The Dynamic Musician Series Blog

Excerpt from: "Seven Things You Should Know About Pain Science" Part 2

More on why performing and practicing while in pain is a bad idea.

In the last blog post, I suggested that musicians should not perform or practice while in pain. In his blog, “Better Movement: Seven Things you Should Know About Pain” (posted on Posted on June 24, 2010), Todd Hargrove listed seven basic ideas from the latest pain research. All of the items are interesting but I will only touch on numbers five and six, because they are the most relevant for us.

5.  Pain Breeds Pain
One unfortunate aspect of pain physiology is that the longer pain goes on, the easier it becomes to feel the pain. This is a consequence of a very basic neural process called long term potentiation, which basically means that the more times the brain uses a certain neural pathway, the easier it becomes to activate that pathway again. It’s like carving a groove through the snow while skiing down a mountain – the more times the same path is traveled the easier it is to fall into that same groove. This is the same process by which we learn habits or develop skills. In the context of pain, it means that the more times we feel a certain pain, the less stimulus is required to trigger the pain.

This idea is important because musicians who practice several hours day, if in pain, will reinforce the potentiation. Basically practicing in pain is “practicing pain.”

6.  Pain Can Be Triggered By Factors Unrelated to Physical Harm
You may have heard the phrase that neurons that fire together wire together.  The most famous example of this principle is Pavlov’s experiment where he rung a bell each time his dogs ate dinner, then later found that he could cause the dogs to salivate at the mere sound of the bell. What happened at the neural level is that the neurons for hearing the bell became wired to the neurons for salivating, because they fired together consistently for some time. The same thing can happen with pain. Let’s say that every time you go to work you engage in some stressful activity such as working on a computer or lifting boxes in a way that causes back pain. After a while your brain will start to relate the work environment to the pain, to the point where you can start feeling the pain just by showing up, or maybe even just thinking about work. It is no surprise that job dissatisfaction is a huge predictor of back pain.

Further, it has also been shown that emotional states such as anger, depression, and anxiety will reduce tolerance to pain. Although it is hard to believe, research provides strong evidence that a significant portion of chronic back pain is caused more by emotional and social factors than actual physical damage to tissues. You may have noticed that when you return to a place you haven’t been for many years, you quickly fall back into old patterns of speech, posture or behavior that you thought you had left behind permanently. Pain can be the same way, getting triggered or recalled by certain social contexts, feelings or thoughts that are associated with the pain. Ever notice that your pain went away went you went on vacation and came back when you returned?

Once again, this shows how repetition strengthens the habit of pain. Stress is often a faithful stand partner in a musician’s life and that can aggravate the pain. The above two factors can also help explain why it can be so difficult to alleviate the pain after it has been around for so long. For those of you who are struggling with chronic pain, I think realizing how complex the issues are can lead to better understanding and perhaps more compassion.

In the next post, I’ll talk about some ways to work with getting better and dealing with pain. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and be well.

Why Playing/Practicing with Pain is a Mistake

I’ve been reading and doing research from sources outside the realms of music and the Feldenkrais Method.® The world of sports has changed much in the past years and can offer some important insights for musicians. For example, one topic that seems to pop up frequently is the issue of pain.

In this article from the blog, “begin to dig:”  “Why Not “Train Through Pain”?
 http://www.begin2dig.com/2009/11/why-not-train-through-pain.html

The author asks:

Who needs to “work through the pain”? In a life and death situation, a person may need to work through the pain. The price of staying alive might be worth the potential long term cost of whatever damage is sustained.

And explains:

A workout in a gym is not the same (is it?) Getting in a few extra reps so as not to spoil a set and “working through the pain” may have untold consequences for no benefit. Seriously. Apparently we just don’t know what the consequences of even a seemingly trivial injury can be for cascading through our systems and causing other issues. Knowing that there may be significant consequences when we break ourselves, we may need to ask ourselves: when there’s pain, why not just stop and figure it out? why put our bodies at risk just to finish a set? who cares really, ultimately, if we get in 10 reps rather than 8? or 2? I think a lot of this just-work-through-it comes from most of us not knowing what pain really is or not having tools specifically to respond to it appropriately. So i’d like to offer a little bit about what pain is, and some simple but effective pain response strategies.

For musicians, this could mean we might think it vital to finish preparing a piece or certain passage even though something feels overly tired or hurt. Is it necessary to continue?

I ask the same question of myself and fellow musicians. If we’re experiencing pain while practicing, why don’t we stop and figure it out? If we’re playing through or with pain, we’re making a big mistake. Performing may be another story, it may be important to our livelihood (as musicians) to finish a performance in spite of pain. But we still must ask, “At what cost?”

Later in the article:

Pain becomes a clear action signal not necessarily to stop what we’re doing but to change what we’re doing (which sometimes does mean “stop” - temporarily) If we decide to go ahead with that lift anyway, when the body is pulling muscular firing power away from the site and sending up pain events to say this is not a happy thing, then we’re stressing our bodies out further which cranks up stressor chemicals, cortisol can get going and well, we’re well far away from an ideal environment for performance, right?

