Piano Forum
Non Piano Board => Anything but piano => Topic started by: Bob on July 24, 2005, 07:56:57 PM
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Any ideas for increasing your ability to remain on your feet for extended periods of time?
By "extended" I mean 8 hours a day, five days a week.
Anyone do this? Not fun is it? Any ideas to make that easy?
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so do 15 hours a day 7 days a week for years
then 8 hours a day 5 days a week is easy ;D
no no. just kidding
if you love it
i dont think it's hard
do meditation!
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Practice piano while standing up.
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Well, Bob, I did used to do this. I do not anymore and I am grateful for that because it certainly is a thing that can be somewhat torcherous.
comfortable shoes with great arch support are a very big help.
My position allowed me only a tiny bit of space to move around in --think *assembly* work. Then I changed positions in the company and could walk around a lot, and that's different. But when I was just standing, I would constantly be shifting my weight from foot to foot for periods of time and I just got used to it. This is probably not much help because I am sure you already do this without even thinking about it.
One thing that would help, if at all possible, is to simply avoid standing as much. Is there any way for you to sit on a stool ? Do "we" know what you do for work ? Because if "we" do, I could share more ideas.
m1469
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move a lot
spread your legs out
stretch
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The key to standing is "proper posture", as it is for sitting. The posture for standing and sitting is identical from the hip joints on upward, i.e. the key balance points need to be in one vertical line. This means the hip joints are in fact farther back than most people would think (do not tuck your butt in. As "fashionable" as it might be, it's pretty out of balance.) For standing, the other balance points (knees and ankles) must also be on that line. The knees need to be slightly bent with the weight of the entire body over the ankle joints.
The most stable and painless standing position is known as "The Monkey" in the Alexander Technique. It's a bit more extreme than what I just described, but it works wonders for people with lower-back problems. Professional chefs and other people who need to stand a lot often "do the monkey".
Keep in mind: there is no proper sitting posture without proper standing posture and vice versa. One also cannot assume proper posture at the piano for a few hours a day and an improper posture away from the piano. It's mutually exclusive, because either would feel uncomfortable.
For more explanations, consult the book that I usually refer to. Let's see how well you have followed those threads ;)
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Hey, thanks xvimbi. I kinda wonder if this is what I ended up just doing, because I just know it didn't bother after the first couple of days. You solved one mystery for me... he he
m1469
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:)
What's the book xvimbi?
You mentioned in the other thread it was here, but I don't see it. Ah! :) Can you list it again please?
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:)
What's the book xvimbi?
You mentioned in the other thread it was here, but I don't see it. Ah! :) Can you list it again please?
It's "What every pianists needs to know about the body" by Thomas Mark
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1579992064/qid=1122345786/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-1913410-9531017?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
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The key to standing is "proper posture", as it is for sitting. The posture for standing and sitting is identical from the hip joints on upward, i.e. the key balance points need to be in one vertical line. This means the hip joints are in fact farther back than most people would think (do not tuck your butt in. As "fashionable" as it might be, it's pretty out of balance.) For standing, the other balance points (knees and ankles) must also be on that line. The knees need to be slightly bent with the weight of the entire body over the ankle joints.
The most stable and painless standing position is known as "The Monkey" in the Alexander Technique. It's a bit more extreme than what I just described, but it works wonders for people with lower-back problems. Professional chefs and other people who need to stand a lot often "do the monkey".
Keep in mind: there is no proper sitting posture without proper standing posture and vice versa. One also cannot assume proper posture at the piano for a few hours a day and an improper posture away from the piano. It's mutually exclusive, because either would feel uncomfortable.
For more explanations, consult the book that I usually refer to. Let's see how well you have followed those threads ;)
Did anyone else sit up straight when they read this? Lol, I will probably have forgotten it all in 5 minutes and will be slouching again.
When i play piano people have recently pointed out to me (my teacher included) that i crouch over the piano, like mainly beding my head towards the keys. My teacher says it makes me play very introverted (stylistically and physically).
When i get to difficult passages i feel i need to be closer to the keys so i lean closer towards them. I don't find it a huge problem but i do get neck ache sometimes after a few hours of practising.
I keep trying to correct myself when i'm aware of it but then when i start concentrating intensley on the music again i always forget i'm doing it.
Any ideas of how to improve this? It can't really be that good for my playing surely?
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Did anyone else sit up straight when they read this? Lol, I will probably have forgotten it all in 5 minutes and will be slouching again.
When i play piano people have recently pointed out to me (my teacher included) that i crouch over the piano, like mainly beding my head towards the keys. My teacher says it makes me play very introverted (stylistically and physically).
When i get to difficult passages i feel i need to be closer to the keys so i lean closer towards them. I don't find it a huge problem but i do get neck ache sometimes after a few hours of practising.
I keep trying to correct myself when i'm aware of it but then when i start concentrating intensley on the music again i always forget i'm doing it.
Any ideas of how to improve this? It can't really be that good for my playing surely?
Yes, this the problem with "focussing". One forgets about everything else, also about aspects that might be just as important or even more important than the one one is actually focussing on.
Experiment: have a friend play a piece and then ask what s/he remembers about the fingers, how they felt, were there any stretches, anything. Then ask about the wrist, then about the forearm and elbow, then about the shoulder, then about the torso, the head, the breathing. Chances are that the person might be able to say a lot about the fingers and the hand, but probably doesn't remember anything about the shoulders or the breathing.
When it comes to posture and learning how to move efficiently, one has to pay attention to the entire body, every little bit of it.
Easier said the done!
Take a reasonably short piece and play through it, focussing on the sound you produce (many people are not able to actually listen to themselves, because they are so absorbed with everything else). Play it again but focus on your shoulder (you'll probably not remember anything about your sound). Then on your head, and so on. You will find that it is very difficult to retain information about aspects other than the one one is focussing on. Practice to acquire as much information as you can. The information is all there, you just need to retain it for a while. Only if you can get information on a certain aspect can you work on it. Only if you get information on all aspects simultaneously can you begin to integrate everything and make a whole package.
So, IMO, focussing and concentrating on a single aspect is counterproductive. That aspect might come out very nicely, but everything else will suffer. Only a heightened awareness of everything that goes into playing will be productive. Unfortunately, it's not easy, so you need to make an effort. Do it five minutes at a time. You'll find that it is very exhausting, but it is absoluetly worth it. Then start increasing that time.
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Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees a little. Locking your knees will cause tension in your back. Try to get a flexible, elastic feeling. Make sure there's no tension in your hip. Imagine there's a great distance between your head and hip.
T