Longevity as a Keyboardist

[CEB]

Everything hurts, all the time,  except when I’m playing.  

[ElmerJFudd]

2 hours ago, cphollis said:

Living as I do in a popular retirement destination, you get to see how everyone is doing at 70+.  I'm 65, so it's sort of a preview.

 

Based on my observations, it looks like when you're in the mid-70s that the wheels start to come off the bus in earnest for most performing musicians I meet, despite justifiable precautions.  Very few perform at local gigs after age 75.  I think it just gets too hard, and the juice isn't worth the squeeze anymore.

 

As far as self-care, I had a late start but it's paying off beautifully now.  I now feel healthier in mind, body and spirit than at any other time that I can remember.  It's worth the time and effort.

 

 

Getting out of the rat race does wonders for the mind and soul.   If you can make the commitment to tend to the body you’re doing OK by anyone’s book.  

[J.F.N.]

Cash in on all the old junk you have and profile yourself a bit differently with:

 

https://harmonicastore.com/product/12-keys-hohner-special-20-harmonicas/

 

[Lou_NC]

In my humble experience, the single most important element that is within your control (aside from *not* willingly poisoning yourself with excess alcohol, drugs, etc.) is to exercise regularly.  I had back trouble in my late 40's, and it didn't take me long to figure out that my core muscles were getting flaccid and could be whipped back into shape as long as I was willing to put in some regular (light) exercise.  Fast forward 20 years and I still make exercise a priority, and have had virtually zero back problems for the past 2 decades.  I see/hear a LOT of my peers complaining about "back trouble" and to a person, NONE of them exercise regularly.  Barring getting hit by a bus, I hope to enjoy sitting at my organ/piano bench with no issues into my 90's!  🙂

 

Lou

[Piktor]

Other members have already shared many good points about physical and mental maintenance, so I’ll just add a couple of things related to my recent experiences.

1. Try to develop and maintain a flexible mindset while you are younger, so that you will more easily adapt to changes and realities over which you have no control. This past March my dear father passed away after a few years of declining health. He was always hard-working and quite clever, but he rigidly clung to notions that he could take care of himself in his own home, even with his advancing dementia, physical weakness and dangerous tendency to repeatedly fall down. Like too many other people, sometimes he believed misinformation that he either heard from unreliable sources or made up himself (so called “common sense” 🙄), instead of relying on advice from trained and experienced experts. I am pretty sure that all of the blows to the head accelerated his decline and that his numerous falls (even after we finally forced him into care) finally did him in. (To be fair, my dad might have had an undiagnosed ODD.) Be a dreamer, but not a wishful thinker. Be proud, not stubborn. You want to be free to make health and financial decisions that are based on reality and in your best interests.

2. Maintain a healthy respect for powered devices. Disconnect the power chord. Let capacitors discharge. Learn how to safely use tools. And, for goodness sake, DON’T rent an e-bike, leave the power engaged, try to walk the bike along a crowded sidewalk and then TURN the bloody throttle! (It was a spectacular ending to my first holiday in four years. The cast comes off next week for a reassessment of the wrist fracture.)

[Adan]

30 minutes ago, Piktor said:

, DON’T rent an e-bike

No joke. An professional acquaintance of mine died riding a rented E-bike. He was 75.

 

The other thing I'd reaffirm from previous posts is, above all else, take care of your back. Hard to play keyboards if it hurts just to sit. Primarily, that means lots of stretching, lots of core work, and avoid stupid maneuvers like lifting something too heavy.

[Bill H.]

I think E bikes are dangerous for seniors. My neighbor broke her hip riding hers. 

 

I personally like hiking and walking, so I'm not tempted by them. 

[octa]

Some sort of meditation is another choice that's available. Herbie likes it.

 

As I recently turned 51, and am having inflammation problems, this thread has a lot of useful info. The inflammation hit my right wrist early this month and I just now finished up 2nd round of Prednisone. Luckily, I haven't missed any gigs, but am trying to cut down on the unhealthy gigs which enable my 20-something year old party demon and have started exercising and eating healthier lately too. (less gas station and bar food)

 

Haven't been able to practice as much lately, with the inflamed wrist, but am listening to all sorts of music more than ever, improving my left hand, and studying the progressions and structure of some Bach chorales/fugues and jazz standards. Maybe it's just hopeful optimism, but these 3 things seem to be helping more than the 2 handed shedding did. 

 

As someone else said, *just keep doing it, no matter what obstacles arise* seems to be one recipe for longevity. In this musical town (Athens, Georgia) I see many musicians and bands come and go and fade away, distracted by other things in life, or just worn out and long in the tooth like me 😂

 

----

 

just discovered this page after posting, seems to have relevant info: https://pianu.com/blog/wrist-pain-from-piano

 

 

 

[Old No7]

Note to self:

 

"E-Piano = Yes!

 

E-Bike = NO!!!"

 

Old No7

[Leroy C]

17 minutes ago, Old No7 said:

Note to self:

 

"E-Piano = Yes!

 

E-Bike = NO!!!"

