It wasn't the first time, it won't be the last. My left hand will occasionally lose it while I'm playing. I get a pain right in the middle of my hand that won't go away until I flat out stop playing. I have never been able to do a thing with it. My performce will sound like trash to my ears, and at best, Mediocre to the audience.
This last time, the pain came right in the middle of Reel Beatrice. The C part of the tune that I love so well was practically demolished. I turned it into a bunch of chords and then had to try to end with something appropriate but simple that my hand would allow.
I hate those times. In any event - the problem kind of applies to the death grip discussions recently. If I get the pain, I get the grip and although the grip is a terrible thing to play through - I'm stuck till the piece is over. The only time that this problem matters to me is when I'm in the middle of a reel with some good fingerings.
Has anyone found a way around this? Give me a hand please. (Especially if yours doesn't cramp up)
CF, pain is rarely a good sign for a musician. I've had lots of hand problems over the years, thanks to early bad habits and even earlier bad genes. I can't offer specific advice without knowing more about what brings this problem on for you. But I'm guessing you might learn more from someone who DOES have hand problems than from someone who doesn't--I've had to deal with them a lot in 20 years, though now they rarely interfere with my playing or enjoyment, thanks to my own more realistic attitude about what my hands are capable of.
In my experience, left hand cramping or pain comes from one or a combination of three possibilities.
1. Improper mechanics. Moving our muscles and joints in ways they shouldn't be moved. I tend to think that fiddling is by definition unnatural, and certainly that left hand work is a strain, twisted back on itself, fingers arched, putting pressure on the very tips (instead of where the natural pads are). So the key here is to minimize the unnaturalness by keeping your hand as relaxed as possible, warming up, and doing some stretching or range-of-motion work to keep your arm, hand, and fingers flexible. A good teacher can help fine tune your mechanics, and there are also physical therapists who specialize in the sorts of problems common to musicians (and even string players in particular).
I think one of the most common forms of bad mechanics is excess tension--gripping or tightening the fingers when they don't need to be, or using more pressure than needed to hold the strings down. It helped me a lot to spend a solid month playing tunes at half speed and consciously letting my fingers go limp between every touch down on the strings. I also worked at relaxing my left thumb, greatly reducing the tension through the middle of my hand.
2. Over use. I think this is the number one issue for most experienced players. We get going on the tchunes and forget to take a break. Or we play 6 hours a day for months straight and never take a day off. In the short term, over use means that you're working that left hand constantly, and even if your mechanics are good and you take every open string note as an opportunity to relax your hand, you'll still be building up more lactic acid and other waste products of muscle use than your body can dispose of. It's no different than a marathoner hitting the wall--the muscles are stewing in their own juices, not enough oxygen and nutrients are coming in, and something has to give. A cramp, burning sensation, or pain is your hand's way of telling you to stop. Give your cirulatory system a chance to pump out the bad and pump in the good. I shake my hand loose whenever I get the chance between tunes, and will do a quick massage and stretch of the left hand while someone sings a song or during "intermission." I'm also careful not to grip anything with my left hand when I'm taking a break--I don't want those muscles working at all. So the beer glass goes in the right hand, and the fiddle sits on the table or in my lap.
Over the long term, over use can lead to chronic pain and injury. Muscles breakdown, tendons become inflamed, and scar tissue forms in places that will wreak havoc with your playing. Don't ignore the pain. Playing fiddle really fires a lot of muscles in the hands, especially the left. Beginners need to take time to develop those muscles, and even experienced players will cycle through periods of building muscles in their hands and fingers. Remember that exercise (playing tunes in this case) *breaks muscle down.* It's during the rest periods that muscle actually rebuilds itself. Without rest, you'll actually limit your ability to develop endurance.
Also be aware of non-fiddling use of your hands. Spend a lot of time at a computer? Playing other instruments? Working with tools? It all adds up.
3. Physiological limits. Some people are gifted with lanky, flexible, strong fingers and well-lubricated joints. And some of us play in spite of hands made of clay, or rusty scrap metal. Just because Joe Fiddler can play for 4 hours non-stop doesn't mean I can. Just because the lady with the four-inch pinky can reach high d without leaving first position doesn't mean I can. Learn your limits and abide by them.
