| Author |
Subject |
AGabbert
Registered User
(3/6/01 5:34:28 pm)
Reply |
Question for Victor Sazer on pain
(Thanks for the advice on forming
the society...
I'll let you know if I think of any questions. At
this point a few people have sent my bylaws which should be very
helpful eventually.
Now to the question:
I know that
you have spent a lot of time thinking about the cello and related
pain/injury problems...
I was talking to Dr. Gordon Epperson a
few years ago and we were discussing the tendonitis, etc. problems
so many musicians have these days in orchestras.
In the course of
our conversation, he told me that "in his day" (orchestrally
speaking) the physical problems that seem so common today were very
rare... almost unheard of.
Do you think this is really
true?... or is it a difference in the psychological attitude toward
pain? (Maybe musicians wouldn't admit pain as much then since their
jobs were not as protected?)
If it is true that physical
problems are far more universal now... why is that?
In this
supposed enlightened era of cello playing, where the physical
effects and techniques of playing are far more analyzed and studied,
how could it be that the problem is growing?
Or could it be
non-musician related? (I have also read that back problems are far
more common now in our society than they were years
ago...)
Could this be due to bad posture as children? Dietary
changes? More processed food? A weakening of people in
general?
Different attitudes toward stress in
general?
Perhaps watching too much television stunts the
development of our bodies too? 
|
Victor
Sazer
Registered
User
(3/8/01 3:07:15 pm)
Reply |
Question for Victor Sazer on pain
To begin with, there are medical
reports going back two centuries, describing musician’s pain
problems.
Some pain problems however, may be affected
by:
1. The technique not keeping
up with changed technology. A shorter bow was used in Boccherini’s
time. Cellists did not have to reach their bow arms as far to the
right as they do since the development of the longer bow. Extending
the arm away from the body with too narrow a base of support is, in
my opinion, one of the main causes of right arm tendonitis and
shoulder problems. Aligning the cello, so that the bridge to the
left of center and keeping the right leg away from the cello
(providing a broad enough base to support the entire span of your
bow strokes) can alleviate the danger of such injuries.
2. Greater pressure of
competition and heavier symphony work schedules. For many years,
symphony musicians wanted longer seasons, because most were (some
still are) too short to provide a decent living. When their efforts
met with success and performing seasons were extended, they had to
work with greater intensity. In many orchestras, in addition to
longer seasons, services per week were increased. When the San
Francisco Symphony went on strike a couple of years ago, the main
issue was not compensation, but easing of the work schedule. This
was related to the frequency of injury. Competition for symphony
jobs is also greater than ever. Each year accomplished players join
a non-expanding job market.
After considering these factors,
I would still question the statement “in his day, physical problems
that seem so common today were very rare...” That they were “almost
unheard of” is true because they were hidden. Injured musicians were
reluctant to divulge their pain for fear of becoming unemployable or
because they had no alternatives or prospects for relief. Many
assumed the attitude that you “have to sacrifice your body for your
art; it comes with the territory.” I could cite many cases of
musicians, including some major artists who experienced severe pain
“in his day”.
After all this has been said, professional
musicians still have a higher percentage of pain problems than
professional football players. Cellists have the highest incidence
of back problems than any group of musicians. No group of cellists
is immune from pain including symphony players, free lancers, studio
musicians, soloists, amateurs, students, etc. In addition, no school
of playing is immune from pain. The up side is, than today there are
alternative approaches to playing that can, often easily, eliminate
the danger of pain or injury.
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