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.