So....what can you do? Sneak in some rests. Got a long set coming up, or a demanding tune (like Reel Beatrice)? Give yourself a break by having someone else in the band do a solo before it. Or are you playing solo? Then you may need to spend some time talking with the audience to give your hand a rest before the long pieces.
Also, cold hands are more prone to cramping and fatigue. I'm absolutely useless if my hands are cold, so I always overdress just to make sure I'll stay warm. It's easier to shed layers if I need to cool off. And I use a cloth bag filled with rice as a handwarmer. Pop it in a microwave oven for 2 minutes and the rice holds the heat for a good hour or so. That's real important for outdoor gigs, or to get my hands warm before playing on any cold day. It's all about improving circulation so the muscles can work efficiently.
Hope you find something helpful in all this. If not, give us more details on your hand problem--what seems to lead up to it, does it ever happen when you're not fiddling, how many years have you played, etc.
Mine used to (reelly badly), so I took the time to learn to play in the most economical way and slowly, ie with fingers on the strings and only lifting them when I have to. It really improved the intonation of my playing, but I still hate it when the session goes so fast that the swing of the beautiful melodies is lost. So now I just let them go if what they play sounds like speeding bullets. I just think to myself "Yes, I can play this tune, but not this way". It doesn't mean I play slow, I just play with finger economy and swing.
PS: I console myself with the fact that I can still play tunes with the greats (like Kevin Burke and Tommy Peoples) on CD's and tapes, etc. and without hand problems. What more can a fiddler want?
I know what you mean about cramps, used to get them in the past when i was playing a lot of violin (and different instruments!)
A good friend of mine who is a classical violinist taught me a couple of nerve stretches. I try to tell everyone about them because they do make a difference.
Hold your arm out to the side with your hand horizontal and palm facing away from you, fingers pointing forward. Gently pull your fingers back towards you as far as you can (don't use your other hand to help you, just let them work on their own). Keep your shoulder relaxed. You should be pushing your arm out at the same time as stretching your fingers towards you. Only hold this for a count of 2 or 3, then relax, swivel your arm around so your fingers are now pointing backwards then do the same thing again. You can then just shake up your fingers to relax them. Do this with both arms.
This might hurt a wee bit first time (will probably hurt a lot actually :0) but it does help if your having to do long performances. Hope this helps.
As to everyone else, this is a great wee site, i like the amount of thought that most folk put into their comments, i usually pop in during the day when i need a break from my work and have a good laugh at some of the discussions - can see who the regular discusees are!! (I know thats not a word but i liked it!)
see ya!
Everyone - I loved the responses. They are appropriate for anyone from beginners to masters. I particularly enjoyed Wills overuse description. I would attribute my cramp that day to exactly overuse. On that very day and time I had already played for several hours. I had been carrying things around in my left hand that made me close the entire hand. I was performing solo and I had Laryngitis. . It could be that a physiological reason was intruding a bit although I thought I was done with it. I had a sprain very near the place the cramp originated.
I think I’ve gotten cramps for every one of the reasons, you all have posted, in my past. My early performance days were plagued with the Cramps. Now, I think I’ll focus on “resting” my hands more often. If I can’t take a break between tunes then I’ll try to behave by playing a few more Aires, and Waltzes.
Before I go, I have to respond to Zlee. Ya Gotta Love those Bananas! A banana is ingredient A in my breakfast drink concoction.
Last but not least, make sure you're not squeezing the hell out of the neck of the instrument - I get that same cramp in my bow hand if I'm not careful to stay relaxed.
Squeezing the hell out of the neck of the instrument, apart from the damage that is gradually being done to your left hand, also deadens the tone of the fiddle. The neck is part of the overall vibration system, and any interference with that system will adversely alter the tone.
Regarding bow hand relaxation, as an exercise try controlling the bow (slowly) with one, then two, then three fingers lifted off the stick. The bow hand should be as fluid as, if not more so, as the left hand.
One way I warm up my hands before I start practicing at home is to do the washing up. My hands are in a warm enviroment and are being exercised non-repetitively. When I dry them and start my practice they feel on top form.
The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
It wasn't the first time, it won't be the last. My left hand will occasionally lose it while I'm playing. I get a pain right in the middle of my hand that won't go away until I flat out stop playing. I have never been able to do a thing with it. My performce will sound like trash to my ears, and at best, Mediocre to the audience.
