My wrists and elbows have been hurting lately and I'm thinking this must be from playing the piano. My wrists also pop a lot. It's a dull achey kind of feeling that seems to be on the side of my wrists, sometimes extending a little ways up my arm. My elbows get the same pain. Could piano be the cause? If so, what should I do about it?

Thanks

Too much tension? You must keep your wrists / hands relaxed where you can.

Is it in both hands/arms?
What sort of intervals are you stretching?

How long do you play without stopping for a moment's relaxation?

If you played a variety of pieces in different styles making different demands, does it ease up at all?

Are you sitting at the "proper" height at the piano?

I have had finger pains and discovered it's because I've not been using my whole arm when playing. Had v tense shoulders. Look up Feldenkrais on google, I saw a practitioner who was very helpful. I found that having really heavy arms when playing and making sure I'm not holding the weight of my arm with my shoulder helps. My arm feels heavy all the way to shoulder blade. It's been lots better since I started this. Good luck hope it gets better.

usually pain in the wrist or arm is caused by bad technique playing the piano, check with your teacher that your doing everything right. If all is fine in that area then I suggest seeing a doctor if the pain gets worse or doesn't go away.

Fredom

Many students - even older ones - don't always appreciate quite how much of the body is used and manipulated in piano playing - in fact it is with all instruments but as pianists are usually seated they don't always take into account the role of the hips, the back, the shoulders etc.

Anyone who has played Chopin's Prelude 20 evenly and with an excellent pianissimo in the second half will appreciate just how the control changes at that point. Prelude 4 is similar for the left hand. These pieces can be every bit as tiring as those requiring weight and speedy reactions in the arms to deliver power.

Sotto Voce, are you sure you are sitting high enough - my arms tend to ache when I'm forced to sit too low at the instrument? Are the backs of your hands in line with your arm when about ready to play? Fingers nicely curled when relaxed ready?

ive been playing piano for 10 years and have never had that problem. maybe you should ask a doctor? i sometimes get tension in the fingers when i play guitar but not often. my arm gets tired from playing the violin and the cello. but its not like, extreme you know?

Could it be repetitive strain injury?

It might be best to see if Sotto voce wants to describe the circumstances a little more. Could just be posture or too much practice on something demanding without pause.

Mentioning this because I'm currently getting serious hand-ache(!) through practising a piano arrangement by Ivan Gray. The intro has about 4 bars (LH) of tenths (crotchet beats) with intermediate notes making the stretch difficult. They're quiet and light. The piece proceeds along the lines of a stride with rollable 10ths thereafter.

Point is, I have to stop after playing it though a couple of times or I do get serious hand ache. I turn to something much easier (on the hand) for a while; return later.

Could it be something similar? . I mean, if Sotto voce is trying to play something like those octave cascades on page 5 of Liszt's Sonata her/his hands are bound to ache - a little practice a day over a long time is the only answer or the result will be altogether debilitating on one's hands. It's prudence v determination at times like that.

Check out the Alexander Technique - how to use your body better and avoid this kind of problem, specially developed for actors and performers (dance, music...) I think the website is alexandertechnique.org.

I used to also have a problem with wrists hurting and it was because I was not "free" in the back, I was bunching up and tensing up more and more as I played along....

agree lafrog, try out Alexander technique. It will help to ease the tension & pain.

Czaire, lafrog, do you mind me adding...?

We haven't had enough description to know what this pain is about. If it arises from an injury or a developing condition, doing any sort of "Yoga" styled technique might be dangerous.

Normally, Yoga instructors expect you to consult your doctor before taking it up. IMHO, Sotto Voce would do well to get medical advice before trying this alexander thingie...just in case.

Perish the thought that he takes advice here (unless one of you is a medical practitioner) and wrecks his hands completely.

Thanks for bearing with me.

R

i don think it was caused by playing piano.however, i only found these problems while playing violin (while i was still in beginner stage).

i don't often suffer from pains....but during these two days... after playing 1hour and 30minutes organ...then piano later.... my right hand suddenly shakes during my history lesson (taking notes), doing my homework and sometimes when i'm eating as well....

I'm sorry for not replying in while. School has kept me very busy lately!

Thanks for all your suggestions!

QUOTE

It might be best to see if Sotto voce wants to describe the circumstances a little more. Could just be posture or too much practice on something demanding without pause.