 

Old No7

 

Fender RHODES not Fender ROADS!!!

[K K]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:47 PM, CHarrell said:

...what do you do to maintain your playing ability over the years?

 

There is of course the very important aspect of correct technique, among other things not playing only from your fingers but also using your forearm/arm weight, vary how you play depending on the piece or passage, etc. A long term goal is to develop your technique so that everything you practice always becomes easier to play with less effort. So if your fingers stay healthy with the years, you should continue to be able to play what you consider the most difficult pieces for you, because your technique will have improved. 

 

Another important thing that is often overlooked is to be very careful choosing your daily practice instrument. What I mean by this is that certain actions can harm your fingers and articulations, even if your playing technique is fine. This happened to me when I bought sight unseen a Kurzweil PC2X about 15 years ago. Big mistake. The Fatar action on this keyboard was cheap and badly designed. After just 30 minutes I would feel like I am knocking my fingers against concrete and start sensing something was not OK. Then I would go back to my acoustic grand piano instead and play several hours without problem.

 

In short, if you feel an action on a keyboard feels wrong, listen to your body. Change instrument and take your time shopping/testing your next digital gear on which you will want to practice daily several hours. Even right now, new manufacturers and also the usual big names produce an unacceptable amount of actions that are badly designed or have ridiculous down/up weight and inertia that can cause injuries even to classical pianists with fine technique. I can't believe that today, keyboard manufacturers make digital piano actions with figures in the 80+ grams DW (downweight) with ridiculous UW (upweight) and declare them the ultimate new action or whatever, when a correctly regulated grand piano should be in the 50 g DW. Furthermore, when you push the sustain pedal on a grand piano, this 50 g DW is reduced because it is a real piano action, but this of course doesn't happen on the latest "fantastic action" digital piano and you continue to irritate your fingers and articulations constantly.

 

So be careful on your hands, work on a good technique that fits your goals, and choose your instruments wisely. 

[Delaware Dave]

23 hours ago, ProfD said:

Considering that average life expectancy in the US is 76 years

 

This is not accurate according to the insurance industry ....

[BluMunk]

12 hours ago, Leroy C said:

 

Fender RHODES not Fender ROADS!!!

Nord LEAD not Nord SPEED!!!

[ProfD]

19 minutes ago, Delaware Dave said:

This is not accurate according to the insurance industry ....

Nobody trusts the insurance industry.🤣

 

Anything above 70 years old seems to be rarefied air when it comes to gigging.

 

The folks still performing at 80 years old and up are in the Thermosphere.😁😎

[jazzpiano88]

22 hours ago, Adan said:

No joke. A professional acquaintance of mine died riding a rented E-bike. He was 75.

And stay away from cars on a bike in general.  Some people I know have been picked off in their prime riding amongst traffic in the Bay Area.

[Reezekeys]

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

Anything above 70 years old seems to be rarefied air when it comes to gigging.

 

The folks still performing at 80 years old and up are in the Thermosphere.😁😎

 

From our gig at Royal Albert Hall one month ago.

 

Onnie McIntyre - 78 (far left)

Alan Gorrie - 77 (5th from left)

 

 

And here's a short clip of another septuagenarian, Jim Mullen - one of the UK's greatest jazz guitarists -  sitting in with us on one of our encore tunes:

 

 

[ProfD]

8 minutes ago, Reezekeys said:

And here's a short clip of another septuagenarian...

Don't get me wrong....I'm totally glad septuagenarians and beyond are still taking it to the stage.

 

Even if it means filling out the band with musicians young enough to be their great-grandchildren. 😁😎

[Outkaster]

Two different things here.  Protecting your hands is part of it but overall health should be the goal. 

[Reezekeys]

26 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Don't get me wrong....I'm totally glad septuagenarians and beyond are still taking it to the stage.

 

Even if it means filling out the band with musicians young enough to be their great-grandchildren. 😁😎

 

Would that only be true in my case - but those guys have only ten years on me! The rest of the band isn't much younger.

[SteinwayB]

I plan to live forever... so far, so good

--Stephen Wright

[RABid]

I have Sjogren's syndrome. It is genetic and shows up as you get older. One of the effects is arthritis and right now I am only really noticing it in my knees. My ankles and wrists sometimes ache but it does not affect me on drums and keys. But as you get older things seem to pile on more and more. Last time I played drums in church my ears were totally stopped up (on the inside) and it sounded like I had a tiny speaker in my left ear with a narrow frequency band and slight delay. That would be enough to throw off most anyone. I also pulled a muscle in my back planting butterfly bushes the day before and could not twist around to comfortably use the hi-hat. I finally settled on using the ride for everything. Oh, and I had pneumonia at the time and did not know it. This stuff never happened to me before 60. Or maybe I just didn't notice it.

 

Honestly, I'm just glad I am not a singer. They seem to get hit hardest by age. 

[David Emm]

10 hours ago, Delaware Dave said:

This is not accurate according to the insurance industry ....

 

George Carlin had no great respect for certain of our institutions, including insurance.

His view of its scammery: "Bet you $20 a day 'til you die that you DON'T die!"

