sore upper arm / biceps

[ggpianogg]

Hey guys,

In your experience, what can be the reason that my biceps is getting sore (sort of stiff and making my movements extremely tiring) extremely quickly, like 15 SECONDS into playing?

[Bob]

Sitting a little too far back?

Not being used to playing that long?

Not letting gravity do the work?

General fatigue and not enough sleep.

[dss62467]

What sort of pieces are you playing?  I've never experienced any soreness playing, even after playing for hours.   I can only imagine you're playing something very demanding?

[gyzzzmo]

Hey guys,

In your experience, what can be the reason that my biceps is getting sore (sort of stiff and making my movements extremely tiring) extremely quickly, like 15 SECONDS into playing?

The reason is likely that you have a lack of proper technique. Only very fast forte octaves like in the Chopin etude 25/10 could give you a bit tensed upper arm, but it shouldnt be more than that.

[keyboardclass]

Are your elbows hanging relaxed by your side?

[ggpianogg]

I play around Grade 6-7 ABRSM pieces. Been playing on a piano with weighted keys for about 2-3 weeks (before that I played an old 4 octave keyboard with extremely light keys without weighted action).

Yesterday was the first day I actually had this problem (even though I'm playing more or less the same pieces). Undersleep might make sense, this whole week I've slept around 4,5 hours a day so yeah maybe.

I'll see how it goes today (I'm better rested finally) Thanks for the tips guys, I'll pay attention to my elbows.

Bob, as for letting gravity do the work (especially in the case of octaves and such), I'm not sure I understand this concept yet (no teacher here I'm afraid, will have to wait for him around a week - funds). I'm supposed to let gravity do the work, but when I'm lifting my hands from the keyboard to jump to the next octave, ain't I going against gravity? I read over and over that the jump is supposed to be a sort of richochet from the keys, but I'm having a hard time imagining it. Which part of the body 'provides' for the ricochet? Which part I should employ to act as the "shock absorber"? I'm guessing this is something I won't really understand unless a teacher shows it to me, but oh well worth an ask.

Thanks again.

[keyboardclass]

You're quite right there can be no 'richochet' - your hand/arm like a dead piece of meat will just sit there waiting for you to move it.  When you get to where you're going wait, then drop the weight (everything stiffens for a micro-second), then flop.

[Bob]

I meant letting gravity pull your arm down to cause the sound.

It could be is you're playing for a longer period of time, you're arm muscles are very slightly tensed and aren't used to doing that kind of work for that amount of time.  It might go away on its own.

[musicsminion]

This happens to me too occasionaly. Especially when I play the Hanon excersizes or play the scales. So I guess it happens whenever I play something continuous; my arms just seem to stiffen. I hate it. It hurts like crapppp. And it's discouraging.

I know how you feel.

[keyboardclass]

You folks are doing yourself no favours allowing pain to intrude.  If you are doing continuous finger work you'll have discomfort on the top thumb side of your wrist but that should be all.  If you have a problem at your elbow you're curling your fingers too much - scratch the keys from rested (flatter) fingers instead.

[biscuitroxy12]

It could be that you are keeping your arms to tight and stiff. Relax them and see if that helps. I often get arm pains and I look down and my arms are stiff as boards. Hope I helped.

[mazeppa]

This is actually a bigger problem in the world of pianists, especially ones who haven't been taught about the concept of Relaxation.

[All of this has been taught by my teacher and has strongly influenced my thoughts and approach to technique and playing the piano]

What you're experiencing is tension, which you are quite aware of. This is due to loss of blood flow in your arms, which is from straining your arms to stay still. Many pianists think that if they hold their arms very still that they will be able to play faster, but in all reality, it will the do exact opposite. You're going to feel pain, and will eventually cause damage to your arms and hands (tennis elbow, carpal tunnel and other similar problems).

Another problem with this tension is that your tone and control is severely decreased and is very "sharp" and "loud." It's difficult to play quiet, and your focus is decreased due to you using up your physical stamina.

So, what do you do? How do you fix these demons?

You gotta relax!

Follow these points and stick to them anytime you're playing the piano:

* Drop your weight
--Make sure you "drop" your elbows/forearms and especially your shoulders..let 'em hang!

* Breathe
--This allows blood to flow through your body, making it able to move and adjust the best it can

* Keep your wrists relaxed
--Sure, this could be apart of dropping your weight, but often times people forget that one of the main problems with tension come from your wrists...drop them, and keep them limber

* Think of the fingers as "needles"
--And that's all they should be! Simply think about positioning your fingers on (not over!) the keys and press down with your "weight." As you can tell by now, your weight is the gravity pushing down on your shoulders, arms, elbows and wrists

With these 4 tips, you'll be able to gain control and play 10 times better than you do now. Your tone will increase, as well as your speed. Don't get me wrong, this is an extremely hard technique to master, as it requires you to just lay back and play; I had the same problem as you did, as well as every professional artist in history...however I do not compare myself with somebody like Rubinstein.

I hope you've learned something from this! Feel free to ask any questions!

[proftom]

Have you been playing tennis???

That sometimes hurts my arms when playing!!

[lienetje]

It helps to sit on a low chair ( not to long ) and play your piece slow. Than you relax your arms.........

[rmbarbosa]

To "feel" and understand what Mazzepa says, try this: let your arms fall in the keyboard, as if the keyboard doesnt exist and without any resistance, like your arms are dead. Simply let they fall. in this way, you`ll feel what means play with your body weight. After that, do read another time what Mazzepa told to you  and all will be clear to you.

[pianoladywong]

The soreness in your upper arm/ biceps may be caused by improper technique or sitting posture. Try to relax when you practice. If you are too tense, you will cause your muscle to work extra hard, hence the soreness. You should consider having a piano teacher to check out your technique and posture. It’s also important to warm up before you start practicing or playing, just like an athletic has to warm up before his/ her training.

We tend to overlook the fact that our body has to be in tiptop condition before we can perform to our potential. I recommend that you make stretching as part of your warm up routine. Here are some of the stretching ideas; neck rotations, shoulder rotations, bending your hand back, touching your toes, etc. Stretching reduces muscle tension and helps avoid injuries.
You should always stop and take a break when you start experiencing pain or discomfort. If pain persists, you should go see a specialist.