I've had all kinds of aches and pains, some associated with the lute. I've actually had breakthrough moments when I've had serious physical issues. I developed a way of practicing the LH where I just touch the strings with the left hand. This does several things: it involves almost no pressure, it makes me place the fingers right next to the fret or the intonation will be off, and it gives a different perspective so I might discover something new. For the right hand, constant vigilance is also necessary. I practice "air lute" with the RH to get a nice floppiness and then see if I can move it down to the string level and keep the same relaxed motion. I also try didillo with the thumb only or first finger only to concentrate energy into the tip of the fingers trying all the while to be relaxed. I try to avoid sight reading or reading and playing. This is the hardest of all. I believe if you really want to learn a piece, you should be practicing small snippets and analyzing and concentrating on that snippet from every angle, playing it different speeds, thinking about the physical movements and paying attention to the body. Another suggestion: get a kitchen timer and set it for 15 minutes to make sure you don't play more than that without taking a break. You can find stretching exercises on the internet. I found some good ones for tennis elbow which I do when I take a bath. Just some thoughts. Your mileage may vary greatly.
On Nov 3, 2005, at 3:46 AM, Craig Allen wrote: > Lately my right arm has been giving me lots of pain, in particular > inside the elbow. And it's affecting my playing. I sit and > pracitice for half an hour and when I unwind from the instrument I > get this pain right inside the elbow. I suspect the general cause > is working on a computer all day and finally the mouse is catching > up with me. I'm also getting a sharp pain at the left shoulder just > at the base of my neck. This can be excruciating. > > So then, does anyone here experience similar pains and aches and > what are you doing about it? If you're undergoing physical therapy > I'd be interested to know more about what kind specifically. I've > also heard Pat O'Brien often has good advice for these sorts of > things, but as I'm not in New York maybe one of his students here > could expound on any help he's given them. Ed Durbrow Saitama, Japan [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
