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Hi! I’m a harp student. I hope that this information will help you. The carpus (wrist) consists of 8 bones arranged of 2 rows of 4 bones each. The carpus as a whole is arched transversely, the palmar aspect being concave thus forming a sort of tunnel. A tough sheath called “flexor retinaculum” is located over the palmar surface of the carpal bones. So, the flexor retinaculum forms the roof of a tunnel, the floor and walls of which are made up of the concavity of the carpus.
Packed within this tunnel, there are
1.)a nerve which innervates various muscles and
2.)various tendons (their function is to attach muscle to bone).
These, in one way or another, all effect the actions of the fingers. So, any cause that diminishes the size of the tunnel results in pain, sensory changes and muscle weakness. Symptoms can be relieved by dividing the flexor retinaculum logitudinally by means of surgical intervention.
You can find more information on most Anatomy books. However, I suggest that you talk to your physician because he can give you much more information than anyone else can do.
THANK-YOU!Dear Judy,
The piano is really not an important instrument to know to play the harp, at least not in the beginning. The piano is nothing but a harp on its side; it’s set up the same way as a harp and doesn’t sound nearly as nice. I took piano for two years when I was young and it did nothing for me whatsoever when I started on the harp. Perhaps when you’ve been playing the harp for a while, you might want piano lessons, but don’t waste your time on it now.Here’s one that’s practically tragic. My high school has an ancient Lyon and Healy which has been named the “ghetto harp” or “Frita”.
Have you tried yoga? I have found it invaluable as part of my life as a musician -it works mainly by keeping the spine flexible, and you may be able to find some yoga poses that address carpal tunnel specifically. Let me know if you’d like some yoga web addresses or book titles.
Another possible healing modality is acupressure. I recently had a (minor) hip injury from the gym, and the pain was unbelievable. I went to someone experienced in accupressure and the pain is completely gone. It took about a week of work, but it did work.
Good luck.
Suzann Kale
Hi here. I’ve been learning harp for four years and I am going to play the”Angel’s Carol” by John Rutter in this Chrismas. Since I am playing the pedal harp instead of a lever one, I am not sure if you can play it with a lever harp. The song has been composed for mixed voices, S.A.T.B., with piano or harp, the top note will be F(12 notes from middle C) and the tempo is 138. There are only a few pedals and is really beautiful. Hope this can help.
