Overcoming Tendinitis and How To Develop Ease and Relaxation In Your Playing
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2017
- View Josh's FREE webinar training, "10 Unusual Tips To Take Your Playing To The NEXT LEVEL!": event.webinarjam.com/register...
View Josh's premiere course, ProPractice Lifetime Access, and get instant access to every previous and future ProPractice video, forever! joshwrightpiano.teachable.com...
View the VIP MasterClass Series here, featuring videos not seen on TH-cam: joshwrightpiano.teachable.com...
View a full list of ALL the gear Josh uses: kit.co/joshwrightpiano
Link For Electrode Therapy Massager mentioned in video: amzn.to/2tDiIjF
To download Josh's FREE ProPractice video pack (which he released at the beginning of the COVID-19 quarantine to help pianists continue to develop their skills in the possible absence of regular piano lessons) containing full-length ProPractice tutorials in all levels of study (Early Beginner, Mid-Late Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels) click here: joshwrightpiano.teachable.com...
🔔 Subscribe for more videos like this: th-cam.com/users/joshwrightpia... - เพลง
**plays a passage better than we could ever hope to**: "Horrible, sorry." 5:38
I had the same thought!... not to mention that its one of the most difficult piano pieces out there...
Joseph Spadafino He practice a lot. Considering he is older than me. I am not surprised.
I've had tendinitis before and I skipped piano for almost a month before I finally went to the doctor and he said it woud be ok to start playing again, but taking it easy, and I agree that playing was actually beneficial in the healing process.
Your hair looks great on this video
Hi Josh, I totally agree with your last point-- these chronic pains don't just get better with complete inactivity, they will stubbornly just come back as soon as you start playing in the way that caused it. But of course, if it is really bad, it will need some complete rest to calm down and heal for a while.
I want to add that twisting is the worst motion you can do for your wrists. It's called ulnar deviation and it happens the most when pianists play the thumb on the black keys without moving the whole forearm forward into the keys to get there.
I firmly believe that, no matter how difficult a piece is, it MUST feel physically comfortable (dare I say...easy?) when playing it, otherwise you are doing something wrong. Bold words, I know, but something well worth striving for IMO.
I just applied this technique and I already feeling instant improvement...one of the best piano advices I have ever got so far!! 🎹🎹
Thank you so much!!! I am at the intense period (they're talking about surgery, but trying injections first) and I've decided to follow our suggestions 100%. This is the best advice I've got. And based on your reminder, I'm about to follow doctor's orders and ice it.
My physiotherapist also told me to do hot-cold therapy, it does help. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thanks for the great video Josh! I've been really frustrated with the lack of discussion regarding injuries/pain in my own studies and even here on youtube. Pain can be really discouraging and ultimately hinders your progress. Would love it if you could address this topic more, but while also talking about things like back and arm stiffness and ways to overcome them :)
I have watched all of your lessons Josh and it is very clear to me that a lot of skill and method that goes into piano playing hinges on being relaxed. It's just so hard to find that perfect key spot where there's enough rigidity to be accurate and looseness to be natural. I mean I've found that the physical stress even distracts the brain which is bad obviously because playing an instrument requires such heavy focus and method.
I'm super worried about carpal tunnel syndromes and joint problems especially since I also do a lot of work in front of a terminal. You'd think stuff like sitting the right way, flexing and using your whole arm in a relaxed manner would be integrated to a piano player like algebra to a math student but I guess not. Every time I go in front of the keyboard (whether it's an instrument or a computer peripheral) I need to remind myself of this and I still forget it occasionally.
Other stress and stuff bumping in one's head seems to be a pretty effective distraction. So playing the piano seems to also be about meditation. One needs to switch other stuff off in one's mind to focus on the music and the mechanical execution. For me personally it becomes very apparent during the evening because I seem to be able to play better. It's late enough that I'm a bit tired so I can be looser but still not too late for me to be able to focus. When I hit that spot of clarity and relaxation it feels a lot natural to play the piano. I'm still thinking critically but I'm a lot less aware of what I'm doing mechanically and more focused on the music.
Anywho, enough rambling. Thanks for the lesson Josh!
Zhinarkos I totally agree with this, when I have a little too much coffee and the tension creeps in, I also get very aggressive and I get fatigued much faster than I should.
