Pain in forearms means what?

[immortalbeloved]

Hey all,

Recently, actually, just quite recently, I started feeling pain in my right forearm during practice. I felt like I was sitting too close to my piano so I moved my armless kitchen chair back--and pretty amazingly, the pain went away.

But now when I play scales my left forearm hurts.  It is not pain exatly, but I feel a tightness more so than any pain.  So, maybe the chair wasn't the only issue? Does anyone have experience that they can share. I am still quite young and really do dnot want to develop any problems later on.

At my piano school I don't have this problem, but I wonder why. I think my seat is high enough here at my house, but who knows.

Once again, I am forever grateful,

[feddera]

Have you paid attention to the height of your wrists? When I get forearm cramps from scales it's usually because my wrist is too low.

[dcstudio]

try using a bench instead of a kitchen chair--I think that is the main issue.  Standard chairs are a couple inches lower than a piano bench.   Try setting a telephone book on your chair and raise yourself up an inch or two -- if this stops the pain then you know that's the issue.

[immortalbeloved]

Oh very interesting. My teacher actually mentioned that she noticed me dong this. It has become such a habit that I forget when I am doing it.

To DC: I did this! I put a pillow (to my dad's shock) that I usually slept on and an old laptop bag (which my sister suddenly thought she could use). I think it helps, but now they are compressing under my weight. Maybe I'll use my dad's pillow this time .

[chopinlover01]

It means you've got tension in your arms, likely a result of poor posture, as indicated by your chair issues.
You really should get a proper bench, but if the economics aren't feasible, phone books and pillows work. You could also make a wood "platform", if you will, to sit on, but at that point you're spending more money on supplies and time than you would just buying a cheap bench. You don't need to get an artist bench by any means, most any bench would fare better than a kitchen chair with phone books.
Also- if you are using an electronic piano with a pedal plugged in by a cord, make sure that is parallel with the keyboard. Otherwise you'll be stretching your foot out and your posture will suffer as a result.

[michael_c]

Certainly the correct bench height is important, but there's much more to it than that. You need to learn more about how your body, how the complex structure of bones and muscles works, how pain you may feel in one part of the body may have its roots in another part...

Have a look at Thomas Mark's site. I recommend his book, "What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body".