[Jose EB5AGV]

I have a question for you which this thread has triggered... Do you think playing guitar is detrimental to playing keys in the long run?. Because I am finally getting serious on my attempt to play the guitar and, at 56, I wonder if maybe is the wrong move, as my main instrument is the keyboard 🤔

[Legatoboy]

I'll be 70 in August, I have a gig tonight... I play once to 3 times a month out ... just acoustic piano now... I like it..Jazz Stands with Improv, some Herbie..some Beatles, a bit of  blues, a sprinkle of classical sometimes .... 

I would love to play an electric gig though, i do miss them... but beside being spoiled now and old.... hauling/setting up and breaking down gear and late late nights and multiple personalities....are, less  and less desireable physically and the stress that comes with some gear/foks mentally at times.   I play the same 2 acoustic pianos every month so I know them....that's my current situation..I play my rigs at home and record though!  I'm in a music only period and 1 instrument.... this could always change very quickly as long as I stay healthy!  

[Stokely]

19 hours ago, RABid said:

Honestly, I'm just glad I am not a singer. They seem to get hit hardest by age. 

If there's one thing good about being a baritone with limited range--age doesn't (or hasn't so far) affected me much.  I still have exactly the same range as I did when I was 19 and started singing some lead.  Granted, still can't hit those damn tenor notes I'd like to!   I think part of it is that any physical dropoff is countered by more experience and confidence.

I've always said the the same thing about my vertical leap in basketball.  I never had that much to lose, so I still have it   

I have had various medical issues, notably cancer....it may end up getting me, just hoping I can keep playing until then.

I have done a decent job keeping up with exercise, a middling job watching my diet, and a poor job limiting alcohol.  I have finally come to to he conclusion that moderation doesn't work very well for me.   This weekend I'm not getting my usual 2-3 beers during the shows, and not having anything to drink (or eat for that matter) when I get home.  Weekends and gigs have been healthy lifestyle impediments pretty consistently, whether it's the late-night eating, or being hungover.  At least with in-ears my ears don't ring, that used to keep me from sleeping.   Going for a dry June as a first goal, it's been a couple weeks since any evening beer or wine and I already feel quite a bit more energetic.   I also notice I have way more free time to be productive, as getting a buzz on leads me toward being entertained by utter crap on youtube/prime etc....

[Mr -G-]

5 hours ago, Jose EB5AGV said:

I have a question for you which this thread has triggered... Do you think playing guitar is detrimental to playing keys in the long run?. Because I am finally getting serious on my attempt to play the guitar and, at 56, I wonder if maybe is the wrong move, as my main instrument is the keyboard 🤔

Yes, you will be at a risk of developing double-GAS.

[Stokely]

Never too late.   "Finally getting serious about guitar" also describes me to a T, except I'd add an "I'm about to" to the front of it.

I try not to dwell on just how good I'd be by now if I'd stuck with my first, or second stint at guitar.  As Don Henley sang, "a little voice inside my head said never look back, you can never look back" (iirc).   I have managed to really improve my vocals over time, so that kind of offsets the self-recrimination feelings I get over guitar!  

It's not really that costly to get decent gear for guitar.   The urge to get more guitars is certainly real, as they of course have such a range of colors, shapes and configurations.   I have an import strat and import PRS that are absolutely killer as far as quality.  I had a "real" player play them both along with his very expensive versions and they sounded just about the same and he said they felt about the same (though of course every guitar can feel a bit different).

[Leroy C]

8 hours ago, Jose EB5AGV said:

I have a question for you which this thread has triggered... Do you think playing guitar is detrimental to playing keys in the long run?. Because I am finally getting serious on my attempt to play the guitar and, at 56, I wonder if maybe is the wrong move, as my main instrument is the keyboard 🤔

Though I consider keys my main interest these days, I also play other instruments to varying degrees.  I think it improves overall musicianship.  As long as the other instruments supplement and do not substitute for doing everything you need / want to do on keys (especially practice time), then I'd say there's no problem.

[El Lobo]

I'm 79. I play in 2 regularly-gigging and rehearsing bands. I'm going to be contrarian here. The one thing I've learned about life is you don't know how much time you've got. I know and have played with several pro-level musicians who died at younger ages than me, some of them from brain cancer and other totally unpredictable diseases. I know some others who can't play anymore - Parkinsons and other debilitating conditions. I don't think regular exercise and not doing drugs or alcohol made a damn bit of difference for them. I don't exercise, I've done my share of alcohol and drugs in the past, etc. but I'm still here and gigging. My wife died of cancer at age 72. She was fit and trim, walked 7 miles a day, nothing else wrong with her. Life is a crap shoot. Enjoy it while you can. 

[Jose EB5AGV]

6 hours ago, Mr -G- said:

Yes, you will be at a risk of developing double-GAS.

 

Well, that is what has already happened 😬

 

I began with three used guitars: an Epiphone, an Squier and a humble Yamaha C40. Just today I have paid a reservation for a Mexican Fender Stratocaster... What will come next? 😅