That's not to mention the psychological strain that creeps in,
very interesting what you said about playing better in the evenings because I experience the same thing.I just recently took A warm bath and then ran to the piano and felt very good playing some Chopin Nocturnes
for me remembering to take a break is hard lol
It's true. I have gotten better at it. I think even learning different pieces is important. There seems pieces that are sort of commonly approved in the piano community as a repertoire to hone and increase your skills in piano playing and I'd really suggest to go for them. I find for instance that learning a single one Bach invention has taught me more than I could have hoped from a single piece ever. The inventions seem to be a pretty disliked among students that are currently practicing them and I didn't like playing them at first. Once you figure out what you need to do however you realize what these pieces can do for you. My appreciation for Bach has gone up and I look at his music in a different light now. Same goes for etudes. I think these pieces that fall on the suggested coursework is where everyone should start to hone their skills. You can still play other things on the side.
of course. Thats what happens after a lot of time at the piano
many, many thanks Josh, especially for the "press/release" invaluable tip, Cheers!
You are a very thoughtful teacher ! Thanks for talking about this. It's always useful for beginners like me 🎹 🎼
Thank you very much for this awesome video!!!
This helped me soo much!!!
Wow thank you so much. I've been starting to experience pain in my fingers and wrists albiet quite mild. I'm quite paranoid as I plan on making piano a part of my life. Your advice will help me no doubt. You've got my subscription sir. ^-^
I had some extremely painful tendinitis from months of very tense Rach2 and Prokofiev practice. It’s been about 15 years since it happened and I still deal with it. It’s a lot better now and I can play my fair share of Ginastera and Ligeti if I practice extremely slowly with focus on relaxation, though I’ve never really had a concept for a proper technique like the press-release-I’m gonna start using it. Thank you for sharing!
These are some great strategies I've never heard of. Thank you so much for posting!
I too have a lot of trouble with wrist pain: it's a common issue in my field, IT. What I've found over the years is that my wrist gets painful when I work in a cold environment (as in cold temperature). Anywhere below 19°c and wrist pain is coming up fast!
It's still possible to deal with colder temperatures, but then you need to warm up and be more gentle until your tendons are ready.
thank you! it can be difficult to be relaxed on an acoustic piano action so these videos help give me a lot of great ideas
The exercise looks really effective. I'll definitely try this. Thanks Josh!
Thank you very much, Josh. You've made me very happy because I was thinking stop playing.
Gonna try this, have high hopes!
Press Release Press Release Press Release Press Release!!! 3:28 Okay okay, so what's the news? Good or bad???
Something you didn't mention is stretching your fingers and wrists as a warmup before you play piano. I once had an injury called tenosynovitis where my thumb and wrist was damaged. I got physical therapy where once they got my swelling down with hot and cold therapy as you mentioned, they taught me a series of stretches that not only warmed up my fingers and wrists, but my shoulders and neck too. I eventually healed and now I use the stretches as my warm up before playing piano.
Awesome video. Thank you.
Hey Josh,
First of all thanks for another amazing video. you mentioned hannon exercise and you also started with the #1, it goes from 60 beats to 108 I think, I feel like I`m playing to hard on the keys in a way that I get my hand worked up too early and I just cant go over 80 beats. I will try this press-release, maybe it will help
Great and really helpful video!
I have a really weak wrist and im currently working on Chopin's Etude Op. 10 No. 4 and after a while of practicing i start to get wrist soreness (not really pain). I'll definitely try does the hot/cold therapy help my wrist recover quicker!
Thank you so much, i have experienced a lot of wrist pain from an old tendinitis, and i didnt know how to get rid of it.
great ideas here thank you!
thank you for this information I had painful wrist playing hanon because i was doing it the hard way.
Josh, you’re a cool dude!
Thank you soo much. I believe I've been suffering with Tendinitis for roughly 3 days in my thumb and wrist (probs like you said i press down to hard lol. I learnt lesson XD) Im gonna try do some hot cold therapy.
i'm currently having tendinitis. thank you so much for this video... love you!
How is it now?
Thank you for all the helpful videos. Ice cold water helps -- according to my physiotherapist -- because inflammation is a chemical process which causes inflammation. Kind of like feedback in a microphone. The cold slows the chemical reaction - like turning down the volume a notch.
