I’ve been playing the flute for about a year now and recently have noticed a tightness in my neck and shoulder areas. If I take a few days of the tension seems to go away only to return when I step up my practice. well, the other night while sleeping I stretched and pulled a muscle in my neck. Has anyone had problems such as this? Does anyone practice any stretching exercises?
One thing you might check, Mujo, is whether or not you raise your shoulders at all when supporting your flute. That can be an unconscious habit, and is very likely to cause neck and upper shoulder muscle trouble. When lifting your hands to raise the flute into playing position, you might need to keep your shoulders down in a natural position (assuming, of course, that you’re lifting your shoulders). Anyway, it’s worth looking into.
I had neck problems before. I discovered I played with my chin pushing back. It caused pain at the base of the head (at the very top of the neck). I could resolve the problem by simply push my head a little bit forward when I play, to end with a very straight neck.
Go to http://www.flutelab.com/ check out what they have to say about positions and compare with yourself before a mirror. I bet you will discover your position is not completly right.
Hope it helps!
Leo