Category Archives: Ergonomics/Injury Prevention

Sneaking up on you?

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Sneaking up on you?

When you are practicing (or performing) do you ever get the sensation that something’s not quite right? Like something is sneaking up on you?

I work with a lot of people as a teacher, a workshop presenter, a performer, and as an ergonomist. From my perch I can see it – and you’re probably right. Something is sneaking up on you.

Your shoulders.

Yup, those pesky pendents upon which we are so de-pendent. Literally – our arms hang from our shoulders. Our wrists are (still) at the ends of those arms. And dangling at the end of that chain – our fingers. Yes, our shoulders are pretty important.

But we get busy. There’s all that playing to do. Remembering the notes, forgetting our fingering, finding the right measure we need to be reading, possibly playing faster than we’re ready to. We are focused on a number of (granted, very important) things. And what we don’t have is brain space to focus on is often…our shoulders.

So, they creep up. They’re trying to help, but in their zeal to be supportive, they increase our tension, pull our arms out of their natural (relaxed) posture and requiring more energy to hold our arms, wrists, and fingers in the appropriate place to play the music the way we are wont to. And all of that makes it harder to play, which is distracting – and stressful. You can see how this can easily become a vicious (and possibly viscous) circle.

Stop it. How? you might ask. Well, I’m delighted to share that I have just the thing! Try this:

  1. Record your playing (you knew this would come up). Why? So you can see where and when your shoulders start to travel. This can be as simple as poor posture which you can improve by setting yourself in a good neutral posture from the minute you touch the bench. But what if you’re a stress shrugger? Do your shoulders keep company with your ears when the going gets tough? Well, a video will help you find your triggers.
  2. Once you know what it is that sets your shoulders off, then you can focus on correcting it. Your triggers might be playing faster than you’re ready, coming to a “tricky” part that you’re not really comfortable with yet, or that you’re not breathing, or just not relaxing into your playing. The video will help you find out what is happening – and when – so you can work on it.
  3. Once you know what triggers your shoulders’ to travel, then set a random timer (here’s a free one on the internet and here’s another one) to give you a signal at various times. When it dings, freeze, and check your shoulders. Are they where you’d expect and want them to be? Or did you run out of focus doing other things? Since this is random, it gives you time to stop thinking about your shoulders and the ding serves as a reminder to make sure they are down. If the ding happens and your shoulders are at your ears – don’t stop playing, just drop and relax them and keep going. You want to learn to detect that you’re shrugged and relax.
  4. Breathe! (Do I need to say more than that? I didn’t think so, but I will) Breathe like you mean it since it will not only relax you but also help keep your mind clear and present.
  5. Take breaks throughout your practice. Think about practicing in 20-minute segments (with a timer, because it helps). At the end of each segment, breathe, stretch, move around, get up off the bench, and let your whole system rest for a sec. Then you can come back to the next segment ready to go.
  6. Be kind to yourself. This might take a while. After all, you unknowingly developed the habit of tensing your shoulders and now you will consciously go about undeveloping that habit and learning to be more relaxed. Unlearning (to shrug) and relearning (to relax) takes longer than the initial learning, so be gentle on you – reward yourself for your continued growth. And don’t lose momentum, this is something that will come with time and practice.

It is important to get your shoulders dropped when you’re practicing – if you work in that tension, you will train yourself to play with that tension. You will actually ingrain that stress in your shoulders which, as mentioned above, impacts your playing.

If you’re still Team “I’m not comfortable on video” you can use a full-length mirror – but also, get over yourself, you’re not making a Hollywood extravaganza or even a social media video. You are using a valuable tool to help you grow. Just do it (it’s also faster than using the mirror because you can practice, and then review the video when you’re finished – none of that pesky trying to “catch yourself” while you’re also practicing!

Are your shoulders sneaking up on you? Let me know what you do (or what you’re going to try) – in the comments!

Silly Warmups and Stretches

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Silly Warmups and Stretches

When it’s time to sit down and practice, do you plop down on the bench and start flailing away at something you’ve been working on?  Or do you ease gently into the hard work of playing your instrument?  Do you start by banging away or with silly warmups and stretches?

I hope you do start with warmups and stretches, but if you don’t, I hope to change your mind (and your approach).  And if you have typically started right in with the hard work, I hope you’ll consider these suggestions.