Well, I don't think its practicing for an extended period of time. It could be posture though. I really don't know. I've been playing for almost 14 years and in the course of that, I might have developed some bad habits that no one has noticed. My teacher almost never watches me play. However, a judge once said that I drop my wrists. I think it could also be tension. The pain doesn't occur when I'm playing. It just comes and goes, but I have never injured myself so I don't think it's caused by something like that. It just worries me that I might have damaged something that will affect my playing when I get older.

QUOTE (Rhapsodin @ Nov 19 2004, 02:05 PM)

Czaire, lafrog, do you mind me adding...? We haven't had enough description to know what this pain is about. If it arises from an injury or a developing condition, doing any sort of "Yoga" styled technique might be dangerous. Normally, Yoga instructors expect you to consult your doctor before taking it up. IMHO, Sotto Voce would do well to get medical advice before trying this alexander thingie...just in case. Perish the thought that he takes advice here (unless one of you is a medical practitioner) and wrecks his hands completely. Thanks for bearing with me. R

Good point - but Alexander Technique is no Yoga technique, it's not stretching or exercising. In fact the most you do the first few lessons is learn to correct your posture while sitting down and standing up from a chair....then you lie down on your back on a table and the teacher helps you figure out how your shoulders/neck/back and hips should be aligned :-)

However it is never a bad idea to go see a doctor when you have any kind of recurring pain, I agree.

QUOTE (Rhapsodin @ Nov 19 2004, 02:05 PM)

Normally, Yoga instructors expect you to consult your doctor before taking it up. IMHO, Sotto Voce would do well to get medical advice before trying this alexander thingie...just in case.

The Alexander thingie is nothing like Yoga, you actually spend your first few lessons re-learning how to sit down and stand up from a chair :-)....no stretching or anything of the kind. However when in pain, talk to a doctor...I do agree.

I have this playing the cello, if its a long piece, my arm starts to get cramp, SO painful

QUOTE (lafrog @ Nov 22 2004, 07:29 PM)

Good point - but Alexander Technique is no Yoga technique, it's not stretching or exercising. In fact the most you do the first few lessons is learn to correct your posture while sitting down and standing up from a chair....then you lie down on your back on a table and the teacher helps you figure out how your shoulders/neck/back and hips should be aligned :-)

Very strange... what you describe is very much one aspect (please note, I'm saying ONE aspect) of yoga except traditionally the phyical yoga asks you to rely on the floor and you rather than chairs and tables. Countless variations have appeared and this seems one of them, suitably modernised for our present living conditions - chairs, tables etc.

Have you been involved with Yoga at all? Yoga is about asana...(yoga for posture), except it gives you the means, the wherewithall and understanding to deal with posture, balance, poise, relaxation, sleep. Yehudi Menuhin relied on it a lot.

I play piano (v. badly) and get aches in the right hand sometimes. Sometimes cramp but i do have bad posture and my some1 said my hand often drops so maybe its that.

Anyhooooo hope ur pain gets better and i am doing the Alexander technique anyway!!!


By the way what is this icon meant to be??? ??? ???

QUOTE (tHe PiAnO mAn @ Dec 8 2004, 10:05 PM)

By the way what is this icon meant to be??? ??? ???

The user is a frightened panda?

QUOTE (tHe PiAnO mAn @ Dec 8 2004, 10:05 PM)

By the way what is this icon meant to be??? ??? ???

peeping through a letterbox maybe? or a cunning disguise? or an unfortunate accident with face paints?

Thanks for all your replies! I talked my teacher and she said it's probably tension.

QUOTE

By the way what is this icon meant to be???   ???  :ph34r:  ???

I think it means hiding, like being scared or ashamed of something.

It must be from transfering the energy.......
Your finger must be not strenght enough......
So the muscle in the wrist taken help to get the sound exists.

It depends on how much time you practice...

QUOTE (Rhapsodin @ Nov 24 2004, 03:52 PM)

Have you been involved with Yoga at all? Yoga is about asana...(yoga for posture), except it gives you the means, the wherewithall and understanding to deal with posture, balance, poise, relaxation, sleep. Yehudi Menuhin relied on it a lot.

http://www.alexandertechnique.com/musicians.htm

Menuhin also relied on AT, it would seem :-)

Yoga seems to me to involve a lot more stretching but there are many variations and I do not know enough about yoga in general - but I had never heard of it in reference to musicians in particular, unlike AT which is for performing srtists in general.