Question from a git-tar player

[dougsthang]

Hey guys,

 

First post at the keyboard corner, normally on the guitar forum. I bought my first keyboard a week or so ago and have become quite addicted. I hardly play my guitar since I'm such a buzz of a new instrument.

 

My question is about pain. I have tightness in my forearms and tingling in my hands. This lasts most of the day, not just when I'm playing. Is this normal for beginning piano? I remember soreness when learning guitar but it was more in the wrist and finger tips. This is different. It is very prominant in my right arm. At this point I'm just block chording with my left hand so the right hand is doing most of the work. I'm also thinking that my left arm is more conditioned from my years of guitar playing (22 years).

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

Are you playing standing or sitting ?

[Tusker]

Yes, either posture and/ortension could cause that. Not good. Forearms should be pretty much parallel to the floor, not completely extended from the shoulder. Fingers should be able to exert themselves and then relax, to take the tension out.

 

I really would suggest you get a little instruction. It's like a golf swing. Get good habits early. It pays. Best,

 

Jerry

[Reverend Rhythm]

It's usually my hands that hurt (from punding), but I have had forearm pain. You might want to take a day off and see how it feels.

 

Now that I think of it, how you play can have an effect on pain and soreness. Are you using good technique?

[Dave Horne]

If your _top_ forearm muscle is tight and you have to shake it out, you are using the wrong set of muscles. If your bottom forearm muscle is tight, you are probably playing correctly but over doing it.

 

It would probably be a very good idea to take a few lessons on technique from someone who is classically trained and who concertizes for a living. There have been several threads here on technique and it might be with your while to give them a look.

[dougsthang]

Thanks guys,

 

It probably is position, I play sitting down but when I looked at my arm position it was a bit above parallel.

 

I was a music major in college so I had to take a year of piano study. That was in the early '80's so it had been awhile since I sat down at a piano for lengths of time. I have a complete understanding of the chords and scales on piano, just need to practice a bit more.

 

It's the top of my forearms, so it's interesting to hear that it should be the bottom of the forearms. It must be my position. I'll give it a change and see how it goes.

 

These same sort of pains come with hours of guitar playing, you just shake them out and go at it agian. It was just some different pain for the piano.

[Dave Horne]

I made an error in my initial post and went back and corrected it. You also might want to check out the following thread ...

 

link to technique thread

[JeffLearman]

Tingling is a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

You might be practicing the same thing too much (or using only one technique all the time). It's very important to vary your practice routine (or playing technique, or whatever).

 

In other words, yeah, we all repeat something over and over to get it down into our fingers and out of our heads. But it's important to intermix practicing different riffs or whatever that involve different finger/hand positions to avoid repepetitive motion syndrome & carpar tunnel problems.

 

I think you're getting a serious warning sign and you should heed it carefully. If it's from simple repetition, it's easy to fix -- vary the routine. If you're getting it from just playing, then you need to make sure you're holding your hands and arms correctly (as discussed above), and learn more playing techniques so that your hands move into more positions during normal play.

 

When you feel the tingling, STOP and do something else. Do NOT ignore it and hope it will go away, like you would for normal muscle building pain (ala the "no pain no gain" theory for exercise).

[marino]

Originally posted by learjeff:

Tingling is a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

I think you're getting a serious warning sign and you should heed it carefully.

Right, and right.

 

Dougsthang, take my word for it and do the following:

 

1) Stop playing for a few days, until any discomfort or pain has disappeared from your hands;

 

2) Seek expert advice for a correct playing position. In any case, don't overplay and let your hand get used to the keyboard little by little. You could have especially weak tendons and could be prone to carpal tunnel and several other diseases. *Never* keep playing with pain. I don't want to scare you, but those things deserve to be taken seriously, to avoid *long* hassles afterwards.

[Tom Fiala]

Tingling ("paresthesias") are not a normal situation, even with poor playing technique. There are numerous causes of paresthesias, ranging from anxiety to electrolyte abnormalities, but the one that would be important to "rule out" would be one of the many nerve compression syndromes. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the best known of these, but there are several others.

 

Have you noticed any muscle weakness? Is there a pattern to it? Is the tingling always in the same consistent area of the fingers / hand / forearm? Are there any pressure points that re-create your symptoms? Are you diabetic? On any medications that could effect your electrolytes? Do you have any history of neck injury? Your local MD can get this sorted out for you.

 

If the numbness is persistent, it definitely needs to be investigated.

[dougsthang]

Thanks,

 

Having been a guitar player for almost 30 years I really have never had a problem like this. I can still play guitar for hours without any discomfort. It's just since I started playing the piano that it's felt this way. Maybe I should heed the words and when it feels awkward just play guitar for awhile. Guitar is second nature to me, piano is new so I can feel the tension in my hands when getting them into new positions required for piano chords.

 

Man, do I love the piano though. I bought it for a writting tool. I've written solely on guitar for so long that a change of tone I think might help stimulate some new ideas. I'm having fun.