| Author |
Comment |
tiffanylne
Registered User
Posts: 8
(8/7/01 2:10:09 am)
Reply
|
help!!! i am in
AGONY
i am in such pain
how do i make it stop?
my hands are getting
so weak
and when i get up in the morning i can barely hold
anything
i squeeze waaaay too hard
and i cant make myself
stop
also...i am double jointed in my fingers......but only
in the top joint....so when i press my fingers tend to bend
backwards....could this be why i am squeezing so hard?
|
drcello
Registered User
Posts: 544
(8/7/01 7:01:18 am)
Reply
| Edit
|
I feel your
pain...
OK! Whooaa! Slow down. First, what is causing you such pain? If
just playing the cello is making you hurt so much, then take a break
for a week or two! Truly, it does take strong hands and fingers to
play the cello, so if your hands are naturally weak, you may need to
so some simple hand strengthening exercises for a few months before
starting back on the cello again. And don't overdo! Your health is
more important that playing the cello. Also, if you are truly in
agony, you had better go see a doctor right away. Now, cheer up! Be
patient, and eventually things will get better.
Marshall C. St. John
drcello@vei.net
Wayside Presbyterian Church
|
mycatmarti
Registered User
Posts: 59
(8/7/01 9:40:14 am)
Reply
|
aching
hands
My thumb, especially and wrist ache when I first start practicing,
but about 20 minutes in, things loosen up. I've also been
consciously trying to relax my thumb. Things begin to alleviate when
I start playing in second, third and fourth positions, because my
thumb moves from the the back to the fingerboard to the side. When I
first started back up I'd practice three days, take two off. Now I'm
practicing daily. Though if my hands are giving me trouble, I'll
only practice for 20 to 30 minutes. Regardless I'm still not
practicing over an hour. In a couple of months, I'll build my
practicing time up more.
You know another thing that helps, is
(this sounds strange I know) but during my cello breaks, I wash my
dishes and that hot soapy water loosens things up and takes away the
aches).
Mia
|
Xabur1342
Registered User
Posts: 14
(8/7/01 5:59:39 pm)
Reply
|
help!!! i am in
AGONY
I agree with everything from the past posts. I could add...
Look
back at the past little while and at the pieces you have been
playing. Maybe ask yourself a few of these questions. Have you been
playing anything with uncomfortable doublestops? Anything with
fifths across two strings? Any music with lots of stretching in the
left hand? Have you been playing anything fast with lots of notes?
Have you been playing anything that takes lots of energy for
extended periods? Have you been practicing one spot over and over
again? Anything difficult or physically uncomfortable?
Do
you take enough brakes when you practice? Are the strings on your
cello too high off the fingerboard? Which hand has the problem? Have
you recently been practicing much more than you usually do? Are you
doing anything physically demanding away from the cello?
The
above things can often be the cause of pain in the hands.
A cello
teacher might point out something about the way you are sitting,
holding the cello, moving your hands.
If you have serious
pain anywhere the best thing to do is to immediately take some time
off.
I find that if you take time off right when your body
signals that there is something wrong, then things tend to heal up
nicely and you can get back to playing pretty soon, in a few days,
or weeks.
On the other hand if you keep on playing you can make
it worse, it can take longer to heal, and you end up having to take
more time off in the end.
I think everyone who plays the cello
runs into these kinds of things, once in a while.
Xabur
|
DoDahlberg
Moderator
Posts: 133
(8/8/01 3:53:14 am)
Reply
|
Re: help!!! i am
in AGONY
Go to the doctor.
Dorie |
tiffanylne
Registered User
Posts: 9
(8/9/01 2:25:49 pm)
Reply
|
agony
well....i really havent been doing anything too strenuous....when i
started playing again i built up to 3-4 hours a day of
practice....but im not exactly doing that anymore, heh.
the
pain is mostly in my right hand.....at first it would just ache and
if i applied pressure underneath the first joint of my thumb then
the last 3 fingers and all the way down my hand would go numb..and
if i oved my fingers while i did this then there would be a weird
popping feeling and then everything would be tingly. that doesnt
happen as much since i stopped practicing so long.
the main
problem now is the aching in my hand from my thumb..its...not high
up on my thumb...but lower down on my palm...the part that moves
when you move your thumb...i know its from squeezing...i just dont
know how to stop...does anyone have any suggestions?
|
harriclay
Registered User
Posts: 15
(8/9/01 3:17:21 pm)
Reply
|
Some
suggestions
Make sure you are using the tip (and mostly the right corner) of
your thumb and that your thumb is at least slightly bent at all
times. Think of using your thumb only to keep the bow from falling
out of your hand. Lean most of the weight on your index finger and
balance slightly with the pinky, which is wrapped a little bit
around the stick of the bow (depending on how long your fingers
are). Imagine that you are drawing a relaxed and freeform work on
paper with a pencil; in the same way, "draw" the sound out of the
string.
|
Xabur1342
Registered User
Posts: 19
(8/9/01 5:21:54 pm)
Reply
|
re: help!!! i am
in AGONY
Are you carrying your cello case around? One time I got this major
pain in my hand and it turned out I was holding my cello case in
this really weird way when I was carrying it.
Maybe I can
make some hopefully useful suggestions.
When you are at the frog
you don't really need to "hold" your bow much. Your bow actually
pushes up on your hand as it wants to tip over the strings. So you
can definitely relax your bow hold at the frog.
When you are at
the frog you can even lift your first finger off the bow. You'll see
it doesn't really do anything at the frog anyways.
The other
thing is. We all have different hands, different sized fingers. You
can make some minor adjustments in position and see if something
feels more natural and comfortable. Turn your thumb this way or
that, bend it more, bend it less. Try holding the bow slightly
higher up the bow, slightly lower down the bow. Try holding it
slightly further into your palm, or further towards your fingertips.
A minor adjustment this way or that can make things more comfortable
for the size and shape of your hand.
Xabur
|
Internet Cello Society
Forums
Email
This To a Friend
Topic Commands (Moderator only)