitch:

From the University of Chicago:  “Acquiring Perfect Pitch May Be Possible for Some Adults”

Thanks to Beth Parker for this!

My post about perfect pitch (64 comments!)
“Perfect Pitch and Relative Pitch:  How do they Differ?”

*****

on Practicing:

From Interlude.HK:  “Ten Tips for Productive Practice”

Practice tips from my blog:

“Optimize Your Practice Time!”
How do you manage your precious practice time?

How Much does Practice Factor into Elite Performance?
with a link to an article in the New York Times.

“A Wonderful Practice Day”
Every practice day is different.  This is one scenario.

“What is a “Bad” Practice Day?”
We all have them…

“How Do You Return to Practicing after a Hiatus?”
We all end up taking breaks from time to time.  How do you handle it?

and my e-book!

“Goal-oriented Practice”
Please take a look!
My book will save you time.  In addition, you will soon be learning more music.  You will gain insight into teaching students as individuals.  Both you and they will perform with confidence.

50% off!!!

What did you find here?  What would you like to see? Comments welcome!

Happy practicing!

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Crucial stretches for every keyboard user

Tags

articles, links, related posts, staying healthy, stretching

This post is for musicians and computer users.

“Keyboard user” is a conscious decision for inclusion in the title (rather than “keyboard player”) because  computer operators need to stretch.  So do organists, harpsichordists, pianists, electronic keyboardists, and others who use the small structures of their hands and arms in repetitive fashion.

Keyboard users move their hands and arms (and backs and shoulders and necks and heads) primarily in one direction, often for long periods of time.  Work, music, and play can become mesmerizing.  We forget to take breaks, or postpone them to do “one more page.”  And then, an hour later, we’re still at it.

We have all seen athletes stretch.  That makes sense, right?  We are also athletes.  We use smaller structures that are not built for the amount of stress we put on them.  Stretching helps address the problem.

New discussion

A discussion of stretches recently came up on Facebook.  This link takes you to a new article on the subject.

I am delighted to see ongoing interest in stretching.  Everyone benefits by having the topic back at the top of their “to do” lists and reading about others’ experiences.

My friend Michael Meltzer and I continued the discussion.  Michael said:

My last teacher was the late Louise Curcio in New Jersey, who began every lesson with about ten minutes of stretches. She explained, “We are creatures of habit. When you are not properly stretched, you’ll begin your practice in slightly incorrect or imprecise arm & finger positions and configurations. Your brain will remember those incorrect lineups and unconsciously seek to recreate them, interfering with learning and mastering your pieces.”

… looking at it carefully, I think the exact words SHE would have used would have been “arm and finger postures” instead of finger positions & configurations (my words).

Used by permission. Thank you, Michael!

Why stretch?

When playing or using a computer, our muscles and tendons adjust to accommodate our repetitive, uni-directional motions.  The muscles and tendons on the top of the forearm and hand lengthen, while on the underside, they shorten.

This results in an imbalance which can result in injury.

The stretches we need to do help things return to normal.  We need to stretch in the opposite direction from the way we have been moving while playing an instrument or using a computer.

The following comes from a previous post about ergonomics as applied to keyboard use.  As school revs up and we all become busier, combating stress and tension are even more important.

We can maintain our ability to play an instrument or use a computer for decades by being aware and looking for variety as we proceed.

Awareness of warning signs is important to avoid injury.  Once someone incurs an injury, s/he becomes more vulnerable to further injury in the future.  So even if you think it could never happen to you, please read on.

Be aware

• If you feel numbness, tingling, or pain, you need to take a break.
• If anything hurts, even a stiff neck, you need to look at that.
• Practicing mindlessly for hours on end without a break is never a good idea.

Incorporate variety

What’s your plan?  How do you practice?

Going at something as fast and loudly as possible will get you injured in no time.

Here are a few ideas about staying safe.