There are plenty of good reasons to begin each practice by performing warmups and stretches.  Leon Fleischer, the concert pianist who overcame a potentially career ending overuse injury was quoted as saying,

“Musicians are athletes

of the small muscles.”

And he was completely correct! While traditional athletes are best known for their use of their largest muscles in the body to play football, basketball, baseball, curling, hurling, fencing or other sport, we musicians leverage our numerous smaller muscles in the hands and arms.  Don’t be fooled – we also use our large muscles, but differently than sport players do.  Just as there are pregame warmups for sports, we need to get ourselves warmed up and ready to go before we work hard to.

First let’s also distinguish between physical warmups and technical warmups.  Today we’re talking about physical warmups.  Physical warmups are gentle movements to increase blood flow to the muscles and stretches to limber up.  They help your body prepare to work and also help you avoid injury and overuse.  Technical warmups are active playing to strengthen a particular technical skill (e.g., scales, arpeggios, exercises).*

There are loads of warmups and stretches you can do but I wanted to share a few of my favorites for hands and wrists here.  I call these silly because when I use them with kids, they giggle.  Adults aren’t as inclined to giggle – but they should!  I also made a brief video (5 min) for you.  Remember that, like all athletes, we start small and work our way into greater gains.  Don’t overdo your warmups.  Do each of these only as long as you need to feel the muscles warming and getting more pliable before (or after) you play.  Take care of you!

The first is the simplest – wiggle your fingers.  Yup, just wiggle your fingers.  Start small but as you go on, make sure your wiggles are getting bigger and that each finger (including thumbs) is getting in on the action.  After you begin to feel warmer, straighten your arms out to the side and continue to wiggle your fingers.

Next throw and catch water – this will make more sense when you watch the video, but the point is to contract your hands quickly (gather into fists) and extend just as quickly (like you’re flicking water at someone).  Then go about catching the water being flung at you.

Now, make baby waves!  This is the motion of closing that I learned when I started to play the harp.  If you didn’t learn this, it’s a great way to help new people understand the movement we strive to make while playing.

Let’s move onto wrists – close your hands and make circles with your wrists.  After a bit, try extending your arms to your sides to deepen the stretch.

Now clasp your hands together and make figure 8s. Go slowly enough that you can make it through your entire range of motion.  If you’re hands and wrists are tight this will be difficult but will get easier with practice.

Finally, we’re going to be superheroes!  Watch the video to learn how to do these.  These may be difficult at first but they will definitely help you loosen up with practice.   And they’re fun and may make you giggle!

As I said, there are loads of silly warmups and stretches.  These are just the tip of the iceberg.  Consider adding them to your daily practice routine as a way to get started.  Start small and grow as you gain flexibility and strength.  And always take care of you – discomfort as you learn and grow are teaching you about your body but pain is a message to stop.

Which of these do you like?  Which ones were hard?  If you did them every day, which seemed to maybe start to feel like they were getting easier?  Do you have any stretches or warmups to share?  Let me know in the comments!

 

 

*  If you’d like to talk about technical warmups another time – let me know!

Sit Up and Take Notice 2

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Sit up 2

Last week we talked about how the rest of your life (you know – work, home life, hobbies, etc.) can impact your harp playing, possibly leaving you injured or in pain and unable to play.  And that this can happen even if your harp technique is really good.  We talked about being ready to play by maintaining strength, flexibility, and good posture.  This week let’s move from talking to what you can do about it.

We know that at the harp, we need to close, have good space for movement, that the arm must move to support the wrist, and that we will improve with practice (which will include some repetition, no matter how you dress it up).  But do we apply this same thinking and discipline to our other tasks in life?  The sad answer is that most do not.  So, what can you do to overcome all this? 

Here are some suggestions that are all over the place.  You can treat this list as a pick and mix or you could acknowledge that this is a wide problem and needs a wide solution. Here goes:

