You stretch before you run, right?…you want to keep yourself injury free so that you can run 5k or even a marathon. The same goes for other sports, amateur and professional – whether it’s hockey, soccer, baseball, basketball or just going to the gym. There are warm ups and cool down periods, training programs to build up and recovery programs to repair the body. Musicians are athletes too although the movements may be much subtler and the body is often in a fixed position for significant periods of time.
According to a recent study, 80% of professional musicians suffer from injuries such as repetitive strains, tendinitis, nerve compression and general upper body problems like back pain and yet a musician is rarely told that they need to do anything other than practice, practice, practice.
As a pianist, and music educator I believe that what you do before and after your practice is critical to your success at the keyboard. Proper warming up and maintenance exercises are necessary not only our fingers but for our wrists, arms, neck, shoulders and back. The older you are, the more wear and tear your body has experienced whether from a lifetime of playing or from another occupation/job, such as computer work. Over the course of the next few weeks I will post a warm up or an exercise and a link to a site by Dr. Cody Weisbach, a musician’s physiotherapist along with some restorative yoga plus some tips on using baoding balls. Enjoy!
Warm up #1 – Finger and Tendon slides
You can try them
- First thing in the morning
- Before you start playing
- During practice breaks
- After a long day in the practice room or rehearsals
- Before bed