Hi Josh, thank you for your tips. I have only now learnt what tendinitis is and I'll definitely have some medical appointments to go to(I also have back pain that I had to get medical treatment for before). The pain in my whole hand(mostly my right hand) sometimes is just so bad that it practically radiates color red in my mind. I will try your methods too, so hopefully, the problem will be fixed or at least lessened. Thank you!
Good luck!
Hi Josh, Thanks for all the great lessons. I really love your channel and your teaching. I switched to piano from guitar a few years ago because of tendonitis in my left wrist. Piano helped me to keep my wrist in a 'neutral' position (unlike guitar, especially jazz). I agree that playing piano can be therapeutic. My hand doctor also stressed to me the idea that if it is a continuing problem, then it becomes a maintenance challenge. In other words, stop playing when it starts to hurt, or else the time interval you are able to play pain free will become shorter and shorter. I have found that several short practice sessions during a day is better than one long marathon session. I've built up my stamina this way so when I do perform repertoire pieces I can go for 30 to 45 minutes pain free. Everyone's situation is different I suppose, but I just wanted to relate my experiences to the discussion. Thanks again for the great lessons.
I hope this works fixed my form more and pain goes away but 25 minutes it came back hopefully this helps slowly building because before I was just slamming my pinky and stuff on hard chords and of course eventually got bout of extreme wrist forearm pinky pain randomly I love the piano and I’m not even that far enough in my playing hope I didn’t destroy my chance at this amazing instrument.
thank you seems to help
I don't play the piano, but I use my fingers and thumbs in an equally 'unnatural' way that has brought on the same symptoms; as a gamer. In the past, as a graphic designer I would use a computer throughout work, and outside of that would remain on the computer but for gaming. Being self employed, mostly working from home, combined with my love of gaming 'all-nighters' are as normal for me as going to a restaurant regularly is for many. Today the work the work has been replaced by more gaming, and the all-nighters (irrespective of my age have never stopped). So over the years I have occasionally suffered from (in my case) stupidity. Fortunately I'm very aware of how easy it is to allow this to happen, and importantly how incredibly easy it is to resolve, to a point that even doing this activity to extreme I rarely suffer the smallest of issues.
The key factor for me and one that's apparent in the solution offered in the video, but not explicitly mentioned, is simply being aware of what your body, in this case hands are doing. I think it's typically natural to ignore our bodies until its alarm bells start ringing by way of pain. But at this point we've clearly already taken things too far. What the exercise in the video is ultimately doing, and what I'm far more aware of now is clearly thinking about the movements we're peforming. It's easy to pick something up or manipulate our hands to do most untrainable tasks. We do this without thinking. We don't concentrate on each individual finger or the pressure and strength required to hold something, whatever. But the same lack of care carried out in the repeating tasks require a little more attention, a little thought. In my case it was gripping too tightly or tensing the fingers unnecessarily or pressing down too hard.
The problem is compounded when our minds are otherwise distracted by thoughts of the task in hand (literally!). I managed to cause the worst of my troubles with a new game that required learning a new skill, and combined that with learning an advancement of another one. This required me to concentrate harder on the game which forced me to grip, press and hold my hand in a much more physically stressful manner which eventually caused extreme pain in my fingers, knuckles and hand. So I needed to retrain the way I interacted with the controller and have it be as natural, and as soft in grip and finger movement as it would have been in the past. I needed to unlearn the pain causing grip and movement. It was as easy as every now and then to concentrate on my hands and fingers and simply loosen my grip and press buttons and pull triggers more softly. I combined this with the hand equivalent of yoga by way of stretching and pulling the fingers and thumbs slowly and carefully beyond their natural resting state.
It seems like an odd thing to suggest but I do believe it is natural to be mentally detached from our bodies and that's fine for most simple tasks for more complex 'unnatural' ones like playing an instrument or gaming, sometimes, some prove more susceptible to unfortunate bad habits which can lead to problems. Simple awareness of this, I believe, can play an important role in helping turn extreme uses of our bodies into movements that become a better 'second nature' and allow for more sustainable long periods of work or hobbies our bodies clearly weren't designed for.
Dear Josh,
Currently I haven't been able to load the VIP masterclass series is this an issue with everyone or is it just my device? Thank you for your hard work, maybe my connection is bad. Keep up the good work!
Hi Josh,
Do you plan on playing Beethovens Hammerklavier Sonata anytime soon? :)
I was wondering if you could do a tutorial on Etude d'exécution transcendante aprés Paganini S.140 n.4 version 1.
