My wrist hurts from scales

[kghayesh]

I wanted to play some scales, arpeggios for practice, but i don't know what made me not take it easy...... I played all 24 major and minor scales and all 24 major and minor arpeggios 4 octaves and at full speed many times. They took me about half an hour to do them all. I felt it was a good practice and that i should do this a lot.

But after a couple of hours, i felt some pain in my left wrist. The pain was so annoying that i was afraid something serious had happened (Actually i am playing in a small concert tomorrow, which makes me a lot more anxious). I consulted a doctor and he said there was nothing serious just some overload on the wrist.

I don't know but was it correct to play all these scales and arpeggios the day before the concert??

[xvimbi]

You can play whatever you want, whenever you want, as long as you play properly. Having pain after playing means your movements were not correct. Definitely, scales and arpeggios should not lead to pain. However, without actually watching you play, one can't tell what might be wrong. So, have your teacher or somebody else who is familiar with proper movements watch you carefully.

[steinwayguy]

Why the hell are you playing scales 

[pseudopianist]

I'm hijacking this thread

When playing the 10:1 at almost full speed, my hand gets really tierd and I get this warm feeling that last quite a while, is it supposed to be like that or am I f*cked?

[Rach3]

I get this warm feeling

Wbat do you mean, is your hand actually warming up, or are your nerves doing something unusual?

To the OP: I suspect you'd get a lot more out of scales if you did only a few of them, and slowly, focusing on proper technique and relaxation (I'm not saying this just to you, this is my general idea of how to get the most out of repetitive technical exercizes). Pick scales that are very different from each other on the keyboard; if you can play A major you already know D major and E major.

[melt]

I used to do these arpegios, and i enjoyed practicing them before i'd start playing. . .I developed tendonitus after about my fifth year of piano.  A few of my problems were Making sure my wrists were paralel to the keys, not slanting down with my fingers up into a V. Sometimes it helps to have your bench heightened.  Another problem that helped me get rid of the pain in my wrists and thumb was when playing large chords to move your arm, not just your wrist.
Hope this makes sense...
- m

[pseudopianist]

Rach3: Not sure, it just feels warm, it doesn't really hurt but it feels all tierd and warm.

[Daevren]

Take breaks.

If you are doing the same movements over and over you will get problems. Even with perfect posture and relaxed movement.

Also, keep your wrists straight as often as possible. If you rest your hands somewhere on the table, keep the wrists straight. You don't want to move your fingers with a bend wrist.


So do scales, take a break, do chords, take a break, listen for 100% to a recording of a great piece, practice some more, walk around a bit, do scales again.

[c18cont]

Wouldn't you be wise to avoid overuse of scales?

Seems like your rep. would have been a better choice...John

[c18cont]

My wrists started going out two or three days ago....

Went too hard on trying to get back into hard playing I guess...See my post also on playing with wrist support...

Best Regards,   John

[c18cont]

Just read at anatomy site,

Anatomy home page...On wrist...Patients who have been symptomatic for more than three months are unlikely to be helped by simple local measures,...The suggestion was, learning to live with it or undergo specific precedures to correct...WOW..?

John