My Poor Hands. . . .

[Essyne]

I work a lot with my hands (live on a farm) and they tend to be really tight/sore after a long, hard day's work. What do you guys do to loosen up the muscles/tendons in your wrists and forearms? I stretch and soak them in water (as hot as I can stand) but was wondering if there's anything else I can do. It's terribly inconvenient and I get really frustrated when I cannot loosen up the arms when I play, as tension is something that I am really working on anyway.

Thanks in advance.

~Essy~

[term]

trills, simultaneously with both hands. I.e. 54 trill left + 12 trill right. Then next two fingers, 43 trill & 23 trill, and so on. Do them fast. After just a short time you'll own any trill there is and be good at tremolos.
It's important however to go from left to right with this.

[Petter]

A hot bath and a cup of tea. That´s what I do after work. Maybe a nap if time permits...

[tds]

i know people who work as hard as you do with their hands and arms, but they do not get sore or tight in the arms/hands.

it's true that you must take some breaks in between works. however, NO LESS IMPORTANTLY, you must do your physical activities right. this is so true as with piano playing, or as with brushing your teeth, for instance.

and the question is now: how do you move or do things right? ok. now, i am sure you have heard of some established methods/techniques out and around you. I know several of them are really excellent. i, for one, had a class on alexander technique. and i must say, it has helped me greatly with getting the healthy, free-of-pain way of doing things. It is one of those rare classes where you keep "using" the knowledge for the rest of your life. it's well worth it! if you never heard of alexander technique before, try to google. and if you really desperate and/or curious about it, you might wanna have lessons with an alexander expert. oh and btw, you must have heard of yoga. also!

all the best, tds

[Essyne]

i know people who work as hard as you do with their hands and arms, but they do not get sore or tight in the arms/hands.

It's mostly the notorious "day-after" soreness - normal, but I was just wodnering for some stuff to loosen up (you know, like stretching your hamstrings after a really hard run the day after - it's not an everyday thing - just after an all-day shoveling fest) before I play. I want to play but I don't want to inhibit my playing by making myself more tense - so stretching, etc was kind of what I was going for, but  - idk . . . lol. (incoherency rocks!  ).

The normal tension that I deal w/ is partially the fact that I have not played a lot (taught myself a lot of bad techniques w/ the first teacher) and stress myself out because my theory is much higher than my physical playing abilities. . . but it's diminishing - I just dont' want to exacerbate the situation any more than it already is.

Lol - and yes, I have heard of that little wonder called "yoga." It's yet another of my Passions/Obsessions.  .

Thanks, guys.

EDIT: I edited this post . . . maybe it makes more sense (I doubt it though  ).

[godowsky23]

a slow Hanon exercises could be the solution..

[pies]

a

[rc]

I have a physically demanding job where I have to do a lot of overhead work.  Most of the time my body can handle it without much trouble, maybe just half an hour after work to unwind before playing...  But sometimes I have to work double-hard, and I don't care what anyone says, after sanding every inch of a 1000 sq ft ceiling my arms are tense.

...On those days I don't play piano

But if my arms are just somewhat tense after a hard days work, like they would feel after a set of pushups.  I've found the best thing is to just lie down and give 'em a rest for a while, maybe have a nap.