I'm experiencing back pain which sometimes makes me feel like not to practice. Any solutions is really appreciated as I'm so tired of this.
Thanks Mr. Josh for your videos
Do yoga
Can anyone give me the title to the song at 6:30 I wasn’t able to pick the name out
Slow motion effect on 1:59 sounds cool :F
What about when you have to play notes that are pretty far away from each other? I find it hard to stretch my hand across all the notes without having any tension going on in my wrists/fingers.
Don't stretch- let go of the previous note and practice landing on the next without holding a stretch.
I hurt my hand playing legato broken chords, it's been 4 weeks and it sucks. I would use pedal even in Scarlatti now if I can play again one day..
@@Alix777. can you play yet
@@caoiltemurray9560 Nope, not without moderate pain in wrist or fingers or palm even if I play as relaxed as possible, so I don't. Had an appointment with a surgeon and getting an MRI scan tomorrow...
@@Alix777. shit
Chopin etude 10 1 is what made my hand strange. Now I´m resting for some time the right hand. I think it was just too much practicing because when I was playing I did not find disconfort or tension
I think I have the same as you had in your pinky. Did you continue playing that recovery month? I’ll try the cold an hot therapy. Hope it heals fast…
I am playing coconut shuffle level 2a, there is a eighth note of blocked cords & half note of cords for both hands in the last measure. My teacher wants me to use my whole hand muscles, I'm not sure how to tackle this.
ill try Hot cold water therapy. im experiencing pain in my left hand after practicing Bach Prelude C# minor for too much... it about 3 weeks stop from playing, its not a Hard oain.. but its ther and its driving me crazy cause i want to start again. I will let you know if it worked... any advice on How to properly do this hot cold therapy?
What if you have a digital piano with no hammers?
I think when you say "electrodes" you're talking about a TENS machine (maybe?)
Love your videos, btw 😄
I really hope you see this comment! What kind of yoga fixed your back pain? There are so many different styles... I suffer often from back pain that limits my practice and also now thumb tendinitis which is mild. I’m a mess!
Guys the hand is like the legs in terms of muscle strength. Wath i do is getting a good bench height and download sheets with numbered fingers on it. I have been a goalkeeper since 4 y.o and my fingers were strong enough when i grew up. Later at 8 y.o i began with keyboard lessons. My grandma had a vertical Blüthner piano wich was hard to play(due to low maintenance and the years it got). I played on that piano and i felt like(in terms of football)kicking a Ball made of lead. So when i returned to home at end of the week after visiting my grandma, the keyboard(a Casio Ctk-451) felt ez to play(and i got lightness speed). So, i think wath Josh is advising is correct. But some humans get weaker hands than others and some suffer from piano practice and some don't. I think we need to check miticulously our playing or ask for an expert like Josh or a piano teacher to check our playing.
I've had thumb and wrist pain - well it's not exactly pain, as in "wow it's so painful". It's a very low but somewhat constant pain and "feeling" in my right wrist and thumb, like a constant discomfort - for the last 2 years. Nothing managed to fix it. I don't know what to do anymore.
I think I have it in my fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and somewhere in my side ribs and upper middle back. I have no idea what to do and I don't want to tell my teacher because I don't want her to be ashamed.
I can’t believe no one responded to this. You MUST talk to your teacher. He or she will not be ashamed; they need to know.
My hands hurt so much after a few mins of playing op 25 no 1 aeolian etude!!!!
What's the name of the piece at 6:30??
it has a lot to do with wrist position too. the wrist shouldn't be too low or high
OMG that is what my teacher taught me for my injury. He calls it bouncing on every note
What's the name of the piece he mentions Sergei Babayan's student playing at 6:06? I can't understand what he is saying.
Schumann kreisleriana
Need to discover the problem early enough before you get to the point of needing surgery. Can try filling the wash basin with hot water and add some Epsom (bath) salt and soak. You can probably try to play a slow piece or a technical piece at a slow tempo and feel your fingers pressing the keys.
Those Electrode Therapy machines look interesting (I love gadgets). Any known downside to them? Can you overuse them?
(Also, the best way to eliminate back pain is not be overweight -- the more fit you are, the better you can play piano.)
