Easy Ways to Prevent Piano Related Hand Injuries

Date:2020/1/9 12:18:36 Hits:

Musicians face many challenges that go beyond such obvious things as learning chords, remembering lyrics, and writing great melodies. Sometimes our challenges are physical in nature. Keyboardists often feel they are in the category of players who can “play forever” because they don’t fatigue the same way as a guitarist, vocalist, or wind player. However, keyboard injuries are often less related to muscle endurance and more to duration of play and faulty technique. Here are tips that will help you avoid these problems and keep your hands healthy:

Unweighted vs. Weighted Keys

Unweighted instruments are extremely useful, but for the pianist who composes or records in a DAW on a MIDI keyboard, beware of overplaying. The seasoned pianist is especially at risk; a simple composing session can inspire a rigorous practice session. Pianists must realize that their technique is naturally geared toward weighted instruments, which means they are typically more heavy-handed than an organ or synth player. If a pianist applies their default technique to an organ, pounding through to the bottom of the keybed for hours, then it’s only a matter of time before they run into physical strain. This can be worse if the keyboard isn’t at standard performance height/angle, which can put the hands and wrists in awkward positions. The solution? Use unweighted instruments primarily for short-duration, low-impact playing. Save the heavy practice and composing sessions for weighted instruments like an acoustic or digital piano. Another idea is to learn to play every keyboard instrument with the lowest amount of tension possible.

Repetition

All of us have come to that one part in a piece that we can’t seem to get right; my first classical piano teacher called it a “trouble spot.” The natural thing is to play the passage over and over again. This form of practice is often necessary, but it can easily lead to repetitive stress injury. The remedy is a simple realization: most of the time, a trouble spot can be fixed with a more strategic or economical fingering and/or executing the movement with less physical tension. Therefore, rather than putting more stress on your body by playing the line over and over, try to figure out how to play it using less stress. Using more arm weight and momentum, instead of finger strength or brute force, can go a long way.

Playing Time

Besides repetition, overplaying is a frequent cause of physical problems. If you have a day where you compose on your MIDI keyboard, type on the computer keyboard, use the mouse for two hours, practice your acoustic piano for another two hours, and then play a 4-hour gig that night, how do you think your hands will feel the next day? Probably awful! This is why it’s important to plan ahead and schedule when you play. You also must be willing to take breaks from playing. If you find yourself losing track of time, then set a timer to go off every hour. Get out of the room, do some hand and forearm stretches, go for a walk, read a book — anything that doesn’t involve heavy use of your hands or arms. Remember: spending time away from your instrument is as valuable to your health as practicing is to your playing.

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