Tuba Lips, Guitar Nipples and more

List - carpal tunnel? Wrist pain? Headaches from playing too much? Flute? You gotta read THIS article in the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13063-2003Mar23.html

BillG :boggle:

Yeah, now if something is in THAT newspaper, you can be sure it is right on the same level as as those magazines you get at the grocery checkout. :boggle:

I noticed they mentioned bagpipe fungus. Bagpipe fungus is a myth. Here’s a link: http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/~bdaye/fungus.html
Cheers,
Aaron

Oh great.

“The flute is a biomechanically impossible instrument to play,” says Scott Brown, chief of the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and a musician himself.

Now they tell me.

I have noticed difficulties when marching and playing at the same time, the transverse hold on the flute/fife makes it very difficult to watch where you are going. I tend to lean over toward my right with the instrument at about a 100-105 degree angle.

madfifer9

Curious that nowhere in that article are “guitar nipples” defined. As a guitarist, I feel I need to know about this.

Guitar nipples are actually located on the guitar. They’re an optional accessory, developed fairly recently, that allows you to milk a tune for all it’s worth. I don’t know that any Irish guitar players have actually had nipples installed on their guitars yet, but then again the guitar is still a fairly new instrument in Irish music, and its use is still a bit controversial. Adding nipples would only make it more so.

Well, I’ve discovered an upside to fluteplaying: the embouchure work has enhanced my dimples much to the admiration of all. :wink:

Oh jeez!! You had to remind me, Nano! I can’t STAND my dimples cos people always say how cute they are when I smile.

Though I do smile a lot. And they are quite obvious when I play.

madfifer9

Funny you mention that. I never noticed until I was promoted to sergeant and had to move into the front rank. I used to just look at the back of the head of the person in front of me. Now I need to watch where I’m going a little better and it is difficult. You’re the lead fifer for your corps, which would put you in the front rank, right?

Hopefully one of the kids will get better than me and I can step back to the rear. :wink:

When I first started playing autoharp my left wrist would be in agony. I had to make myself stop for a few minutes every half hour or so.

Dave Grisman mentions on his website that he played four different parts on one of his albums and recorded it all in a couple days. He almost lost the use of his wrist.

In spite of the truth that you can overuse certain muscles playing too much I still can’t stand the Post and the article is another one of those attempts to let us all know how bad everything is for you. :imp:
The next thing you’ll know they’ll outlaw musical instruments or force yet another idiotic warning label.