Playing the Recorder, and other Similar Instruments
Today I watched a video from Ensemble Amarilli, a group of musicians who mostly play music from the Renaissance, Baroque and early Classical periods. This particular video had a recorder ensemble playing the Christmas carol, Ding dong Merrily on High. I wrote the following and posted it on Facebook along with the video:
#performingartsmedicine commentary:
Regardless of size, the way you hold a recorder (or similar wind instrument held straight in front of you like clarinet or oboe) requires a lot of strength and balance from one or both thumbs as your fingers press the holes or keys. Most of the weight of the instrument rests on the thumbs.
Weak muscles in the thumbs, other fingers, and wrists can’t support the instrument well. This puts extra strain on the ligaments and joints in the area. This extra strain is even more extra in larger instruments because they are heavier, and also worse when the instrument player gets more tired… hence the importance of taking breaks when practicing!
So what can you do? Aside from the obvious “strengthen the muscles in the hands and wrists”, include the more proximal muscles too (the muscles acting on the elbow, shoulder, neck, spine) in the strengthening program so they can share the load as well and won’t get tired easily. Take breaks when practicing or playing so you don’t get too tired. And of course, don’t forget to enjoy and mindfully savor what you’re playing!
PS: I should put more of my #performingartsmedicine commentary on this blog. There are already several (albeit shorter) ones on my professional Facebook page.
PPS: I find it useful to turn off the sound when looking at performing artists’ videos. It helps me concentrate on observing their movements. Otherwise I’d get lost in appreciating the music and my mind wanders away from looking at how they move 🙂