This last time, the pain came right in the middle of Reel Beatrice. The C part of the tune that I love so well was practically demolished. I turned it into a bunch of chords and then had to try to end with something appropriate but simple that my hand would allow.
I hate those times. In any event - the problem kind of applies to the death grip discussions recently. If I get the pain, I get the grip and although the grip is a terrible thing to play through - I'm stuck till the piece is over. The only time that this problem matters to me is when I'm in the middle of a reel with some good fingerings.
Has anyone found a way around this? Give me a hand please. (Especially if yours doesn't cramp up)
# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by Mark Cordova
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
CF, pain is rarely a good sign for a musician. I've had lots of hand problems over the years, thanks to early bad habits and even earlier bad genes. I can't offer specific advice without knowing more about what brings this problem on for you. But I'm guessing you might learn more from someone who DOES have hand problems than from someone who doesn't--I've had to deal with them a lot in 20 years, though now they rarely interfere with my playing or enjoyment, thanks to my own more realistic attitude about what my hands are capable of.
In my experience, left hand cramping or pain comes from one or a combination of three possibilities.
1. Improper mechanics. Moving our muscles and joints in ways they shouldn't be moved. I tend to think that fiddling is by definition unnatural, and certainly that left hand work is a strain, twisted back on itself, fingers arched, putting pressure on the very tips (instead of where the natural pads are). So the key here is to minimize the unnaturalness by keeping your hand as relaxed as possible, warming up, and doing some stretching or range-of-motion work to keep your arm, hand, and fingers flexible. A good teacher can help fine tune your mechanics, and there are also physical therapists who specialize in the sorts of problems common to musicians (and even string players in particular).
I think one of the most common forms of bad mechanics is excess tension--gripping or tightening the fingers when they don't need to be, or using more pressure than needed to hold the strings down. It helped me a lot to spend a solid month playing tunes at half speed and consciously letting my fingers go limp between every touch down on the strings. I also worked at relaxing my left thumb, greatly reducing the tension through the middle of my hand.
2. Over use. I think this is the number one issue for most experienced players. We get going on the tchunes and forget to take a break. Or we play 6 hours a day for months straight and never take a day off. In the short term, over use means that you're working that left hand constantly, and even if your mechanics are good and you take every open string note as an opportunity to relax your hand, you'll still be building up more lactic acid and other waste products of muscle use than your body can dispose of. It's no different than a marathoner hitting the wall--the muscles are stewing in their own juices, not enough oxygen and nutrients are coming in, and something has to give. A cramp, burning sensation, or pain is your hand's way of telling you to stop. Give your cirulatory system a chance to pump out the bad and pump in the good. I shake my hand loose whenever I get the chance between tunes, and will do a quick massage and stretch of the left hand while someone sings a song or during "intermission." I'm also careful not to grip anything with my left hand when I'm taking a break--I don't want those muscles working at all. So the beer glass goes in the right hand, and the fiddle sits on the table or in my lap.
Over the long term, over use can lead to chronic pain and injury. Muscles breakdown, tendons become inflamed, and scar tissue forms in places that will wreak havoc with your playing. Don't ignore the pain. Playing fiddle really fires a lot of muscles in the hands, especially the left. Beginners need to take time to develop those muscles, and even experienced players will cycle through periods of building muscles in their hands and fingers. Remember that exercise (playing tunes in this case) *breaks muscle down.* It's during the rest periods that muscle actually rebuilds itself. Without rest, you'll actually limit your ability to develop endurance.
Also be aware of non-fiddling use of your hands. Spend a lot of time at a computer? Playing other instruments? Working with tools? It all adds up.
3. Physiological limits. Some people are gifted with lanky, flexible, strong fingers and well-lubricated joints. And some of us play in spite of hands made of clay, or rusty scrap metal. Just because Joe Fiddler can play for 4 hours non-stop doesn't mean I can. Just because the lady with the four-inch pinky can reach high d without leaving first position doesn't mean I can. Learn your limits and abide by them.
So....what can you do? Sneak in some rests. Got a long set coming up, or a demanding tune (like Reel Beatrice)? Give yourself a break by having someone else in the band do a solo before it. Or are you playing solo? Then you may need to spend some time talking with the audience to give your hand a rest before the long pieces.