In summary, pain confuses our brain and stresses our bodies. If we continue to do this over and over, it gets more difficult to deal with the pain’s causes because they get obscured and the added stress inhibits the healing process. Plus, it keeps us from doing our best.

In the next post, I’ll go into more detail of why pain confuses the brain. Later, I’ll begin to discuss some ideas on how we can avoid pain in the first place.

In the mean time, be well and play well.

Why Pain Can Become Chonic

This phenomena shows up a lot in my private Feldenkrais Practice. A client has been playing in pain for many years and the pain just seems to stick. Even when things start to get better, it takes just the slightest irritation to reactivate the pain. This interesting article sheds some light on why that might be happening.

The article also reinforces my conviction that it is better to take action sooner than later. Playing with pain is like “practicing the pain” so that it becomes a habit, if you will. We need to establish healthy habits and not painful ones. Nobody wants to practice the wrong notes or rhythms so why would we want to practice pain?

Here’s the article:

Pain really is in the mind, but not the way you think

Enjoy and let me know what you think,

John

Metaphor Your Music

Many, many moons ago when starting Grad School, a famous woodwind player from a major orchestra said to me, "The modern trombone player is just a boob, no creativity whatsoever!" As you can imagine, I found the remark insulting, but I didn't just brush it off (it's still with me today!). My understanding is that it may have been in reference to some trombone players lacking in musicality. However, reading forums about music making, this seems to be a common theme among all musicians but that's another topic altogether.

One very creative trombone player and I happen to think that there are many, has released the first three chapters from a book he's working on entitled, "Metaphor Your Music." Dr. Tom Gibson is the name of this very creative fellow and I enjoy his podcasts, "Trombone Lessons.Com" (on iTunes). Tom is full of love of life and trombone, and a very positive force in the teaching world.

In the introduction, Tom writes about the importance of including all five senses in your musical expression and telling a story. So many musicians I hear (including myself when I'm not present) just play or try to be good, leaving the music practically devoid of life and spirit. When I do hear musicians who speak to me (regardless of ability level), I feel inspired and energized. Just reading the first three chapters has already motivated me to be even more present in my music making, and to further seek out what I need to say. Thank you Tom!

I've included the pdf files here because Tom said it was OK to pass them on. You can also get them from his podcast mentioned above.

Download Metaphor Your Music, Introduction

Download Metaphor Your Music, Chapter 1

Download Metaphor Your Music, Chapter 2

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.
From iTunes

You can purchase the “Dynamic Musician Series: Dynamic Stability and Breath, Vols. 1 & 2” here.
Achieving Excellence.com

Amazon.com

Chili notes (in Germany and Europe) Volume 1   Volume 2

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe life into your music!

The Breathing Book by David Vining

Hello Readers,

I'd like to introduce you to "The Breathing Book," by David Vining, Professor of Trombone at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona (you may remember David from his rib movement video from a previous post).

    The Breathing Book is both a text book and a method book. Each chapter contains an image and description on     the left page and a playing activity on the right. The playing activity is specially designed to help players     integrate the information from that chapter into their playing in musically meaningful ways. The Breathing Book     can be used as a daily breathing warm-up by selecting a few chapters to play. It can also be used to solve other     playing problems, such as articulation, range and endurance because when your breathing improves, everything     else tends to fall into place!

 

Just as the description says, this book serves as a very useful tool in teaching about breathing along with practical applications for brass players. I've found that the book works very well in tandem with my lessons, "Dynamic Stability & Breath," adding exercises done with (and without) the instrument to clarify and reinforce the learning from the Feldenkrais lessons. Since receiving the book, I've used the materials for myself, my students and in the trombone choir with very good results.

David also has a publishing company called "Mountain Peak Music" with some very valuable materials for brass players. I will review more of his material in the future and for now say, "thank you David," for filling in some very important gaps for all of us.

 

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.
From iTunes

You can purchase the “Dynamic Musician Series: Dynamic Stability and Breath, Vols. 1 & 2” here.
Achieving Excellence.com

Amazon.com

Chili notes (in Germany and Europe) Volume 1   Volume 2

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

 

SongGIG

For those of you wanting to make it big, I just received this e-mail.

"Hi John:

I thought my new website might be of interest to you and your readers. All free, no gimmicks. Any questions I'd be happy to answer them. Thank you, Glenn"

http://SongGIG.com

--
Thank you.
The SongGIG Team.

The Importance of Rib Movement

Hello Breathers,

Just the other day, I heard about a fellow trombonist's blog called "The Breathing Blog." Being curious I stared poking around and found this video on the importance of rib movement.

"Ribs are designed to move by virtue of their attachment to the sternum via the costal cartilage and their attachment to the spine via joints. The costal cartilage is spongy and flexible, allowing the ribs to swing up and out. In fact, when the ribs swing up and out upon inhalation, they twist the cartilage, storing energy in the cartilage. When we exhale, the energy is released, in a phenomenon known as elastic recoil."