You can practice:

• hands alone
• slower than performance tempo
• loud/soft
• changing range on the keyboard
• alternating difficult passages with less stressful ones
• mixing up a stint of staccato practicing with legato (use your body in different ways)
• for leaps and glissandi, measuring distances and calculating timing by faking it (above the keyboard ~ no need to play all that often)
• feeling chord shapes in your hands, also above the keyboard
• more carefully when you’re tired

You can:

• alternate practicing and gripping activities with passive activities, such as reading or taking a walk, talking on the speakerphone.  For example, lifting weights and practicing are both stressing your body, thus making you more vulnerable to injury.  Your body needs a break in between.
• play with your hands and arms in a natural position (you don’t have to be exactly lined up with the keys!)
• look at your practice setup ~ lighting, chair height, your distance from the keyboard (do you have room to navigate?)
• always use healthy body alignment (feet on the floor, supporting your body ~ no slumping forward, no legs wrapped around chair legs, no feet on chair rungs, no head on hand on elbow resting on the piano)
• look at the music away from the piano
• conduct, sing, walk the rhythm, clap, speak the text in rhythm, try dynamic changes out with your voice
• take a 10-min. break every hour
• practice in more than one chunk of time during the day
• eat 3 healthy meals every day (don’t skip a meal in order to practice!)
• exercise!
• stretch your body and warm up your hands before practicing (5 min.)
• stretch your arms, shoulders, and back after practicing (5 more min.)

Computer use

The same awareness is important here.  Look at your setup, use good body alignment (don’t lie on your bed, resting on your elbows).  Take breaks.  Move your arms, shoulders, and back when you type, like you would on an old manual typewriter with tiered keys.  Stretch before and after computer work.

Computers probably demand more fast work without breaks than practicing an instrument.  No one talks about good body alignment in workplaces.  Deadlines are much more important.  (Fed-Ex leaves in 5 minutes!  Are you done yet?)  And, unless you’re self-employed, you’re likely to have someone who wants you to produce more, faster than you need to be going.  Pressure means vulnerability to injury.

Why not take a look at your usual approach to the computer during your time off, at home?  Try looking at yourself in the mirror, or ask a friend to help.

At work, you can set your phone alarm to alert you once an hour.  Stand up, walk around, stretch, breathe, and something relaxing.  Take a break!  The up side of leaving your work where it is for a few minutes is, you won’t turn into a pretzel!

What do you think?  What is your approach to practice and computer use?  Do you have certain ways of going about it that work particularly well for you?  Do you take breaks?

Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below!

You can read more articles on this blog about ergonomics here.

Also, while you’re here, please take a look at my E-book!

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Trying something new? Proceed with caution!

Tags

Education, Music, pain management, pedagogy, piano

Stretching Exercise ~ Image via Wikipedia

My students, as well as contributors to a piano discussion forum in which I participate, often talk about the same dilemma.  When trying something new, they have physical pain! 

This should not be the case.

People’s first reaction, and I include myself, is that the pain will go away.  It doesn’t.  Don’t ignore pain!

I have encountered pain from time to time.  My hand tires when practicing octaves or a strenuous piece (think Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata).  There are ways to handle this.

Pain is a warning!

Pain is a warning sign, not something that will go away by practicing more in the same way.  Pain is not acceptable, and you should not expect to “get used to it.”  Isn’t your playing more important than plowing ahead no matter what?

Complaints I’ve heard involve:

• new hand positions
• unfamiliar chords
• arpeggios
• new fingerings
• unfamiliar articulation
• staccato
• marcato
• octaves
• repeated notes
• double thirds

Many of us, myself included, tend to practice until we get it right.  We lose track of time, and have no idea how often we have repeated the same passage.

