Increasing Awareness of a Musicians Health A musicians health is often ignored by many until it is too late. This often leads to time off work at a later stage which could have been prevented if adequate education was available at the start of the musician's career/training. I have had my fair share of aches and pains over the 30 years I have been playing and looking back I am painfully aware of the lack of guidance I received as a young musician. Do YOU suffer from aches and pains, tell me your story For me posture was never talked about and it wasn't until I was in my thirties that I began to look at the way I held my instrument (the bassoon) and start to make adjustments to the way I played. Unfortunately ALL musical instruments will put a strain on the body after a period of time. It's just that you don't notice the effects until months or years later. My first wake-up call was when my neck began to get stiffer and stiffer and I soon realised that using a neck strap with my bassoon was not helping me at all. So after trying all the available alternatives I found a solution that suited my body and my playing technique. So the MOST IMPORTANT lesson to learn is find a solution that works for you. No matter what the latest fad or trend of the moment. So what can be done to prevent future problems? 1. Be aware of the physical problems associated with your instrument. Every instrument comes with it's own set of problems and we are all built differently! 2. Warm Up! Being a musician is just like being an athlete. You need to warm up your muscles before you play. 3. If you notice any recurring pains go and see a professional as soon as possible. Don't let the pain get to the point where you can no longer play your instrument. 4. If you are having many different problems then think about
Alexander Technique
or some other means of tackling the strain you are putting on your body while playing.
The first is a what kind of exercises are beneficial for musicians; Click here to read the PDF in your browser, or right-click to download it The second is how NOT to get a performance injury... Click here to read the PDF in your browser, or right-click to download it The next is called Keeping Fit and Healthy on tour; Click here to read the PDF in your browser, or right-click to download it Hearing Loss and how to prevent it is the next factsheet; Click here to read the PDF in your browser, or right-click to download it Another one about warming up (and down)... Click here to read the PDF in your browser, or right-click to download it And finally a factsheet called Fit to Play which is concerned with making music enjoyable and never painful; Click here to read the PDF in your browser, or right-click to download it Another factor to consider is the stress caused by stage fright.
Click here for find out how to defeat stage fright
Do you have a health problem caused by playing your instrument?Have you suffered for your art? Tell me YOUR story and what has happened since.. Return to Home Page from Musicians Health
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