Dan,
The injury happened decades ago (although concern and sympathy is always
welcome!) It doesn't bother me now, except that I sometimes feel it when the
weather is very cold.
As for your other questions, that's exactly what I wanted to know about what
Herbert is doing. I couldn't tell if he was just picking fingers up and
putting them back down in the same place, simultaneously or successively, or
something else.
The exercise I know entails starting on the 6th course with 4 on the last fret
on the neck, and "walking" the fingers across to the treble side and back.
Then you move one fret toward the nut and repeat. All the way to the nut and
back. You then do the same thing with all the other finger combinations. I do
them using 4 fingers btw. And I pluck the notes with the right hand.
The purpose of the exercise is manifold: to develop independence of the
fingers, to practice putting them straight down, to practice putting them right
behind the fret, to practice using only the minimum amount of force needed, to
work on relaxing the arm and shoulder while playing, etc., etc., etc. I did
learn it from Pat O'Brien. And it was entirely my own fault that I did not
retain the importance of moving from fret to fret up and down the neck. I got
lazy and just did it at one fret. -> overuse injury.
Caroline
Caroline Usher
Admin. Coordinator, Biology Dept.
613-8155, 660-7293 (fax)
Box 90338
"Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind:
Study the science of art. Study the art of science.
Develop your senses--especially learn how to see.
Realize that everything connects to everything else." --Leonardo da Vinci
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Winheld [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2014 4:19 PM
To: Caroline Usher; Herbert Ward; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: Initiating finger movement.
Caroline-
What exactly are you doing with these combinations? Simply specifying
finger combos is not telling what you are doing with them- could be
anything at all. Stretching exercises? Legato exercises? Speed
exercises? Strengthening exercises? Independence exercises? Sensitivity
exercises? Chords? Intervals? All you've said is that you're moving
across the neck in one position. How exactly are you moving from course
to course? Articulated in combination with right hand, or all LH legato?
Fingers down all the time except to move to new position, or fingers
stiffly held up by the extensor muscles on top/outside of the forearm?
Are you doing barre with index finger & trying to do too much with the
others going from course to course?
And what kind of injury? Strained tendon, muscle? Inflammation? Sudden
traumatic event, or gradual onset? Carpal tunnel involvement? Insult to
the nerves in the finger end pads from pressing/hammering on too hard,
or strain from holding a note on one course with one finger and reaching
too far with another, without proper preparation or warm up? Are you
tense? A seemingly perfectly safe exercise can be deadly if the hand- or
even other body parts- or even your mind is in a state of tension.
First thing is to be cleared by a doctor- but only a doctor who
specializes in this sort of thing, maybe a good sports/PT oriented
(orthopedist?) Physician BEFORE you take advice off the internet. Then
someone like the late Pat O'Brien (come on over, I can help-:-) ) In any
case, you, your hand, and the lute you are working with must be seen
live & in action before anything at all can be diagnosed or recommended
as a specific course of action. And if it's a real injury, THAT must be
diagnosed & treated first before you mess with the lute again. If
interested, I have more detailed stuff I could send you off-list, but
first you must be diagnosed properly.
Best of luck to you, injuries suck.
Dan
On 10/13/2014 12:39 PM, Caroline Usher wrote:
> Are there not additional possibilities?
>
> 21, 31, 32, 41, 42, 43.
>
> When you move your fingers, do you move from the 2nd to the 3rd course, to
> the 4th course, and so forth. Do you start at a particular fret and move up
> or down the fingerboard?
>
> I ask because I injured myself by doing this sort of exercise back and forth
> across the neck staying always on the same fret. (And then I aggravated the
> injury by carrying several things at once in such a way that a lot of strain
> was put on the injured finger--it wouldn't have been too bad without that.)
> Caroline
>
> Caroline Usher
> Admin. Coordinator, Biology Dept.
> 613-8155, 660-7293 (fax)
> Box 90338
>
> "Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind:
> Study the science of art. Study the art of science.
> Develop your senses--especially learn how to see.
> Realize that everything connects to everything else." --Leonardo da Vinci
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
> Of Herbert Ward
> Sent: Monday, October 06, 2014 1:06 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [LUTE] Initiating finger movement.
>
> One of my exercises is this: place all
> four fingers of the LH on the 2nd course.
> Then, select one pair of fingers at a time, and move them in a pattern while
> keeping the other pair of fingers fixed.*
>
> In doing this exercise, I find that after movement is initiated, I seldom get
> con- fused about which fingers should be moving and which should be
> stationary.
>
> It is only during initiation of movement that I accidentally move a wrong
> finger.
>
> I also find that having recently moved
> a pair of fingers is quite conducive to
> initiating them again.
>
> I wonder whether anyone can describe a
> physiological basis for these two phenomena.
>
> * There are six possible pairs, 12, 23, 34,
> 13, 24, and 14.
>
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
>
>