My suggestions:

• Look at your practice setup.  Is the bench at a good height for you?  Is there enough light?  Are you away from cold drafts and the air conditioner?
• Remove yourself from the “I have to get this NOW” mindset.
• Stay aware of the level of tension in your body.
• Limit the amount of time you spend on a new passage to a few minutes, not 1/2 hour or more.  (10 to 20 minutes is plenty.)  Set a timer if necessary.
• If you feel pain, STOP IMMEDIATELY.  You need to stretch* (illustrated above ~ turn forearm over and stretch hand down, too), take a break, have a snack and some water, and either stop for the day or work on something completely different.
• “Something completely different” means something in an easy hand position, slow practice, playing with the opposite hand, etc.
• You can always return to the problematic passage later in your practice session (IF there is no pain), or in a day or two.
• Practice smarter.
• If your new passage has you crossing one hand over the front of your body, that is a big reach.  You need to relax and experiment with the angle of your hand, arm, and body.  This will take longer than 5 or 10 minutes, but when you do find a comfortable angle, you will no longer be in pain.
• Slow down.
• Relax between notes, chords, hand positions.
• Block everything, playing all notes together, then thumb alone (which pivots your hand to the new position), then another block, then thumb, etc.
• Mark rather than play.  Or just mime on top of the keys.  You can learn a lot this way!
• Look at the music away from the piano.
• Listen to recordings ~ either several of your piece, music of the same composer, or maybe something else to relax your brain.

If you have been trying something new and are experiencing pain, I hope this post provides insight and encourages you to approach new technical requirements differently.

All of us need to be alert to pain, addressing it immediately to avoid injury.

*Stretches should each be done twice, at 85% capacity, for 30 seconds.  The purpose is to return the tendons, stretched in one direction while playing, to normal range of motion.

I do stretches whenever I feel pain, as well as after each practice session.

Have you encountered pain when learning a new technical feat?  How did you handle it? 

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

Learning a new piece? New program? Heading back to school? Looking for teaching ideas? Then this is the perfect time to read “Goal-oriented Practice: How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer!”

Goal-oriented Practice

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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E-book available in print, too!

Tags

Also available in print!, and performers, E-book for students, teachers

Goal-oriented Practice

How to Avoid Traps and Become a Confident Performer

by Gretchen Saathoff

Welcome!

My E-book shows you how to make steady progress starting right now! Eliminate negative self-talk, overwhelming feelings, and practicing with little improvement.

Written in plain English, no musical jargon.

Shows step-by-step actions you can take.

The print version is produced in landscape format on heavy stock. Spiral binding ensures that the book lies flat. There is plenty of space for you to keep written notes due to single-sided printing. The book is attractive and durable, making it a frequently-used part of your music library for years to come.

If this book doesn’t deliver all that you hoped for, we’ll refund your money ~ you have nothing to lose.

Enjoy at your own pace, see immediate, steady, ongoing improvement in your playing.

If you have any questions about this offer or about my book, please email me at: gret49@AOL.com.

August 2011 review by pianist Robert W. Oliver

Read a review by Dr. Gail Fischler, Eastern Arizona College.

Read a review by pianist Catherine Shefski.

Read a review by jazz musician Tom Saul.

PayPal and credit cards accepted.

via E-junkie
E-book $19.95

via PayLoadz
Buy Now E-book $19.95

Print version $24.95
available in Amherst at
Amherst Books, Food for Thought Books,
Amherst Music House, and Collective Copies
in Amherst and Florence
or send me an email:

gret49@AOL.com

Testimonials

“Great advice and really works.”

“Can hear themes and voices so clearly! That alone was worth the price!”

“An excellent new resource for practice techniques.”

“Such an important topic. Vital. Your tips are spot on on and your writing is encouraging.”

“Thanks for this wonderful contribution to our literature – it’s a real jewel!”

“…there’s lot of insight in [your book] that applies nicely to other life endeavors besides practicing the piano, and that was apparent just from my first partial reading of it.”

“Students could download [your book], keep it, and refer to it again and again.”

“I just read your e-book, and it is AMAZING. All I could think about was, “why did our teachers never teach us how to practice?” Sure, they would suggest not always starting at the beginning of the piece, but I really think we needed a much more systematic, disciplined approach. Can’t believe all those wasted hours in the practice room.”

“I love the layout of the book… and the sense of humor is perfect….”

“…a PLEASURE to read something so well-written… clear, concise, and organized. A true pleasure.”

“Wonderful!”

