The Healthiest Way of Piano Playing

[pianoman1800]

So what is the healthiest way to not injure your hands when playing piano? And how do you avoid tinnitus? These are my questions I want to discuss, because they are so important. I would be grateful If You have any suggestions, or have gone through any of those. Thank you on advice!

[gyzzzmo]

Relax, dont stress, dont force muscles, and when you get older you could consider back/ab exercises if it becomes an issue.

[hardy_practice]

Know where there should be tension and where there shouldn't be.

[pianoman1800]

Know where there should be tension and where there shouldn't be.

Ok! But how shall you do it?

[awesom_o]

The healthiest way way to not injure your hands when playing piano would be to avoid any and all advanced repertoire.

The best way to avoid tinnitus would be to practice quietly.

 

[mjames]

...you can get injured by playing piano? Lol what

[iansinclair]

You may not be able to avoid tinnitus completely; as one gets older, it may happen to you naturally (and I do mean older here -- I developed a slight tinnitus when I hit 67).  However, you can delay the onset (and eliminate a lot of other problems) by avoiding exposure to loud noise -- including, or perhaps especially, headphones.  Also rock concerts and the like.  It's not that I don't like the music (some of it, anyway), but the sound levels can be quite high enough to damage your hearing within a matter of minutes -- permanently.  Ditto for headphones; a good reasonably high efficiency set of in-ear headphones can cause permanent heating damage even driven by something like an iPod.

So be careful.

It is possible to damage your hands playing piano -- or anything else repetitive, but it is unlikely unless you are doing the same diddly little exercise over and over and over again.  However, it is all too easy to damage your hands in other ways.  Finger strengthening exercises, for instance, can reduce flexibility.  Upper body (particularly arm) weight training, ditto.  Nothing in excess; you don't need bone crushing strength to play piano.  Also be very careful about out and out injury -- cuts or abrasions, particularly in the vicinity of finger joints, must not be ignored. 

[theholygideons]

You may not be able to avoid tinnitus completely; as one gets older, it may happen to you naturally (and I do mean older here -- I developed a slight tinnitus when I hit 67)

only 67!? i'm 20 and i have tinnitus, ahahaha. thanks to night clubs... it's kind of cool. The background static of life, that flares up when you get angry or stressed.

I don't think you can get tinnitus solely from playing the piano, unless, genetically, you're super predisposed.

Focal dystonia is something to worry about though. You don't want to play with an injured hand, and risk losing the function of that hand by messing up the brain signals.

[outin]

Nerve injuries probably are among the worst, since they take a really long time to recover. If you feel ANY tingling, numbness or needles in your fingers/hand stop what you are doing immediately, not after it gets worse. The next step is to find out what is the cause and remove it. A bit more difficult, because it's not necessarily just the piano...excess/wrong computer use or sitting in front of a desk is dangerous too and when the two are combined things get complicated. The harmful nerve pressure can be at the wrist, elbow, shoulder or neck. But right kind of exercise (not finger exercises!) and learning less stressfull technique and taking care of ergonomics is the way to go...

As for the hearing, my mother has tinnitus and I will do whatever I can to avoid it. I already suffer from too much noise in my head. Be careful with headphones and don't bang on the piano too much...

[hardy_practice]

Know where there should be tension and where there shouldn't be.

Ok! But how shall you do it?

If you haven't already got it you need to spend a number years working with someone who has.

[pianoman1800]

I have practised for many years and am very patient. I always check regularly if my hands are relaxed, arm position, posture etc. I am also very patient to not injure my hands even when I am not playing piano. However sometimes now I do feel something in the wrist, so no I try to remove it before it (hopefully never), gets worst.

[hardy_practice]

As long as you've spent time working with someone who knows.  You can't achieve it without instruction.

[dima_76557]

[Assuming that the OP perhaps means tendonitis, also written as tendinitis (?) then]

The best way to avoid tinnitus would be to practice quietly.

This,
+ feeling the resistance of EVERY key with the fingerpads ("weighing the keys"),
+ avoiding prolonged stretched positions where they can be avoided,
+ keeping wrists, arms, elbows, shoulders, etc. absolutely free from tension.

If the question really refers to tinnitus, then I would see a doctor to determine origin and severity of the condition.

[stevensk]

Be careful whith headphones