  • Pay attention. It is challenging to pay attention to your posture when you’re in the middle of solving a problem, typing a masterpiece, or reading a good book.  It is important though, to take a short break to check on yourself – and make corrections if you have lapsed.  If you need help, set a reminder to poke you into paying attention.
  • Don’t sit like a shrimp! Don’t slouch at the harp, at the dinner table, at the desk.  Just don’t. If you already do, sit up. Notice your posture.  Also notice the fatigue you might feel after you do sit up.  This is a sure sign that you need to strengthen your back muscles to help you sit upright.  Practicing sitting up will make it easier (seem familiar?).
  • Don’t be the hipster. Sit in any Pete-bucks (really any coffee shop with free wifi) and see how many people you can find that are not sitting curled up, head forward, neck in a weird curve, staring at a screen.  As I look around, I see – zero people sitting with healthy posture*.  See those bowed curved shoulders?  That’s those strong chest muscles overpowering the back muscles.  Remember too that your head weighs about 15 pounds (even for airheads) and your neck is a very weak set of joints, so keeping your head centered over your body is a good idea.  Keep your ears over your shoulders.
  • Leave room for expansion – sitting up will straighten your spine which will also give your ribs room to expand….and then you can breathe! Novel concept.
  • Practice like a pro. Do you think (your favorite athlete or performer) just runs out on the field or stage to play?  NO – they warm up and stretch.  You might not see them do it, but they do. So should you.  It doesn’t have to be an elaborate routine – wiggle your fingers, stretch your hands, arms, and shoulders.  Warm up your legs, hips, and back.  You’re going to be doing a lot of work, might as well prepare for it.
  • Get up. When you’re practicing, don’t plant yourself for the duration. Plan to get up.  I break my practice into segments (warm up, technical, learning, working, polishing, improv or composing, and then fun) and set a timer for each.  Sometimes I ignore the timer – if I’m working and good things are happening, I’ll ignore it (actually I’ll reset it because my plan is to do the work but not to overdo the work).  I use different times for different things – I might work for 45 minutes but only warm up for 5.  It also depends on the day and what I’m hoping to accomplish – but it’s all informed by my self-knowledge and experience.  
  • Get up too. Getting up isn’t just about keeping your mind sharp and giving yourself a break.  It’s also an opportunity to practice some back care.  Your back is a long chain of bones and connects with your ribs, hips, shoulders, arms, and legs.  All that sitting can lead to stiffness or pain that feels like your back but could be more.  Get up, stretch, move, strengthen your body so you can not only sit (comfortably, correctly) but also so you can get up!

We don’t often think of playing the harp as a rigorous activity but you do need to have a basic level of strength so you can be successful and resilient.  You might be wondering 1. do you do these (bad) things? or 2. how do you know if you’ve stopped doing them?  I have an answer for that too – record yourself.  I know, there are still people who don’t want to see themselves on video (even after years of covid).  Get over it – there’s too much to be learned to get stuck in a hangup.  Besides – you use a tuner, don’t you? And you use a tuning wrench, right?  Well, your phone recording is just another tool, so stop arguing.  Set it up on your music stand, push record and do the thing.  Do it for a while to capture your real self and see what you need to work on…and what you don’t.  I am always delighted to see that my thumbs are up, for instance.  Most importantly, when you’re done learning from the video – delete it!

These are all good ideas, but it is very important that you remember that if you have an injury – acute or chronic, any type really – seek medical help.  Not Dr. Google.  Don’t shake it off.  Go see a real physician, chiropractor, or physical therapist. 

Do you have other challenges or solutions? Let me know in the comments!

 

* Now you know my little secret writing spot.

Sit up and take notice

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Sit up and take notice

It’s May, which is a lovely time of year.  It is daylight longer, the temperatures are fairly palatable, and we are ready to emerge from the winter (and to escape spring cleaning).  It’s also a time that many think about our general health and fitness – and how fortunate we are to have (generally) good health while being fit enough to do the things we love (like play the harp).

And yet, as I write this, I have three students in treatment for various hand and arm overuse injuries and more that are preparing to seek help for sore forearms, tired fingers, tightness in the palm, neck pain, and more.

Yikes!

This bothers me because 1. I don’t like to see anyone in pain (except maybe that mean girl from 8th grade), 2. It interrupts their practice and our lessons, and 3. As a Human Systems Integration expert and a Certified Music Ergonomist it is painful for me to watch these things develop.  I will say that, although these students are feeling the effects in their playing, they have done me proud by working on their technique so that we can be assured that it is not the harp that is the problem.  However, the same cannot be said for the rest of their lives and there are still problems that have to be addressed.

