My Modest Invention - A Simple Thumb Cushion
Given that I'm playing a difficult recital soon, I've been concerned about getting a split between my right thumb nail and skin, a painful problem that happens to me when I'm doing heavy playing. None of the usual solutions, a piece of surgical tubing on the bow, surgical tape, a pencil holder, a sponge of one kind or another, work well for me and all of them interfere with my other fingers' comfort on the bow and the stability of my bow hold. So - here's a solution that I came up with last week: this goes onto the thumb itself. It starts with a vinyl medical or all-purpose glove (from a box of 50, about $5, which you can buy practically anywhere). Cut off the thumb of the glove and stuff into it (with a pencil or pen) a piece of soft sponge to go over the entire end of your thumb. I'm using soft packing sponge from when I moved here, cutting pieces about 1 1/2 inches by 2 inches by 3/8 inch). When you put your own thumb into the middle of the sponge in the vinyl thumb, it's necessary to adjust it into a comfortable, non-bunched up position. It makes a very comfy pad for the end of the thumb without affecting any of the other fingers. As long as the vinyl thumb is firmly ensconced it does not come off by itself. I find that the padded vinyl thumb cushion also doesn't slip on the bow the way my own thumb tends to do. I can turn pages more easily with it. The main downside is with pizzicato. It's possible to do thumb pizzicato, but more difficult and doing an arpeggiated pizzicato with the thumb cushion sounds like the lute stop on a harpsichord. I'm experimenting with substituting first finger for arpeggiated pizzicati which would normally be done by the thumb.
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From Debbie Davis. First, thanks to all who participated in our Health and Wellness event for cellists of all ages yesterday at Meredith College! Dr. Tim Holley demonstrated his personal warming-up regimen. We all had a great time playing music together, (thanks are due to Emma Grube for leading the group and putting the music in the dropbox for downloading). Then we had some valuable conversations including cello-related injury accounts from Susan Gardner and Stephanie Vial (who broke her left elbow running on ice in Indiana before Christmas). We also had expert advice from Janet Lee, Acupuncturist and Dr. Mark Niemchak, chiropractor. FYI, Stephanie has healed beautifully and her left hand is getting closer to being fully functional all the time. ************************************************* Dr. Timothy Holley's notes on the NCCS Health & Wellness Workshop at Meredith College, February 26, 2017, 2-5 pm. A. Warm-Up, Left Hand: 1. In cold weather, run a basin of warm water and submerge BOTH hands up to the forearms for at least two (2) minutes. 2. Focus on slow, two-finger combinations of motions, keeping the fingers CLOSE to the string. (I demonstrated a “seven-note combination”, using “2-4-2-4-2-1-3”.) 3. Focus mainly on one string at a time once moving smoothly and comfortably, then gradually move across the string. I start warm-up exercises on the C string, as it is thickest and takes a split second longer to speak. B. Warm-Up, Right Hand (Bow-Arm): 1. Lower half, long tones, 20-30 seconds nonstop; 2. Upper half, long tones, 20-30 seconds nonstop; 3. Rhythm bowing exercises: slow spiccato; slow legato (no speed across the strings). 4. Start on the C-string (fattest, thickest string); 5. Practice creating “that sinking feeling”…of natural arm weight sinking INTO the string without applying undue pressure or exertion. This can be done particularly on the lower two strings in conjunction with the long tones exercises. Cello Ensemble Reading Notes from Susan Gardner’s Presentation: Performing Artists Medical Association (PAMA) Books: Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Janet Horvath (Minnesota Orchestra) The Musician’s Survival Guide, Richard Norris (ICSOM) The Rapid Recovery Handbook, Dr. Moteka Susan had the following surgeries: Rotator Cuff Surgery; Carpal Tunnel Surgery (both hands) Recommended “accessories”: too many to jot down but a few were the MELT system of therapy balls (“MELT”); AsperCreme Janet Webb Lee, Acupuncturist 36-gauge needles are used in acupuncture treatments (15-gauge needles are used as the standard in medical treatment); “Arrival of Qi” (“chi”), the energy which sustains health and life in the human body, and fights disease and pain. Irritation is brought on by the stagnation of “qi”; through acupuncture, stagnation can be treated in one of several ways: Tendon palpation (or palpitation?); Motor Point palpation; Palpation of distal body points; The “AcuMan” model was used to identify and trace nerve and channels of qi and connections between internal organs and places on the body. Fascia Release Treatment (“cupping”, with oil and flame); Grastin treatment (guacha??); Herbal Oil use: Cinnamon, Moxa (Mugwort) Stretching exercises; Mark Niemchak, Chiropractor Posture, Movement, Pain and Injury I. The Bad News: “We are in a war against gravity”!! The Good News News: “There is something we can do about it”!! Posture, Longevity and the Goal Musicians of the past had more to do out of sheer necessity, which kept them from injury and illness. II. Structure & Function: Optimal and Sub-optimal practices to aid posture development; “Sitting is the New Smoking”!! Our joints are link in a chain; when the joints get out of line, many subjective symptoms can result. Your body ALWAYS gives Coming Attractions!! (There are NO postural surprises!!) “Lifestyle Illness” is brought on by inattention to the balanced connections of joints, posture, diet, etc. Music is a “Total Brain-Cortex Unification” III. Chiropractic Services: 75-minute long Posture Diagnosis Analysis (computer based software), and a “workplace observation”; Recommendation of a 3-5 minutes posture regimen to be done at the beginning and end of each day; Chiropractic services and treatments are generally “Alexander Technique-friendly; both focus on “body awareness”!! |
AuthorMembers of the North Carolina Cello Society Archives
November 2020
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