Further discussion: ergonomic instruments, injuries, perfect pitch

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Don Ehrlich, ergonomic instruments, ergonomic viola, injury, music education, pedagogy, perfect pitch, recovery, surgery, updates

Town crier in Plymouth, Devon, England, 2014. By Sullivanthepoet. (Own work.) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

New information updates previous blog posts!  Recent input informs the way we handle injuries, where each of us is in the perfect pitch conversation, and ergonomic instrument development.

First, Don Ehrlich, who plays an ergonomic viola, posted this comment on Facebook:

Don:  Hi Gretchen, An interesting point in time that this [link to my guest post] reached my computer. You don’t know this: The injury to my right thumb got worse and worse. For example, I played a performance of Bach’s 3rd Brandenburg Concerto, where in rehearsals I couldn’t get my bow to behave as I wanted it to. (It did work out in the performance, thank heavens.) Turns out to have been a broken tendon. I found a Very Good hand surgeon in Kaiser South San Francisco. He operated on me on April 13. I’m only now in recovery, trying to regain my skill, strength and endurance. Today I had an appointment with my physical therapist, one recommended by my surgeon. He is weaning me off my range-of-motion exercises and giving me strengthening exercises. Life is never easy, I guess. There is a new-styled frog for violin/viola bows, the Galliane frog. It’s supposed to be ergonomic, though I don’t know how. I was hoping to have it in place already, for my recovery, but that hasn’t happened yet. I can keep you posted, if you like.

Gretchen:  Thanks for being in touch, Don. I was unaware that tendons could break. Best of luck, and yes, please keep me posted.

OK if I add your comment to your guest post?

Don:  Of course.

My physical therapists usually like to say to avoid surgery at all costs. Well, for me it became intolerable, and surgery became necessary.

Gretchen:  Thanks, Don. I know 2 other people who have had tendon surgery (a finger was trapped in closed position for both). They are completely back to normal now; one is a pianist.

I’m glad you did it, given the circumstances.

Don Ehrlich’s guest post:

http://gretchensaathoff.com/2009/11/07/guest-post-by-don-ehrlich-s-f-violist/

A previous post about playing with pain and ergonomic instruments:

http://gretchensaathoff.com/2009/10/31/are-you-playing-with-pain-ergonomic-instruments/

A related article:

Ergonomic Advice for Specific Instruments
http://www.artist-musikerhalsan.se/en/musician-ergonomics/3-ergonomic-advice-specific-instruments

Another Facebook find, from Beth Parker:

Science Has Great News for People Who Can’t Sing
http://www.interlude.hk/front/science-great-news-people-cant-sing/

A related discussion:

Perfect pitch and relative pitch: how do they differ?
http://gretchensaathoff.com/2015/05/14/perfect-pitch-and-relative-pitch-how-are-they-different/

and my e-book!

“Goal-oriented Practice”
Are you practicing safely? How do you approach physically demanding works? Do you power through when the pressure is on? How do you guide your students?

This book will help you take a step back, save practice time, learn more music, and perform with confidence.

50% off!!!

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

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!

Many thanks to Don Ehrlich and Beth Parker. 

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Showing up for tennis ~ what it means for us

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Australian Open, bad behavior, Federer, Ferrer, injury, Music, Nadal, professionalism, tennis, Wawrinka

Image via Wikipedia

Once again, professional tennis illustrates
a relevant point for musicians.

Two of the 2011 Australian Open men’s quarterfinals showed us what type of behavior is expected from professionals and what is unacceptable.

The effects of not showing up

The first example comes from the Roger Federer vs. Stanislas Wawrinka quarterfinal match.

Rod Laver Arena seats over 14,000 people, and appeared to be filled to capacity.  The commentators spoke of the difficulty of obtaining tickets to major events and of their expense.

But Wawrinka wasn’t “there.”  He didn’t “show up” for work!

Smashed racquet ~ Screen shot ~ Wawrinka v. Federer ~ Australian Open 2011 men's quarterfinals

He may have felt intimidated by playing against Federer.  Certainly he could have been fatigued from two previous wins, one of which was a long match.  And this match, played in the daytime, meant dealing with different climate conditions.  According to the commentators, the balls travel faster in warmer temps.

In the bad behavior department, Wawrinka smashed a racquet, resulting in a code violation for racquet abuse; and he lobbed a ball straight up into the air, earning him one of “those looks” from Federer.

The same two players won Olympic gold in Beijing as doubles partners!  What happened?

Commentators spoke at length about what this could mean for Wawrinka’s future.

Next match

Rafael Nadal’s match against David Ferrer was anything but what most spectators, and Nadal himself, had hoped for.  Nadal injured a hamstring in the first set, which adversely affected his playing for the rest of the match.