A long time ago I heard/read someone say that it didn’t matter if you spent 30 minutes every day in the gym strengthening your abs if the other 23 and half hours of every day you let them slag off! (can’t remember where I got this, but it stuck with me)

This is so true for our harp playing body (and for all your other muscles (and fascia and tendons)).  You can have brilliant technique and practice habits at the harp, but if the rest of your day is not similarly managed, you can develop issues that will spill over into your harp life.  We don’t focus on our bodies while we sit at our computers, tablets, phones, paperwork, stovetops, or in front of the television.   Working from home, our current world, and busy minds have all contributed too. 

Contributed to what? Primarily poor posture and long periods of stasis – sitting still.  Age also works against you as you calcify ingrown habits as well as losing both flexibility and strength.  There may be some truth to those people who say their day job is killing them!  Let’s not let us be one of them!

If you’re a kid (define that as you wish), you might think that’s a problem for other people.  That it won’t happen to you. That you’re different.  Go on telling yourself that. <deep sarcasm>  Whatever – of the eight billion people on the planet, a very large proportion of those grow to older adulthood and along the way they lose strength and muscle mass, experience reduced flexibility, and develop age related injuries.  It would be good if we maintained good posture, strength, and flexibility to avoid injury and loss.

This week, think about this and the relationship of (the other parts of) your life to your ability to play.  Next week, I’ll give you some things to work on to assure that pain, injury, or loss of mobility don’t derail your harping!  Are you experiencing any of these things?  Let me know in the comments!

Makin’ a List

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Makin’ a List

Since the end of the year is coming, many people are spending a moment taking stock (which is a great idea, BTW!).  My own led to a list of random thoughts that I, of course, felt compelled to share with you!

1. If you need gift ideas (or hints?) I stand by this list for ideas. I should have added index cards to keep a running collection of tunes you have learned (I talk about that here).

2. Regardless of whether you play for your own edification, the cat and the curtains, your church, paid audiences, or you’re opening for the Rolling Stones, never lose sight of the reality that you not only have a gift, but you sharing that gift with others simply magnifies it. Playing music is never a waste of time or resources.

3. Take care of you. Beyond basic self-care, never play through pain or in pain.  Use good techniques, use the tools your teachers have shared with you – placing, fingering, posture, etc.  But no matter how long you practice each day, there are still the habits of the other hours of your day that can gang up on you – darn day job!  If you are developing discomfort or if you have allowed that discomfort to grown into pain, of if something else is impinging on your playing (I’m looking at you desk job keyboard un- functional posture) seek help from a Certified Music Ergonomist – like me*!

4. Take time to enjoy. Even as the hustle and bustle, the premanufactured stress of the season, the actual stress of life, and the chores pile up – you play the harp!  Play the tunes you like (or those that come easily to you).  Really listen, feel, and resonate with your instrument and draw some peace to you, in you, and around you.  If it’s midnight and you’re keyed up, sit for just a moment and put a little disturbance into the air.  Let the ick of stress, etc., ride those sound waves right out of you!

5. Is it possible to say thank you enough? I doubt it.  So, sincerely, thank you for sharing your year with me.  I really enjoy your thoughts, observations, and comments, and I remain delighted and grateful for you and your willingness to share!

Told you, just a jumble of thoughts.  What’s on your list?  Let me know in the comments!

 

 

* Shameless plug.  But seriously, if not me, let me point you in the right direction~

Don’t slag off

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If you’ve been reading my blog for more than about 15 minutes then you know that injury prevention is important to me.  If it hasn’t been 15 minutes yet or you don’t remember seeing these posts check out this post, this one, and this too. 

Injuries aren’t fun.  After all, they hurt!  But more importantly they can take you away from playing.  It’s difficult to sit on a hard bench when your back aches or is “thrown out”.  Having a crick in your neck can turn into a headache while sight reading.  Overuse “ouchies” in your hands can curtail your practice so that you don’t spend as much time at the harp as you planned/would like to/need to.  And an injury that is untended or uncared for can lead to enforced time away while you recover.

Hopefully, you’ll take good care of yourself, and this post will be irrelevant for you forever.  However, it is estimated that 70 – 80% of musicians have developed an overuse injury – which suggests that the odds are ever in your favor … to get hurt.

While that’s sobering (and a little disheartening) let’s move to the next question – if you’re injured and need to rest and recover – away from the harp – do you just slag off and wait?

No, of course not! 

There are loads of things you can do to keep your recovery time useful and moving forward!  Here are ten:

1. Read a book.  Whether it’s Sanger and Kinnaird’s Tree of Strings, Rensch’s Harps and Harpists, or McCaffery’s The HarpMaster of Pern, you can stay connected to your instrument by reading a good book.

