I have just taught a student who was playing the last movement of the Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. He is a good pianist who can manage the fast passage work in that final movement very well. This time he was complaining of tight fingers and some mild aches and pains, something I have never him say before. There had been no issues during his last lesson before the holidays. With a bit of detective work, I discovered that he’d been playing table tennis for a few hours a day during his holiday, showing that this discomfort was more than his technique.
By asking him to give an imaginary demonstration, I could see what had happened. He had been clenching the table tennis racket hard and transferring that tension to the piano. Unnecessary tension on anything physical is not advisable so between us, we discussed how he could release his tension when playing table tennis, and how to be increase his awareness at the piano to make sure he wasn’t letting that tension or anything else influence his playing.
Driving can be another culprit. It’s so easy to grip the steering wheel with your shoulders round your ears when you’re having a stressful time driving. A tight grip on the steering wheel can translate directly into how your play your instrument. Just being aware of it, loosening your grip and breathing for the time you might be waiting at traffic lights or in a traffic jam can make a huge difference to your playing as well as calming the stress of driving.
Mobile phones, computers, carrying shopping, gardening - all sorts of other activities can have an impact, so next time you’re having unexpected aches and pains it’s worth seeing whether there are any other contributing factors.
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