How can I do it on a digital keyboard? When I release, the key just comes back up. Guess it needs more tension than a piano?
get a better touch sensitive one. thats the problem with cheap digi piano's - they are not really meant for piano playing, but key playing and as toys
does anyone know what etude he's playing at 5:30? :)
What should I do if i have pain in my elbows? Practiced Op. 10 No. 5 and now my elbows hurt. What could help?
is it only when ur playing?
I got a josh wright ad on a josh wright video
@whoever reads this: I got a chronic tendonitis from playing 3-4 hours on the piano years ago but got rid of it. Trust me, if you read this and you have it right now: I know how that feels like and I personally got rid of it with slow, regular stretches with longer duration (it's called "fascia training" = DE: Faszientraining; "Liebscher & Bracht" have some really good exercises on their channel. Why is stretching important? Because the fascia in the hands, around the wrist and the fingers have to be long enough for the tasks they're supposed to fulfill - otherwise they can get stiff or they already hurt when playing a lot without stretching; that just indicates that they are too short at the moment - the solution in this case is as I mentioned: regular stretching to lengthen them .) - also through regular training of the fingers and thumb 1-2 times a week (pressing them against each other, working with the grip trainer and contracting the thumb etc.), massage and acupressure - and applying a relaxation technique in my piano playing; that's also one of the most important aspects - so Josh already explained several relaxation techniques - thx a lot btw, I'll apply these, too - always looking for ways to maximize healthy habits of playing the piano); "Ilinca Vartic" and "Denis Zhdanov" also have some really good videos on this topic on their channels. I can now practice/play the same amount as before everyday: 3-4 hours - and I'm fine. Again: I've dealt with chronic tendonitis, wrist pain and elbow pain already and I know how awful it feels to be not able to do anything. I Even quit piano playing for several years because I thought it made no sense at all then. So you can imagine how it feels now to be free from all that. You can do it, too - these methods work because they are based on natural principles of the human body. (Note: things like too much salt, sugar or extracted oils in your diet will easily get stuck in the fascia and cause pain - an alkaline nutrition is also important) Kind regards, Jerome
I don’t want to but I’m going to have to give piano a break for this reason 😩
I've had tendinitis since February, when I was preparing for auditions. Still hasn't gone away after trying everything :/
Did it go away yet?
Would you still practice piano if you had carpal tunnel or tendonitis
- also add gentle stretches - especially before playing. Practicing slowly pianissimo and legato are beneficial both for keeping up with practice and healing - especially with large chords. Not knowing how advanced you are, but if you lift your fingers very much when playing that is a serious source of tension because muscles on the top of your forearm are contracting against muscles on the underside of your forearm. The technic Josh is demonstrating illustrates the correct remedy for this - only press down and release (stop pressing down) - but do not lift the fingers using the muscles on the top of your forearm!
What's the second etude he played?
Chopin opus 25 no 6.
Maybe check out youtuber Dr John Bergman's advice on tendonitis, inflammation, and joint regeneration. He's helped me a lot.
I'd suggest trying body tuners. 128 HZ weighted tuning fork with a foot attachment that lets you massage the area that hurts. This is amazing in all kind of ways for the body. Thanks for the other tips. Always good to have many options that fit all.
General tip for people, go see a physiotherapist not a doctor for this type of issue. Doctors will tell you to stop and not really help. Physios will fix the problem and allow you a quick recovery!
Fretboard Sam Sooooo true!!
Vinnie Wang then what? Will that doctor treat you? Nope.
Vinnie Wang I think a physio and chiropractor is the same thing, no?
Different countries, different terminologies
Yeah totally. What is a doc gonna do? Nothing! Physio is the go. I have shoulder, elbow and wrist problems. Started from drumming but now it's gone to piano bass and guitar. Physio, not youtube of forums
I gave myself tendonitis on the inside of my elbow, from doing too much wrist pronation/supination (I think). Will this help for that?
I'm here because of wilde jage lol
Meow meow, I do not have hands :c
You just showed me how wildly out of tune my piano is
Thanks all of u commenters here. At least it make me feel I am not the only stupid having those nuisances. 😂😂😂🙏
I liked your hair before. It’s funny when you talk to yourself.
Always remember we must repent of our sins (sin is transgression The Law Of Yahuah The Father in Heaven. The Law are The Books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy). We must repent of our sins and Have Belief On Yahusha The Messiah. HE Died and Rose three days later so that we can be forgiven of our sins!
Come to HIM Today. Much love!!
My doctor told me to never play the piano again...
What did you say back