Player's health

I've played for most of my life, and my teacher growing up always made sure my wrists were straight without being too tense.  Don't let the wrists sag or bend in awkward angles. 

I've never had "Carpal Tunnel" or any other repeated-stress disorder beyond simple fatigue from overexertion.  The biggest injury I've had was bruised pinky fingertips when I started learning Rachmaninoff! (ie. the c# prelude) :-)

I don't have much to contribute beyond my own experiences, but I do think it's very important to learn how to stay healthy and avoid injuries.  The sad fact is that it's more likely for someone who plays a lot and has made this a big part of their life to be injured somehow.  And there are many more moving parts than the fingers, hands, and wrists.  Like you say, it can affect shoulders, elbows, back, neck, (ears if you use headphones or loud monitors) etc.

I found some information, about a ergonomic piano bench. Not sure if it's really scientific true, as it's a announce of a product.

Thos images ilustrated the following:

The traditional position would create tensions on those areas.

And the inclined bench would help to reduce such tensions due a angle to fit the limbs better.

The proposed bench: 

That was interesting! Thank you!

I always hated piano benches -- even early on, I just _had_ to add some padding (because, in those days, we only seemed to be able to buy ones with wood surfaces ---  OWWW**!).  I quickly learned to ditch the bench for a _much_ comfier chair from our dining room.

That bench with the angled cushion looks pretty darn nice!  I would actually consider buying it, though I'd like an adjustable back rest with lumbar support.  (I currently use a swivelling office chair similar to the one in the diagram -- but it's _very_ comfy, with no armrests.)

My posture has always been pretty good (slouch like Glenn Gould and you could end up like him, too -- health-wise, that is!), and I keep my arms and wrists loose, with just enough pressure to maintain suspension.  I also do a lot of _gentle_ stretching exercises for my hands and fingers, so they tend to stay pretty loose and relaxed.  I definitely make more mistakes when I'm tense.  ;^)

(** Those piano benches remind me of "kneelers" in Catholic churches -- talk about masochistic tendencies!!!  When I was a kid, I attended mass at several different churches;  our school parish had cushioned kneelers, but several of the other churches "blessed" us with all-wood kneelers.  Not fun -- not fun at all, especially with old priests who drawled on as long as possible.)

Hey, I think you just discovered why protestantism emerged.

Háaa háaa háaa...

Hi Beto-Music,

Player health is a fantastic topic by the way!

When I took conservatory lessons as a kid, everyone was taught to sit very stiff & upright (as in that "wrong" PC sitting picture) in another post here.  Fingers did all the work (eg. in Bach inventions), and fatigue was just waiting to happen.  Being a flexible kid at the time, I got away with it I suppose.

Now I'm in my early '50's so, I have to really watch all kinds of health & ergonomic problems in my life.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of getting a few jazz improv. (and general life & meditation) lessons from Canada's Paul Tobey.  The first thing he did, was have me sit at the piano bench, relax, breath etc, lean forward very slightly, and put my legs in a "diagonal stride" (sustain pedal leg forward, other leg well back under the bench).  It was reminiscent of the main diagonal stance in Tai Chi.  It immediately relieved my mid-back of a lot of pain.  He then got after my hands and told me to use the weight of my entire forearm (relaxed again) for much of the power stroke in pressing keys.  (Instead of arms stiff & dead while & hands & fingers alone madly try to supply all the energy).

He had, at the time, a nice newer Ibach 7 foot grand, and while I sat there, that way, all relaxed (with the pre-meditation he inisted on*) & no worldly nor "harsh teacher" judgements in his "sanctuary" - well it was was MAGICAL & happy.  No fatigue!  He made my journey seem so safe & doable.

(Most teachers preface everything with "You'll never be like......".   -How many of us have been heart-broken by that line?

And now, with all this research coming out in brain-plasticity, it turns out you can get good at things at an advanced age!  (And you're supposed to, to prevent dementia).

*Paul Tobey also insisted on me playing for 5 minutes right after meditation - but while still halfway "under" in a meditative state!  (No sheet music, no agenda).  Allow pure stream of consciousness - all "wrong" notes if you will - sort of child-like improvisation, and no negative judgements.  Much later, you approach "serious" sections of pieces in mangageable chunks, slow, and totally relaxed, getting each section perfect, but without any tension, nor judgement, nor "ivory tower anality".   -Just pure joyous detachment - oddly - with accuracy in the end.  'Very strange process** - but it works.   You sort of shut off all the pride & competition of the world, and get good in this soft, humble, ergonomic, & meditative state.

It's a slow process at first, but eventually - from what I can understand - it becomes a very mercurial way of mastering music.

I have - regardless of piano playing - mid-back (thoraic) pain issues, and do a lot of core work now (huge amounts of situps, and also many straight-arm reps with small hand weights while standing bent over at the waist.  These arm swings are called "flys" I am told.  They work wonders for my upper back & reduce my tendancy to hunch & get "computer round shoulders".

Many years ago, my first electronic controller was a Yamaha PF-80.  It used the KX-88 era keyboard, and was a very stiff & heavy action.  I used the stiff, fingers-only, playing technique of my childhood, and it used to kill my hands.  I did have the foresight to put the PF-80 on a huge slab of dense 16 cm thick bed-foam on my table.  It absorbed the shock at the bottom of keystrokes.  I didn't notice the unit bouncing a bit.

**Paul was big on Kenny Werner's "Effortless Mastery".  This is more geared to the mental-health, consciousness, & psychology aspects of piano playing.  (Hence the "meditate at the piano for a few moments" to clear away bad habits & bad judgements).   A lot of it involves stopping yourself the moment you either tense up, or, when you get self-critical, or, when you race ahead in a piece without knowing what you are doing (repeating bad habits).  It's a way of gently & joyously unlearning all the stiff things & "fear things", and perhaps throwing out the un-developed consciousness things we all seem to get stuck with.  Artists use his system to kill stage fright too.

I just wish I had more time & energy to play.  My job takes a lot out of me, so, I have a lot of things to do in terms of conserving energy, making time for music etc...

Hope this 2 cents worth helps...:)

-Brian.

I Kindled this onto a tablet, and also downloaded the 4 DVD MP3s, since I'd been struck by an experience in my recent practising. That was this: after having practised-as-usual a certain difficulty, I gave the passage one last shot, and got confronted (no other word for it) with the striking difference between one part of it and the rest. It was relaxed, effortless and perfect, while the rest was as-practised, stiff, disjointed, and aggressive.

How come I wondered, and this shining little glimpse of effortless perfection - versus its stark contrast with the rest - married straight up with that title - EFFORTLESS MASTERY.

There's what I'd call a good deal of mystic ramblings from the mysterious East quoted, and discounted it from assessment, been there. And my ambitions don't run in any virtuoso directions, so the ambit claims that pop up often, that'd have you aiming to be a Beethoven or a Bill Evans, as a reality, got discounted too. Unreal. But there's a current of real practicality and directed method aimed at stages of relaxation brought to the problem of *efficient* practice toward the goal of mastered difficulties, which may well make it a worthwhile read, treated right.

The MP3's I'm leery of. Because in the past I've tried hypnosis-on-tape, and it certainly works, but at the cost of making you a puppet. Never mind if the suggestions are all improving, in a general way, so how you take them up can come out of you. The story on that is they mightn't, and definitely wouldn't have been taken up except for the tapes. Puppetry.

Each of the tracks however is reproduced as a chapter in the book, so you can read them as yourself instead of subjecting yourself to external suggestion, and make up your own mind as you read.