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to all who contributed their expertise and support to make this possible:

to Sean, for assembling all the pieces into one PDF file;

to Charles, for his wonderful feedback and encouragement;

to Louise, Irene, Lauren, and Jane for their support;

to everyone who wrote terrific reviews (see links above);

and to my Facebook and Twitter friends for their ongoing presence.

I couldn’t have done this without you!

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Give me a break!

Tags

Artur Rubinstein, health, Music, practice, practice breaks

Artur Rubinstein, 1906 ~ Image via Wikipedia

How many hours do you practice at a stretch?

During my freshman year in college, a senior named Becky accompanied the Male Glee Club.  Fairly often, as most people were headed to dinner, she would stay behind in the music building to practice.  No amount of cajoling would change her resolve.  This would occur most often when she needed to learn music on short notice.

At crunch times, Becky would say, “I’m going to lock myself in the practice room and stay there til I can play it.”  What do you think?  Good idea?

Artur Rubinstein wrote that did the same thing.  He loved his busy social life, and hated to practice when he was young.  While staying in the villa of one friend or another, he would let practicing slide until two weeks before a series of concerts.

With the pressure building, Rubinstein would lock himself in the music room and learn his program.  But there was an added incentive!  He talked about having a bowl of cherries on one side of the music rack, chocolates on the other.   🙂

Practicing for long periods with no breaks leads to problems, even more when stress is present.  A few that come to mind are brain and muscle fatigue, and inviting injury.

Long-distance haulers have mandatory breaks written into their contracts.  Why don’t we add a similar mandate to our practicing contracts with ourselves?

Do you know when you need a break?

Many people don’t.  Do you:

• lose track of time when you practice?
• push in order to “get through” and “save time?”
• stop eating regular meals?
• practice beyond your ability to listen effectively?
• find mindless repetition creeping in?

I have seen myself doing all of these far too often, both in practicing and in computer work.

All of us are most alert at the beginning of a session​.  Even without considering the issues of eating and being vulnerable to injury, we will obviously accomplish much more if we remain alert.

How can we notice?

If you “check out” while practicing, as I do, there are some small things you can do to help yourself out:

• write​ down your start time
• set a timer or an alarm OR
• develop a habit of checking the clock
• take break before you need one​ ~ don’t let it go.
• make sure to take a break once every hour

Remember that the small structures of our hands and wrists were not built for multiple repetitions.  They need​ time off in order to recover from practicing.

So even if it’s only getting a glass of water, take a break!  Your body and mind, the learning process, and your neighbors will thank you.

Do you take practice breaks?  How often?  How do you remind yourself?

Please share your ideas in the comment section below!

SHOP IN YOUR BUNNY SLIPPERS!  “Goal-oriented Practice” is 50% off in the E-book version, 20% off in Print.  It’s the perfect gift for the musicians on your list!  You can shop in your jammies online, so you’ll have plenty of time and energy left to do all your other shopping.  You’ll see great reviews and wonderful readers’ comments when you click on the link.

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Got a Life?

Tags

finding balance

Image by ecstaticist via Flickr

The other day on a UMass bus, the  student driver was playing a recording of a Mozart horn concerto.

Hearing classical music on a bus is so unusual (2nd time in 11 years!), I decided to find out why.

After discussing the choice of recordings, my question was, “Are you a music major?”

The driver answered, “No.  I’ve talked to a lot of music majors, and they DON’T HAVE A LIFE!”

Hmmm.  Do you agree with that?

Shortly after the end of my senior recital in college, my friends left for the reception.  Twenty minutes later, when I still wasn’t there, they returned to the hall to look for me.  They had assumed I wasn’t going to come, but would practice instead.

Their assumptions really surprised me!  Who would not go to their own reception?

Do you have a life?

Stated another way, do you have a life outside music?  Writing?  Painting?

When is the last time you:

• sat outside to read?

• watched the sunset?

• walked in the rain?

• saw a movie?

• called a friend?

• had dinner out?  (Do you eat 3 meals a day?)

• listened to something outside your comfort zone?

Are you able to discuss other interests?

One clue that you could benefit from being curious about things outside your area of expertise might be whether you can talk about other subjects.