2. Read a score.  We’ve talked before about sight reading practice – this is a perfect time.  You could sightread by reading a note and then fixing your gaze on the appropriate string to be played, or you could point to the string as you read.  You can also work on your sight singing (or hearing the music in your head).

3. Learn your intervals – do a little ear training.  Find and identify particular intervals in music you already know.  Go online to find ear training exercises.  It does get easier – I promise.

4. Compose.  You can do this in your head and sing what you come up with into your recorder.  When you’re healed you can move your tune onto the harp.

5. Study your theory. Find a good theory book and work through it.  Don’t skim – do the exercises!

6.  Listen to music.  Find new things to work on later, when you’re healed.  It’ll give you something to look forward to. 

7.  Read all the posts in this blog! (No, really)

8.  Go for a walk (or knit, or some other thing that’s sort of meditative and quiet) and sing your rep in your head to keep it in there.

9. Restring your harp (if it needs it).  You might need practice changing strings and this will do it.  At a minimum, it will build your confidence for quick string changes!

10. Have coffee with a harp friend to enjoy their growth, commiserate on your injury, and stay connected to your harp world.

If you’re not injured, celebrate – but take care too.  Hopefully this assures you that, should you become injured you will be able to keep working.  And it might give you some ideas if you find yourself there.  Not every injury will require weeks to recover (for instance, I am quite good at cutting my index finger just before gigs).  I’m sure there are loads of other things you could do while you heal.  If you’re already hurt, which of these have you done/are you likely to try or do you have other ideas?  Please share them in the comments! 

Zoom!  Bang!

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As a harper, I have been reading with interest the “sudden” spate of articles on the ills of working from home for over a year.   As a Human Factors Psychologist and Systems Engineer, I am only surprised it took this long for the articles to hit.

Everyone who couldn’t get away from me has received lectures (from my professional perspective).  I have related the importance of chair height and table height, arrangement of keyboard, monitor, mouse, lighting, and other elements of the workspace.  I have hectored friends, neighbors, and people I don’t even know about drinking enough water and not drinking too much coffee; the importance of avoiding incessant snacking; building a schedule; getting some outdoor time; and keeping work-work and home-work separate (not trying to do household chores between meetings) – all things I know from my professional specialty and as a person who has worked from home for over 15 years.

But now, I’m going to direct all that energy at you … and suggest a way forward!

I know you’re used to me prattling on about injury at the harp, but one thing you might not have thought about is what our current altered reality has done to us.  There are so many things we either did differently before or things we haven’t been able to do at all over the last year.  That that time away can build the potential for losing focus and technique…all of which may result in injuries – at the harp or away from it. 

Just this week I have learned of harpers who have sustained injuries away from the harp that are impacting their playing – ugh.  One is a student who fell off a skateboard.  Even if that wrist isn’t broken, it will need to heel.  And that will be weeks away from the harp.  Another was telling me about a big work project – at home, on a laptop doing work that would normally have been done at the office on a desktop – with its ergonomically designed desk and much bigger keyboard.  So now we’re working on caring for the overuse injuries from typing in this new position – injuries to the same structures that are central to playing the harp. 

As we have all languished at home, it has also been easy to allow our basic skills slide.  If you don’t have in person lessons, your thumbs might fall, your shoulders might cave, your chin might jut, and your spine might crumple.  In addition, so many of the cues teachers can pick up on from in-person lessons are missing or are flattened online.  So, it is likely that there are elements of technique that are dissolving from your daily practice and are not highlighted in your lesson.

And that’s not good – ragged technique and poor posture are not just a challenge to overcome – they can be a gateway to injury.

So, what can you do?  Have a zoom call……with yourself!

If you’re not familiar with zoom (zoom.us) it is a free application that allows you to have a video interaction with others. *

At the beginning of each day I do a zoom meeting with myself to verify my cameras are pointing in the right direction, that the lighting is good, and that everything is set up before my first student.   As I’m teaching, I watch my student.  That means that if I need to look at my harp, I would have to look away.  But, I can see my harp on the screen which means I can still see both my student and my harp.  After all, I want to be sure they are able to follow and understand what I’m doing or to verify that I need to do it again.  One day while teaching, I noticed (and was really pleased with) my hand position (I know, silly things make me happy).