Also, cold hands are more prone to cramping and fatigue. I'm absolutely useless if my hands are cold, so I always overdress just to make sure I'll stay warm. It's easier to shed layers if I need to cool off. And I use a cloth bag filled with rice as a handwarmer. Pop it in a microwave oven for 2 minutes and the rice holds the heat for a good hour or so. That's real important for outdoor gigs, or to get my hands warm before playing on any cold day. It's all about improving circulation so the muscles can work efficiently.
Hope you find something helpful in all this. If not, give us more details on your hand problem--what seems to lead up to it, does it ever happen when you're not fiddling, how many years have you played, etc.
# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by Will Harmon
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
Mine used to (reelly badly), so I took the time to learn to play in the most economical way and slowly, ie with fingers on the strings and only lifting them when I have to. It really improved the intonation of my playing, but I still hate it when the session goes so fast that the swing of the beautiful melodies is lost. So now I just let them go if what they play sounds like speeding bullets. I just think to myself "Yes, I can play this tune, but not this way". It doesn't mean I play slow, I just play with finger economy and swing.
# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by Jill
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
PS: I console myself with the fact that I can still play tunes with the greats (like Kevin Burke and Tommy Peoples) on CD's and tapes, etc. and without hand problems. What more can a fiddler want?
# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by Jill
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
I know what you mean about cramps, used to get them in the past when i was playing a lot of violin (and different instruments!)
A good friend of mine who is a classical violinist taught me a couple of nerve stretches. I try to tell everyone about them because they do make a difference.
Hold your arm out to the side with your hand horizontal and palm facing away from you, fingers pointing forward. Gently pull your fingers back towards you as far as you can (don't use your other hand to help you, just let them work on their own). Keep your shoulder relaxed. You should be pushing your arm out at the same time as stretching your fingers towards you. Only hold this for a count of 2 or 3, then relax, swivel your arm around so your fingers are now pointing backwards then do the same thing again. You can then just shake up your fingers to relax them. Do this with both arms.
This might hurt a wee bit first time (will probably hurt a lot actually :0) but it does help if your having to do long performances. Hope this helps.
As to everyone else, this is a great wee site, i like the amount of thought that most folk put into their comments, i usually pop in during the day when i need a break from my work and have a good laugh at some of the discussions - can see who the regular discusees are!! (I know thats not a word but i liked it!)
see ya!
# Posted on May 22nd 2002 by jamiedj
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
And eat a banana or two every now and again. Or make sure you're taking a good multi-vitamin every day. Potassium is good for cramping.
Zina
# Posted on May 23rd 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
Everyone - I loved the responses. They are appropriate for anyone from beginners to masters. I particularly enjoyed Wills overuse description. I would attribute my cramp that day to exactly overuse. On that very day and time I had already played for several hours. I had been carrying things around in my left hand that made me close the entire hand. I was performing solo and I had Laryngitis. . It could be that a physiological reason was intruding a bit although I thought I was done with it. I had a sprain very near the place the cramp originated.
I think I’ve gotten cramps for every one of the reasons, you all have posted, in my past. My early performance days were plagued with the Cramps. Now, I think I’ll focus on “resting” my hands more often. If I can’t take a break between tunes then I’ll try to behave by playing a few more Aires, and Waltzes.
Before I go, I have to respond to Zlee. Ya Gotta Love those Bananas! A banana is ingredient A in my breakfast drink concoction.
# Posted on May 23rd 2002 by Mark Cordova
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
Last but not least, make sure you're not squeezing the hell out of the neck of the instrument - I get that same cramp in my bow hand if I'm not careful to stay relaxed.
Jeff
# Posted on May 23rd 2002 by JeffK627
Re: The Cramp - a Fiddlers Question.
Squeezing the hell out of the neck of the instrument, apart from the damage that is gradually being done to your left hand, also deadens the tone of the fiddle. The neck is part of the overall vibration system, and any interference with that system will adversely alter the tone.
Regarding bow hand relaxation, as an exercise try controlling the bow (slowly) with one, then two, then three fingers lifted off the stick. The bow hand should be as fluid as, if not more so, as the left hand.
One way I warm up my hands before I start practicing at home is to do the washing up. My hands are in a warm enviroment and are being exercised non-repetitively. When I dry them and start my practice they feel on top form.
m
# Posted on October 13th 2002 by Trevor Jennings