Do you have friends outside the arts?

Can you say “no?”

Feeling that you must say “yes” to every phone call can mean that you have no time to be you. Do you feel that it is necessary to accept absolutely everything?

Are you enjoying your art?  Or has it become a burden, something you have to do without much enjoyment?

Experience enhances art

Performing well calls for more than spending hours and hours in the practice room.  Robots need not apply!  I’m sure everyone has witnessed performances in which the performer wasn’t “there.”

We needn’t allow that to happen to us!

Taking breaks is crucial

Practicing, performing, and being on the road all the time can take a toll on your health and disposition.  You need time for sleep, healthy meals, exercise, and outside interests.

In addition to being a healthier, more interesting person, you will be doing a lot to prevent repetitive strain injuries.

Health and longevity both benefit

Not only will you be happier when you incorporate non-artistic pursuits, but your ability to remain excited about your art will be intact.

Your playing will be all the more compelling because of the range of experience you are drawing from.

What do you think?  How balanced is your life?  What steps could you take toward that goal?

Please add your thoughts in the comment section below!

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My ergo day, practicing included

Image via Wikipedia

Last night I didn’t get enough sleep. But I got up early anyway in order to practice & to complete a large mailing project.

Being tired makes you & me good candidates for tendonitis. So I knew I wanted to be careful to avoid too much repetition of any one activity.

Here are a few precautions I took:

First, I made several necessary business calls. Grasping the handset is a potential trigger for tendonitis. You can change your hand position so your thumb is right next to your fingers.

That might seem strange if you’re not used to it, but when you try it, you’ll notice much less strain on your thumb.

Stretching my hands in between calls helped.

On the final call, the wait time was 25 min. So I used the speaker phone while working on the mailing.

Practicing w/awareness of possible hand strain was also important today. So I went for a variety of approaches: slow practice, isolating riffs to learn fingering, practicing hands alone, & taking stretch breaks every so often.

Assembling the mailing required writing letters, stuffing envelopes, pasting labels, paper clipping pages together in sets, & sealing envelopes. That can be very stressful for your hands, & needs your attention if you want to maintain your health & career longevity.

My way of dealing today was to alternate writing & stuffing, writing & pasting. Each of these is done @ a different angle.

Rest breaks, changing angles, & changing tasks frequently all help a great deal. It’s the frequent repetition of exactly the same motion that can get you into trouble.

Being tired, coming down w/a cold or the flu, cold temperatures (such as sitting near an air-conditioner), & overuse are some other factors.

Women who are in peri-menopause are particularly susceptible for some reason.

This is how I tried to practice w/variety: I practiced 1 Liszt piece, the coda of which is improving, but I think I’m probably rushing the entire tempo. I’ll try a slower tempo tomorrow. (Didn’t try that today, in order to move on to something different.)

Then I worked on a Stravinsky piece. I need to find a recording or a narrative about this piece, because I think one of the metronome markings must be a misprint. (Likewise. Moved on.)

After that, I worked on 3 preludes by Charles Turner, using a variety of approaches, since this music is all new to me (so it isn’t “in my hands” yet, therefore causes more stress on them).

In the 1st, I concentrated on playing expressively; in the 2nd, I worked on rhythms, conducted & sang, used metronome & sang, then played the piece @ performance tempo.

In the 3rd piece, I wrote in fingerings w/o playing much. (You can play a series of notes together as a tone cluster, putting in fingerings that way.)

The last piece today was a Bach fugue. In hearing it after 8 days (wow! didn’t realize it had been that long.), I didn’t like the way I played it, & am considering a faster tempo. (And that was a good place to stop.) Total time: 2 hrs. 10 min.

I hope this helps if you, too, need to be proactive in avoiding tendonitis. Being aware of how you’re feeling is crucial!

Musicians tend to hunker down & toil away until they’ve solved whatever it is. Computer users do, too. They check out. I’m very good @ doing just that unless I consciously DON’T.

Happy practicing!

Visit my website! http://sites.google.com/site/gretchensonly/