Any tips for keeping hands relaxed while playing?

[fjsys]

So during my latest lesson with my new teacher she pointed out that I was keeping my right hand really tense while playing.

It was on the second page of Frank Marocco's arrangement of Libertango where you are holding the high note and playing the melody underneath.

I feel like it would help my playing if I could figure out how to relax my hands, but am at kind of a loss as to any ideas.

She suggested an exercise of just flipping my wrist over and back to try to loosen it up, but I was wondering if anyone else had dealt with this.

Ben

 

[george garside]

There both physical and psychological reasons for the hand being 'tense'

Psychological factors can include anything from general panic to uncertaintly about playing particulary difficult (to you) passages.

Physical factors can include the way you are 'wearing' the box, eg straps too high or low, too far to left or right, were your right arm is in relation to keyboard anad how 'flexible' your fingers are!

The right arm should be relaxed at the side of the body rather than stuck out as if trying to take off, so that the up and down movement used the elbow and or wrist and not the shoulder joint ' The fingers should be very flexible from hours spend on scales and exercises!!

As to the panic this can occur in anticipation of a problem that may well not exist! eg that you are going to be tense when playing bits of libertango. A 'cure' for this , particularly if it always occurs in the same passage is to take that 'chunk' out of the tune and practice it over and over again as an exercise. In the trad world that I inhabit similar problems can occur with the fast run down in the horn[pipe Harvest Home so I often advise folk to practice it as an exercise (its EF#E-DC#B-ABA-GF#E all in one bar)

george

 

[Glenn]

Hi Ben,
I have this issue constantly. I find mind over matter works for me. I play a stress passage and think "relax" then do it again and again trying to make my hand and arm "feel" relaxed. I think it is only a few muscles that have to change and knowing which can only be down to you and your own head.

 

[Zevy]

<FONT font=Garamond><SIZE size=125>I dont know if this is a direct answer, but I will make one point:
If you feel that you are experiencing pain of any sort, STOP PLAYING. The discomfort you are feeling means that your body is sending you a message that you are too tense, and if you continue to play like this you will hurt yourself. Just yesterday I was practicing, and in the middle of a piece of music I just completely stopped and put the accordion down. I didnt even bother resolving; I didnt want to injure myself. Ive had tendinitis in both hands/arms, etc. You have to listen to your own body.
I hope this helps you or anyone reading here.
Good luck!

 

[fjsys]

Thanks all for the tips.

After a couple of days I am realizing it is really a "mind over matter" problem. I really think that I am just trying too hard and need to relax more with it.
It is funny that even after six years of playing I still don't really feel comfortable or confident with the instrument. Probably b/c the last teacher didn't believe in runs, scales, or exercises.

Zevy - Great call out. I couldn't agree more. After ignoring the pain a few years ago and developing frozen shoulder because of it, I really take this advice to heart now. The nice thing is that this really isn't causing me pain doing this, just tiring out my hand quicker and making for shorter playing sessions.

Ben

 

[barkis]

The right arm should be relaxed at the side of the body rather than stuck out as if trying to take off

I don't know what you mean by 'take off' but I thought it would be more ergonomic for the wrist to have the ellbow out. The wrist then becomes straight. If the arm is at the side the wrist must be bent.
Comments?

 

[Zevy]

The right arm should be relaxed at the side of the body rather than stuck out as if trying to take off

I dont know what you mean by take off but I thought it would be more ergonomic for the wrist to have the ellbow out. The wrist then becomes straight. If the arm is at the side the wrist must be bent.
Comments?

<FONT font=Garamond><SIZE size=125><COLOR color=#0040FF>Agreed!