And that got me thinking about how on the screen I could see things I can’t see from “behind the harp”.  Moreover, I could make small changes and see the effect right away.

You can do the same thing.  How?  You just have to host a meeting with yourself.  Yup – host a meeting, but don’t invite anyone else!  You have the full screen, you can see yourself clearly, and while you watch, you can make small adjustments.  As you make these adjustments (move to the middle of the string? raise your arm just a tiny bit? create greater space between your thumb and fingers? actually preplace or use the fingering you worked out? the list could go on…) BANG! – you can immediately see the effect of each change.

And seeing can certainly be believing.

I often suggest that you video your practice so you can see what you’re doing…and what you’re not doing.  It gives you a different perspective (and may make teacher comments mean more to you).  I also always remind you of the big red delete button…because the point of the video is to learn, correct and go on, not to hold it for posterity.  However, I also know that many of you still don’t do this.  So this similar (but completely ephemeral) idea seemed like a good one.  Watch yourself play but don’t record it.  See what you’re doing (from the vantage point of your teacher) and make small adjustments until what you see matches what you’ve heard in all those lessons – high thumb, relax, close, place…breathe!

DO ALL THE THINGS!  SEE ALL THE THINGS!

I also find that the meeting view is better – clearer and brighter – than on the video.

So, are you willing to zoom with yourself to help be bang on?  If you do, let me know how it goes and what you learn.  And if you’re not willing to try, I’d like to hear that too.  I’m always looking for better ways to teach and I learn so much from your comments!

 

* And no, of course I’m not getting any compensation – but this is also not an endorsement.  I have used zoom, skype, facetime, and messenger – as long as you have the function without actually having someone else on the line, it’ll work.

 

 

 

It’s August – stay strong!

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It’s stinkin’ hot. It’s boiling! It’s August. And you know what that means? It’s nearly Autumn!

Cooler days. Clearer skies. Longer nights. And, oh yeah, the winter holidays are coming. Whether you have a house full of family for Thanksgiving or if you have booked a full schedule of holiday party gigs – you will need to be ready. And now is the time!

Let’s face it, no matter the reason you play, it is easier to play if you are ready – and if you feel ready. Nope, this is not another post on practicing. Rather, let’s take a broader look. The mere act of sitting and bringing the harp to you requires an element of strength, stamina and self-possession (read balance – but didn’t that string of S words feel good to read?!).

Most of us are not about to build and keep a rigorous workout routine. But, what if it helped you to play better, longer, with less fatigue? Then it would be worth it!

Now, I’m not a physician, a physiologist, or a physical therapist*. Ok, really, the word “physical” may actually cause me to break out into hives! But, a little bit of physical exertion could make all the difference in being able to practice (or perform) for as long as you like at each sitting – without your back hurting, feeling exhausted, or falling flat before your time is over (any of which is embarrassing).

So, what should you do? Well, first, consult your physician – no doing stuff that’s not good for you (or worse, stuff that’s contraindicated for your condition!). Assuming you are well enough, consider adding a few things to your day. All of them are brief. Any one of them may help. If you’re an overachiever, you could try adding all of them!

  1. Go for a walk. Walking is good for many reasons. It’s a gentle exercise. You already know how to do it. You probably already have the shoes. Head out for 30 minutes. If you’re a total couch spud or have a condition, start where you are and build up to 30 minutes. Research suggests that 30 minutes a day will be enough to help you become more fit. If you’re not sure what to do, there are loads of programs available online that can suggest an appropriate buildup and level of exertion. Don’t want to walk outside?  Go to the pool and walk there (pool walking is easier on your joints and – did I mention that it’s hot?  it’s certainly cooler to walk in the pool!).  Or you can get on a treadmill. Walking is good on many levels – good for your heart, works your body, gets you some fresh air. It can also give you a chance to clear your mind. And it can be part of your practice – the rhythm allows you to think about your tunes with an active metronome.
  2. Stretches. I’ve talked about stretching before [here and subsequent weeks] and it bears repeating. But I wont’ – click the link and read those!  Stretching helps you recover but also helps overcome the stultifying sameness of sitting all day (even if you’re sitting at the harp!).
  3. Calisthenics. If you’re of a certain age, you might remember calisthenics from PE class. No, it doesn’t require a lot of equipment, space, or time. Just some exercises that help make you beautiful  and strong (from the Greek kali – beauty and sthenos – strong).  You know all these – pushups (full on, or from your knees, or against the counter or wall – it’s not a contest!  Do what you can); squats (like you’re sitting on a chair but not using your arms or moaning on the way down or up); jumping jacks; crunches or planks; and maybe some arm curls and extensions, and a few back rows. You don’t have to be all CrossFit about it! Just move and work a little everyday. That will help you become stronger which will improve your harp playing and may impact other parts of your life too (carrying laundry? groceries? moving your harp? A load of things will be easier). You can put these all together – walk to the park and use the playground equipment to exercise – or you can also do them as they fit into your day – just as long as you fit them in!

