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and a PS…you mentioned that your hands seize up? I had a pal that had this problem (a pianist) and he swore by Magnesium supplements. Other than that, next time you see your doctor, mention it to him, and maybe ask about a blood test to see if you are a little low in certain vitamins and minerals. (hope that doesn’t sound whacky!)
Hello Unknown,
Yes, I probably have misunderstood. But also have not been very clear in my post to you! Sorry.
When I said that no technique is better than the other, I meant like French or Salzedo. Of course, if you are misapplying either technique, or riddled with tension, they are both as prone to injuries at the other!
I changed from French method to Salzedo, and do not believe that either is better than the other. But, they are physically quite different and different enough that I didn’t find that my injury recurred through the change.
Hope that clarifies.Dear Unknown,
I suffered from an injury years ago, in my first year of college. Tendinitis. Obviously not quite the same problem as yours, but my experience might help you. Tension was my problem also, and I tried Alexander and also Feldenkrais and did seem to mostly eliminate the tension. but the problem kept flaring up, whenever I started playing again.
Finally, a GP I went to (that saw many musicians) suggested that I change technique. He said that if there is a technique out there that uses different muscles, or uses muscles differently, than what I’ve been doing, to do it. To make the change. He said that the problem with injuries, is that if you go back to doing the same thing, using the same muscles the same way, the injury usually recurs. Even if you think you have got it “right” now and eliminated most the tension, its a bit too late. Because the muscles and tendons are injured and over sensitized.
That is not to say that there was anything “wrong” with the technique you were using, but now that you have an injury, making a change might be the only way to avoid it recurring. If that makes any sense.
Now, I don’t want to start an argument about which technique is best, as I really do NOT believe that any one is better than the other. So I will not say what technique I began as, but I will say that once I had an injury it kept recurring until i changed and retrained using a different technique. So, the point was not what technique I was specifically, but once I had an injury I needed to do something very different for it not to recur. It worked for me, it was a way to come back to playing.
I also feel it helped going right back to the basics, to square one, to start from the beginning again.
Of course, it’s a big decision to change techniques, and I was really resistant to it at first, but it was the only way I was able to come back to playing in the end.
This may, or may not, apply to you and your situation. but I do hope it helps a bit. and you will get past it. Injuries do heal. And you will play again.
All the best,
Modern Minn.
