piano & the body (mainly the back)

[just_me]

ho. i've been playing the piano for several years. sometimes i need to take a couple of months of for a health reason, then it's right back on the piano bench. my question to instructors and ppl who practice for ~3 or more hours per day --- are there exercises to keep your back from not hurting (or do u just practice for 6 hours and ignore the pain)? are there exercises that you do to make your physical condition optimal for piano playing? AND, if your fingers/arms become sore after practicing a mini-section (i.e., a part of a phrase), do you take a break from that section, let your muscles recover and then hit it again OR do you try to build up your endurance and practice through when your fingers feel rubbery??
thanks so much for answers to this question in advance. i always really appreciate the responses when i do post questions in this forum,
me!

[go12_3]

When I used to practice such long hours, like 6-7 hours, then I used to have a problem with my back.  However, mostly the problem is caused from improper posture and how the  arms are positioned(like it they are extended too far from the body or too close to the keyboard.)  The whole body needs to be relaxed with the back straight and shoulders relaxed. You should not have to deal with much pain at all anywhere in your body, unless you push yourself to the max.  It would be best to practice at 15 minutes and then take a break; do that throughout the day and see how your back feels.  Also, lay on the floor and with your legs curled up slighly and  rock gently from side to side, but keep the back flat on the floor and  slowly do deep  breathing.  This will ease the tension and pain in your back.  I had back pain (not from piano playing) and for a day, every hour, I would lay on the floor and do some back exercises to ease the pain.   By the end of the day, my back was pain free. Look up on line about back exercises and you will have ideas to strengthen your back also.   

When you practice a part of a phrase, just do it for 15 minutes.  The fingers need a break from the repetitions.  Do something different after a few repetitions.  I think many students feel that if they practice more, then they will accomplish more. Just pace yourself each day and see how your back will feel. 

best wishes,

go12_3

 

[Petter]

I got myself an acupressure mat recently.

That, some light pilates and stretching took care of my back problems. You probably need to strenghten your lower core muscles so you can sit up straight without getting tired, but best to see a physician that can tell you what's wrong.

[weissenberg2]

Try sitting up straight. When my back starts hurting I take a break and sit in a regular chair until my back feels better. Maybe you should try playing in a regular chair. I tried that and I did not like it.

[Bob]

Stretching, good posture, changing positions, practicing staying relaxed and keep good posture while playing.  I've tried a chair with back and sometimes that feels ok, but it seems like very lazy practice then (not necessarily bad, it's still practice.).

For stretches, twists, leans...  Or hold a weight and do those.  And daily, like a routine so things are looser.

I think there are a few more threads about this on here too. 

[richard black]

Sit lower - possibly a lot lower. I used to sit high but when I started working as a repetiteur regularly, working a 6-hour day at the piano as routine and often significantly more than that, I found sitting really low helped a lot with creature comfort. My wife found the same. Just to give you some idea, I ideally sit on a 42cm stool at a standard-height grand piano - that's 5-6cm lower than most concert stools will go!

[iroveashe]

are there exercises to keep your back from not hurting (or do u just practice for 6 hours and ignore the pain)? are there exercises that you do to make your physical condition optimal for piano playing? AND, if your fingers/arms become sore after practicing a mini-section (i.e., a part of a phrase), do you take a break from that section, let your muscles recover and then hit it again OR do you try to build up your endurance and practice through when your fingers feel rubbery??

Don't practice until you feel pain. If you feel pain stop, but it's better to stop before you reach that point. If you want to practice for 6 hours do it in small sessions during the whole day and make sure to take breaks between them. If you do practice until you feel pain, and then keep practicing to "build endurance", even if you feel you're practicing more, in the long run it'll be less, because you'll end up with injuries. And the optimal conditions for piano playing are basically the optimal conditions for everyday life. And make sure you sit well all the time, not just at the piano, so you get used to it.

[Bob]

Or work up to it.  The body takes time to adjust.

[jgallag]

Or work up to it.  The body takes time to adjust.

Never, EVER, use this method. The piano is not a sport, you are not weightlifting or running. If strength were necessary at all, we wouldn't have child prodigies, as their muscles wouldn't be fully developed. Sure, there is a lot of movement in playing the piano, but you are first and foremost training the mind. You are training coordination and speed. The stamina is all in the mind, not in the body. Pain as a result of lengthy practice is a sign of tension, not of weakness.

As others have mentioned, you probably have poor posture. We'd have to see a picture of you to tell you exactly what to do. As far as the idea of sitting lower mentioned before, I doubt that's it, but it may be because I am short and sitting to low at the piano is all too easy. Sitting low at the piano, from my experience, may result in overcompensation by raising the shoulders, which is a large problem. There should be a very slight decline from your elbow to you fingers when sitting at the piano. Some advocate that your forearms should be parallel to the ground, but there should never be an incline. Accentuate the curves in your back. As Barbara Lister-Sink demonstrates, there are four curves in the spine, and I would guess that you may be working against them with your posture. The spine is not straight, and sitting taller doesn't mean straightening it. However, poor posture can invert the curve in your lower back, causing your tailbone to shift forward and your chest to cave in.

If you must think it is muscles, then try an abdominal workout. The back is the antagonist to the abdominals, and if your abs are weak then you back may not be able to fully relax and widen. Get an exercise ball so you can do a good ab workout and hyperextensions as well to make sure the back still develops with the abs. I'd still say muscle strength/stamina is not your problem, though.

[Bob]

Not with pain.  But if your back muscles can only handle 4 hours, then you have to wait until they can handle 4.5, then 5, etc.

[dr. j]

Practicing with pain is not a good idea.  Staying fit and flexible will aid your piano playing - and endurance.  Be sensible.  If you injure yourself you won't be able to play at all - let alone six hours a day.

Dr. J

[fenz]

does anyone has pictures about sitting properly while playing piano? and how to relax while playing piano? i have same problem... thanks.

[Bob]

I've heard you should be able to stand up easily while sitting.  If you have to lean forward or struggling, you're not sitting as easily as you could.

And that sitting is the same as standing from the waist up.