It does help to add these activities to your journal so you can see how you’re coming along – to see your strength improvements (and if you wall off the wagon – you can see by how much – and how quickly you came to where you were before your wagon departed…and how quickly you can get back on it!). Noting it in your journal will also help capture when you notice the impact of this to your playing – as well as when you notice you just feel better.

You don’t have to be a gym rat or an aerobics bunny to benefit – but your playing will tell the story of how you are staying strong!

*as always, I am not a health care provider – check with yours before beginning a-n-y type of exercise or before changing what you are already doing! 

It’s a Stretch!

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We all know that stretching is a smart thing to do. We read about the importance of stretching for our good health, to improve our productivity, and to help us feel better.

Run a 5K? Clearly your legs will need stretching. Do a heavy lifting routine? You’ll be feeling it more if you don’t stretch.  It makes sense that we need to stretch after strenuous exercise. After all, you do all that hard work, and it’s clear that you will need to stretch to recover from itBut what about when you do very focused but less strenuous work? Lie in bed sleeping all night and you will need and want to stretch when you wake up. Binge watch an entire season and you will be glad to stand and stretch (probably before the big season finale!). Spend time at your harp practicing and what do you do?

It’s so easy to just get up from the bench and get a cookie! But don’t!! The time at your harp, especially if you are working hard learning or perfecting, may be the worst combination of strenuous work and lying about! Your larger muscles (think butt and legs which are not moving much) are holding still while your smaller muscles (think fingers, hands, and forearms) are working continuously. You may also be tense which will make all your muscles work harder.

In other words, when you are playing you are both not moving and moving like crazy! As we said above – both of those will leave you needing to stretch!

So be sure to add stretching to the end of your practice time. Stretch your small muscles – fingers, hands, arms, shoulders – to help them relax. And stretch the larger muscles – glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps – to help reinvigorate them.

And don’t feel like you have to wait until the end of your practice session to get a little stretching in. You can stretch at least every 45 minutes.  Alternately, you can stretch at the end of each practice segment (warm up, exercises, reading, learning, etc.) to help keep you limber, focused, relaxed, and productive so you get the most out of your time at the harp.

Checking in at the midpoint

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It’s July and we’re about half way through the year. It is a good time to check in and see how we’re doing. While it is a good exercise to review goals, it is also an excellent time to review other important things. Especially those that we take for granted and think are taking care of themselves! Let’s start with….Posture!

Your posture really is the core of all your playing. That’s not just a play on words. Being able to hold yourself upright and to keep your arms up but relaxed, your hands in an appropriate position, and keep your core tight all take work. Are you ready for that work?

There are numerous resources available providing methods for strengthening your core. By incorporating appropriate exercises to strengthen your core you’ll be able to sit up straight with good balance for as long as needed with less fatigue. That means that your next long background gig will be easier. And your long practice session will definitely be easier to sit through. Your core works while you’re sitting and supports your back and your hips. A strong core will also help you avoid curling into the harp while you’re playing which can cause strain on the neck and increasing the possibility of injuring yourself. It also will provide you with the stable base from which you can build your good technique.

Of course, a strong core will also be good for you away from the harp assuring your balance and stability are better whether you’re carrying your harp or walking down the street. Strengthening your core isn’t just sit ups! Spend a little time online to learn ways to get stronger so you can play as long as you like!

* I am, of course, not an exercise physiologist or a physician – but you already knew that! Consult your physician before undertaking any exercise program.  Don’t do any of this if your physician tells you not to.  Seek specific advice from qualified individuals.  This information is presented for educational purposes only.  It does not replace or substitute professional advice from your physician, certified trainer, or any other health-care professional.  Use of the information on this site is solely at your own risk.  Don’t be daft – get the right help and don’t hurt yourself!