Nadal devastated by injury ~ Screen shot ~ Nadal v. Ferrer ~ Australian Open 2011 men's quarterfinals

Watching Nadal’s obvious disappointment during the changeovers was so sad.  He cried, looking completely dejected.  His dream of holding four majors in a row had suddenly disappeared.  I didn’t want match point to come.

Rafa’s always professional demeanor

The example Nadal set by finishing the match was something aspiring professionals should take note of.  He was in pain, but never considered withdrawing.* It was obvious, with Ferrer playing his best game and slamming away relentlessly, that Nadal had little or no chance of winning.  But he was there. He played the best he could under the circumstances.

Part of me started feeling angry that Ferrer was playing so aggressively, knowing that Nadal was injured.​  A few Tweeters felt the same way.  But the commentators said that’s exactly what he should have done, and that they had expected the same of Wawrinka the day before.

Of course the Australian Open is a competition, not a chamber music concert.

To Ferrer’s credit, in his post-match interview he said, “​This is one big victory for me, but it’s not like a victory really.  He [Nadal] was playing with injury…  and I had luck.  But I played my game.” 

Nadal was given an incredible standing ovation as he left the court.  And Ferrer ​celebrated on court only briefly.

What does this say for us?

BE THERE

Participate fully, even when:

• not everyone is at the same level
• conditions are less than ideal (cold room, sight lines obscured, etc.)
• the piano is sub-par
• feeling tired
• you disagree w/someone’s interpretation
• you have a problem w/someone’s personality

Merely showing up is never acceptable.

Others in the group need our best effort.

The audience has paid to hear us, some having made quite an effort to get to the concert.

Do you watch sports?  Do you draw parallels with being a musician?  What have you discovered?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

*I do not advocate playing a musical instrument in pain.  However, we would most likely not be injured to this degree during a concert.  Our injuries, as I understand them, are usually cumulative.

What I do advocate is finishing the concert with full participation.  Whining helps no one.

“Goal-oriented Practice” has gained many satisfied readers! Click for great reviews and comments. Buy it now!

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Avoiding injury from repetitive stress: awareness is key

Tags

awareness, ergonomic tools, health, helpful books, injury

Image via Wikipedia

If you are like many instrumentalists, you have a well-developed capacity to block things out while practicing.  Do you lose track of time?  Forget to eat?  I actually don’t feel hungry when I practice.

Paying attention to the amount of time you’ve been at it and the last time you ate are crucial considerations in maintaining your ability to play your instrument.

I am writing about injuries today as I am recovering from surgery (not for that!).  My old injuries resurface mildly from time to time.  Triggers include being tired, cold temperatures (weather or a/c), humidity (it’s raining), being not quite 100% physically (i.e., coming down w/a cold), and being stressed (i.e., rushing to meet a deadline).

Emil Pascarelli, M.D., who treated me in NY in the ’90’s, has two informative books on the subject.  I credit him with saving my playing after being injured by trying to meet impossible deadlines at my high-pressure word processing job, using bad posture (slumping back in chair, resting wrists on edge of desk), and not taking breaks.  In addition, there is an excellent book by a physical therapist who trained w/Pascarelli.

The more you know about signs of potential problems, the healthier you will be.

Are you aware of the way you use your hands when you are away from your instrument?  How do you open a door?  Wash dishes?  Lift objects?  Hold the hairdryer?  Write?

Rather than using only your hands and fingers, try to use your entire arm, shoulder, and back.  Are you supporting your upper body with your legs?  Do you get enough exercise?  Eat healthfully?  Have decent posture?

Ergonomic tools can help a great deal.  Can openers, jar openers, whisks, graters, and many other things are available with large grip handles.  My grater has 2 panels with a handle on top & rubber feet on the bottom.  So it’s easy to hold, has good angles for grating, and won’t slip.  When you have to grip tightly or narrowly, your hands are straining.  And adding the problem of slippage means that you have to work harder just to keep the object in place so you can use it.

When you carry a shopping bag, use one w/handles.  You can then hold onto the handles and hang the bag straight down from your shoulder.  Holding paper grocery bags, for example, out in front of your body causes a great deal of strain on your arms and back.  It’s tiring.

For some time after I was injured, I was unable to wash heavy plates.  So, reluctantly, I went shopping for plastic.  A plate can be placed on the floor of the sink and washed that way, w/o holding onto the edge (very bad angle ~ the weight of the plate is only held by maybe 3 unsupported fingers).

Going for lightweight objects was worth the compromise.

It might be valuable to you if you begin to make a point of noticing your hand/arm/shoulder position throughout the day as you do various tasks.  Do you use your back muscles?  Large muscles can protect the small muscles in your fingers, but only if you use them.

I hope this helps… when you have sustained injuries, you become aware very quickly.  I am advocating that you be aware in advance so you won’t have to go there.  And if you know the warning signs and heed them, you won’t.