In my work with musicians in my Feldenkrais Practice, I often run across clients who keep their chests still while they breathe. There is an insidious myth among some teacher that in order to "breathe properly, one should only breathe in the abdominal cavity" and to keep the chest still. This can cause a myriad of problems including limiting lung capacity, soreness in the neck and shoulders and even problems with hands and arms. The lessons in the DMS deal with rib movement so I'm glad to see that there are others out there spreading good information.

Here's the link.

 

Thanks David

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.
From iTunes

You can purchase the “Dynamic Musician Series: Dynamic Stability and Breath, Vols. 1 & 2” here.
Achieving Excellence.com

Amazon.com

Chili notes (in Germany and Europe) Volume 1   Volume 2

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Moving Into Deep Practice

In getting ready for my upcoming workshop in Denver, Colorado, I'm posting an article that describes what I mean when I talk about the Feldenkrais Method and deep practice. Additionally, I've recorded the Awareness Through Movement lesson, which is also written in the article. This way, you have the choice of reading and doing the lesson or listening to it. As I write in the article, this is one of the greatest applications of the FM for musicians.

Here's the article in PDF format:

 Download Moving into Deep Practice final

Here's the audio portion:

 

Moving into Deep Practice

 

Thanks for reading (and listening)!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.
From iTunes

You can purchase the “Dynamic Musician Series: Dynamic Stability and Breath, Vols. 1 & 2” here.
Achieving Excellence.com

Amazon.com

Chili notes (in Germany and Europe) Volume 1   Volume 2

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

What about those feet?

I recall many music lessons and rehearsals in which we were constantly told to have our feet flat on the floor. I also remember wondering: but why? Now, as a teacher and a Feldenkrais Practitioner® I see that there was some wisdom in these admonishments but also that admonishments rarely work.

The first question we need to ask is: what roles do feet and legs play while sitting?

If you’ve ever tried to sit and keep your feet off the floor, you’ll have some idea. Of course that’s a very difficult position to be in! Imagine what it would be like to balance on your pelvis, without your legs. This might give you a better clue. When we sit, we sit on two bones often called the “sitz bones.” If you lift up one side of your pelvis and slide your hand underneath from the side, then gently lower your weight back onto your hand; you will probably feel the tip of one these bones. They are shaped like small rockers and allow your pelvis to roll forward and back. Balancing on these without your legs would be a very difficult task indeed.

How much support do you really need from your legs?

Between the most stable position, which is having your feet completely on the floor, and the least stable of having just one toe on the floor, there is a wide range of possibilities. You can begin to experiment for yourself and find out what works best. Some students like to have their ankles crossed and underneath the chair while others like to wrap their feet around the legs of the chair and these different positions can affect the way they breathe and quality of their sound. Try out these different possibilities for yourself and see if you can feel/hear the differences. Are there differences in the belly and back muscles for example?

The question of choice is also very important in this discussion. We want to have different possibilities when sitting and the freedom to freely choose from those possibilities. Sometimes it might be useful to have our feet in different positions and we need to consider that we were not designed to sit still for long periods of time so shifting our position is a natural thing to do. One simple way to go about finding the best position for the moment is to ask: Am I comfortable and does my sitting position support/suit what I’m doing now? If yes, good continue on and ask the question later. If no, good, shift your feet to a different position and ask the question again.

In this way you increase your awareness and begin to understand more about your own sitting strategies. Asking students similar questions will in turn help them to develop their own awareness and find the most suitable positions for themselves.

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

-or direct:

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me an e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe and sit well!

What is good posture?

What is good posture?

I hear this question almost daily in my practice and music workshops. One way to think about posture is to be upright and straight. But why is this so uncomfortable for so many people? Moshé Feldenkrais, (The Feldenkrais Guild of N. America) who developed the Feldenkais Method defined posture very differently. He said good posture (which he actually called “acture” because posture means something static) meant being able to move backwards, forwards, to the right and left as well as up and down without a preliminary movement. Another way of saying this would be to say one is able to move from his/her center with equal ease in all directions.

What dose this mean for musicians? Well, we can stop telling our students to sit or stand up straight. Instead, we can ask them if they feel differences when shifting more weight on to one foot or the other. We can also ask them how it feels to breathe and hold the instrument (if that is needed)? If you are slouched over and your teacher says, “sit up, that’s not good posture,” you may not agree because sitting up “straight” may not feel so comfortable and you don’t really have any way of knowing what straight means. However, if you are slumped over and you need to look to the left or right, you will have to erect yourself before you can turn to look and that means needing a preparatory movement. Sometimes students can even be too straight or erect. This can usually be heard in the sound quality and the muscles of the back are overworked. So the next time you wonder about your or a student’s posture, feel what it’s like to move in different directions and experiment with the sound quality. It’s even possible to hear a difference in the sound when standing with more weight on one foot as compared to the other foot or in the middle. Give it a try.

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

from iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!