What every musician needs to know about their body

When asked what was the most important characteristic a concert pianist could have, Arthur Rubinstein said "a strong physical constitution."

Musician work out video tutorial, information that will save you a lots of health, unnecessary work and money.

Forgot to mention: Do several stretches each time in between the exercises.

[sacrilegiousboi]

Yunchan Lim’s recent injury is a perfect testament to everything you said here. Looking after yourself physically and mentally is so important. Young pianists today are under insane pressure to learn and perform programmes of the most technically difficult and strenuous repertoire.

Musical institutions and managers need to stop pressuring pianists to do back to back Chopin and Liszt transcendental etudes and Rach 3 performances like they’re no big deal - because they are.

A conservatoire teacher mentioned that finger speed and accuracy are being increasingly prioritised over whole body ergonomics and that students aren’t being taught how to gauge when they’re pushing their bodies too far or recognise strain before it develops into full blown injury.

[josetobias]

As a guitarist (and, by definition, a "practice freak"), who has learned to ignore the pain for hours and just deal with the consequences later (PLEASE, DON'T), I guess the word to have for ourselves is respect. A sign of respect, is to prepare ourselves physically and mentally to be the best we possibly can be, as long as we exist. For existing and not being able to play, is an immense disservice to the joy of our lives.
Very important video to raise awareness of this problem for musicians. I know I can't wish for my worst enemy this feeling of going to physiotherapy sessions, taking meds, and sitting at home looking at my guitar imagining the sound of it.

[seankeegan]

So agree, traditional classical music instruction is punitive, causing extra emotional stress when it is unnecessary. I always say this: if you're tense and frustrated majority of the time you're practicing, how are you going to relax and tune into emotions during performance? I think it takes a lot of emotional awareness and training to reach a point to know when to stop repeating and move on, or take a break. I'm still learning and I'm 20+ years into playing

[RyaninD]

i'm glad you covered this. musicians are rarely advised on their physical health, so this is really cool

[Ezekiel_the_roach]

As a fan of jazz I think the best cautionary tale is that of Wes Montgomery. He was one of the few Jazz musicians who wasn't hooked on drugs. However, he got very little sleep and smoked often on top of having high cholesterol and mild heart issues. Many blame his lack of rest for his early passing.

[bubbletea]

Thank you for covering this. I am not an instrumental musician, but into voice-acting, vocal training, and singing. I used to over-practice until I tasted metal/blood in my throat sometimes, and would lose my voice for days at times. My teacher used to always scold me and warn me about taking better care of myself, but it can be hard because I want to feel, "perfect, " practice enough to feel a difference and growth in skill as soon as possible. But it is important to take care of ourselves and it's easier to prevent damage than it is to recover after going too far.

[ludwigvb]

Keep uploading content. Love the aesthetic of your videos

[DieterMüller-bx]

Woh.... You beautiful human being ❤️
I've been to the transcendent heights of piano playing which permeate all activities when you get it right and you've recreated exactly where I was.
So happy to be part of your community.
Keep creating your magic ✨

[SeaDrive]

Hey Mariam, good to see you again! And yes, deuxième partie, s'il vous plaît! 🙂

[Charles-csmv]

This is what I've found too. Music is high performance in so many various fields, so it just makes sense to keep an eye on being healthy and fit. Let's see part 2

[sokkyn]

even me as runner i had to add some shoulder exercise and back .. because even this muscle is heavily active more than we thought

[goo]

Your hair looks amazing! I have the same kind of curly, brown hair as you and I've been thinking about cutting it too. I think it's a sign to finally chop it. Great video, I've been looking for excercises like this.

[ALEET]

this is the only reason I don't play, because I got tendonitis in my arm which lasted for years. Still today, I can't even write with a pen for too long without a pain in my arm.

[milton.lemonpie]

Two references: 1. Judith Kleinman Alexander technique for musicians. 2. Feldenkrais method awareness through movement.
These practices help taking care of yourself when playing or in general when moving

[cheerssasha]

You are by far my favourite channel, as a pianist it's so good to hear from other musicians, whether that's experiences or advice (plus your advice is really good stuff), and I also love vlogs and film so your videos are a combination of all the artistic things I like. Also, your hair looks SO pretty!!!!

[denizoral]

you really helped me when im about to give up i hope you continue to post these videos love them ❤❤❤

[gabbi.c]

This is really great info, I haven’t seen any videos covering this topic so this was really helpful. I’m definitely going to have to try some of these stretches. Often times after a long practice session I usually have back pain and tension in my wrists, and usually I just shake off the pain thinking it’s fine, now that I know what it could really lead up to I’m definitely going to be more careful. Thanks for the info ❤

[tapeexperiments]

Hi! As a Drummer/Guitarist & yogi- I am doing most of these. I like the Circles with the light weights, I'm going to add it! Thank you-( for hands/fingers- I like Climbers Putty and Large Baoding balls)

[DieterMüller-bx]

I studied under a pupil of Claudio Arrau and we had a very strong culture of full body awareness in our playing.
Not swinging the torso all over the place but making sure there was an open channel of communication from brain to keys with no distortion through blockages.
Watch his playing, you'll see what I mean. It's an extraordinary blending of the piano with the man.
He also played 'as if the concert hall was empty' ie for the music itself. A bit like your playing away from the keyboard.
Btw please make more ' portals to get away from the world' to immerse my spirit in it's natural home ❤️
Amazing to have found you

[zandyowens]

Thank you so much for saying this! The entire video I was nodding my head, because everything you said is totally right (From my experience). We have a tendency to think that time or effort equates to a result, and that if we don't practice all day, we aren't using to our limits. A few years ago, during quarantine, when I was obsessed with practicing guitar every second, hoping to grind through and become a guitar god, ended up actually temporarily spoiling my relationship for a few months. I learned soon after quarantine how to develop a practice plan that still required you to put in the hours, but is more efficient, and produces better results without forever grinding through, and more fun!
I also really appreciate the stretches, I will definitely incorporate them into my routine, so I can feel better before, during, and after my sessions.
One last thing I want to say, is that for me, making myself some tea and listening to recordings or reading books on composers or looking through music is my favorite way to wind down and enjoy the process. I find that these moments help a lot for the mental health of musicians.
Thanks for reading my super long comments sry, and thanks for the amazing video, all of your videos really inspire me to be a better and musician!