Playing Music and Holding a Computer-Intensive Job
hey scot (and anyone else who would know). i remember that your other main gig is computer programming. do you have any problems with strain/rsi's in your hands and arms?
i play a moderate amount of piano (i teach music classes but don't gig for a living) and have a second job with a work load similar to programming (constant typing and trackpad work, minimum 4 hours a day, 5 days a week). the strain had started to show in my fingers earlier this year (before i took the second job) just from practicing and computer use related to teaching. my wife pointed out that i'm almost 30 and maybe my tendons just can't take the punishment like they used to :). now i'm on the computer even more of the time, and i can't just quit the new job because we need the money. i just switched to a very light keyboard and i use a track pad with a stylus for mouse work, which is minimal as i can do most things with keyboard shortcuts. (i'm also supposed to see an occupational therapist tomorrow, so i'm dealing with things on the medical end at least.)
any suggestions?
i play a moderate amount of piano (i teach music classes but don't gig for a living) and have a second job with a work load similar to programming (constant typing and trackpad work, minimum 4 hours a day, 5 days a week). the strain had started to show in my fingers earlier this year (before i took the second job) just from practicing and computer use related to teaching. my wife pointed out that i'm almost 30 and maybe my tendons just can't take the punishment like they used to :). now i'm on the computer even more of the time, and i can't just quit the new job because we need the money. i just switched to a very light keyboard and i use a track pad with a stylus for mouse work, which is minimal as i can do most things with keyboard shortcuts. (i'm also supposed to see an occupational therapist tomorrow, so i'm dealing with things on the medical end at least.)
any suggestions?
There are 5 comments, leave a comment.
ot is a great option for you. i played full-time for 30+ years and never had any issues with strain, so i don't think what you're experiencing is a normal part of aging.
i will say, i was fortunate enough to have studied with some very serious classical pianists that taught me how to play in a very relaxed way. (sep for my very poor posture that results in horrible back pain:)
i will say, i was fortunate enough to have studied with some very serious classical pianists that taught me how to play in a very relaxed way. (sep for my very poor posture that results in horrible back pain:)
as the dr. stated, your mechanics could well be off and ot can help you with those issues. another item that ot may find is that your anatomy/physiology is perhaps not exactly conducive to repetitive tasks. if that might be true, do not despair, you still have options. one thing i would also add is that if you do not strike it off well with your therapist, try out a different person. you have no obligation to continue seeing the first therapist that you encounter for any problem. just be comfortable with your options and accept that you will improve.
my suggestion is to make sure you have a light touch on the mouse and the keys. if you are straining, gripping teh mouse/stylus tightly, hitting the keys on the keyboard hard, you are definintely going to cause issues.
when you are moving your mouse, move your entire forearm, not just your wrist.
when typing on the keyboard, make sure your forearms are level with the floor, just like piano.
but the biggest issue i've seen in people who have problems like this is that they are tense. relax your muscles, let the mouse do the work.
you're almost 30 and your tendons can't take the punishment? ha. you're still a baby! :)
there's one other very important thing to think about. get some bloodwork done. make sure you're not having auto-immune responses that cause weak tendons. do you eat tons of grains? tons of bread, rice, beans, things like that? these are all dietary items that injure the gut lining, kill off healthy gut flora, cause systemic inflammation, and for a lot of people (i do mean a lot) auto-immune responses that can manifest in ways that look like injuries to tendons and joints.
check out the resources section here:
https://www.whole9life.com />
look at the grain manifesto (and the others, they are very short but interesting reads.)
when you are moving your mouse, move your entire forearm, not just your wrist.
when typing on the keyboard, make sure your forearms are level with the floor, just like piano.
but the biggest issue i've seen in people who have problems like this is that they are tense. relax your muscles, let the mouse do the work.
you're almost 30 and your tendons can't take the punishment? ha. you're still a baby! :)
there's one other very important thing to think about. get some bloodwork done. make sure you're not having auto-immune responses that cause weak tendons. do you eat tons of grains? tons of bread, rice, beans, things like that? these are all dietary items that injure the gut lining, kill off healthy gut flora, cause systemic inflammation, and for a lot of people (i do mean a lot) auto-immune responses that can manifest in ways that look like injuries to tendons and joints.
check out the resources section here:
https://www.whole9life.com
look at the grain manifesto (and the others, they are very short but interesting reads.)
If I'm not back in 24 hours, call the president.
Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.
Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.
by Scot Ranney on 05/29/2013, 20:14
i also play piano and am typing constantly. i used to have sensitivity in my wrists/hands and down my right arm's radius/ulna. i have made a few changes outside of the piano realm to keep this sensitivity away. for reference, i probably play piano on average 1-2 hours a day, and am on a computer for 8 or 9.
i find that mousing with your entire arm is very helpful. you can also "overwork" your arm doing this as well - but it takes a lot longer in my experience.
try mousing with your offhand (use the mouse with your left hand, if you are right-handed). this is probably the #1 thing that helped me.
a close second would be switching to an upright mouse/bendable keyboard. i use two evoluent mice now, one for each hand: https://www.amazon.com/evoluent-verticalmouse-small-800-2600dpi-resolution/dp/b004gxz69w/ />
i also occasionally use a goldtouch ergonomic keyboard: www.amazon.com/goldtouch-ergonomic-adjustable-keyboard-white/dp/b003o5z3nm/
the idea with these products is to let you work while keeping your wrists closer to a "natural" position (minimal bending). bending your wrists (which you have to do to play piano) is not a natural position. you have to give your wrists some time off. just let your arms drop naturally and look at how your hands are positioned.
keyboard shortcuts help a lot.
if you are patient, you can do a lot of voice-commands with modern day operating systems. this can be helpful if you are reading a lot of documents on a computer - you can just say, "page up" and "page down" - although depending on your office setting this might be too annoying to other people. if you can afford the time, you can "train" your computer to listen to your voice and do a few simple tasks. i have done this at home but at work it's a little too loud with people nearby.
if you can manage it, try figuring out a way to stand and work at your computer as well as the normal sitting routine. if you are stuck in a normal cube-office type setting, this might be hard and require some stacking of boxes/papers. ideally, you should probably be looking straight ahead at your monitor too and not down/up, and you should have your arms bent at a 90 degree angle with the ground.
that's all i can think of for now... good luck!
i find that mousing with your entire arm is very helpful. you can also "overwork" your arm doing this as well - but it takes a lot longer in my experience.
try mousing with your offhand (use the mouse with your left hand, if you are right-handed). this is probably the #1 thing that helped me.
a close second would be switching to an upright mouse/bendable keyboard. i use two evoluent mice now, one for each hand: https://www.amazon.com/evoluent-verticalmouse-small-800-2600dpi-resolution/dp/b004gxz69w/
i also occasionally use a goldtouch ergonomic keyboard: www.amazon.com/goldtouch-ergonomic-adjustable-keyboard-white/dp/b003o5z3nm/
the idea with these products is to let you work while keeping your wrists closer to a "natural" position (minimal bending). bending your wrists (which you have to do to play piano) is not a natural position. you have to give your wrists some time off. just let your arms drop naturally and look at how your hands are positioned.
keyboard shortcuts help a lot.
if you are patient, you can do a lot of voice-commands with modern day operating systems. this can be helpful if you are reading a lot of documents on a computer - you can just say, "page up" and "page down" - although depending on your office setting this might be too annoying to other people. if you can afford the time, you can "train" your computer to listen to your voice and do a few simple tasks. i have done this at home but at work it's a little too loud with people nearby.
if you can manage it, try figuring out a way to stand and work at your computer as well as the normal sitting routine. if you are stuck in a normal cube-office type setting, this might be hard and require some stacking of boxes/papers. ideally, you should probably be looking straight ahead at your monitor too and not down/up, and you should have your arms bent at a 90 degree angle with the ground.
that's all i can think of for now... good luck!
whatever you do, take care to make sure it doesn't progress. jimmie amadie got carpal tunnel so bad he had to quit playing for 40 years.
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