Theremin and tendinitis

Hi,

I am a classical guitarist but I have a lot of problems with tendinitis (hands) so I had to give up playing my
instrument for many months and my hands are not getting better since then even if I had tried many treatments.

I am so fond of playing music that I have to find something else, it's such a huge part of my life.
But tendinitis is a huge problem too....

I would like to know if playing Theremin is ok with this because as I noticed you don't put any pressure
on chords or keys with hands. 

For me, it's important to find an instrument that I can practice every day.

I would appreciate it if someone could give me a clue about this because I am seriously thinking about buying
a Theremin, I love the sound but if I am still at risk of injuries it won't be a good move.

Thank you very much for your attention,

Martin Payette

Hi Martin, so sorry to hear about your tendonitis.  I've played guitar since age 13 and still have no clue how anyone makes it through an hour long set, my left hand would turn to putty and fall off.

My wife plays piano and has experienced carpal tunnel injury associated with that.  She went to a physical therapist who actually made it worse!  It seems what is called for is an occupational therapist specializing in helping musicians recover.

I think the Theremin is probably one of the lowest impact musical instruments around, but that certain aerial fingering techniques might be troublesome over the long run.

Before you buy one, try to test one out in a music store, or make sure you can easily return it.  Playing my first Theremin (Moog Etherwave) was quite a bit different than I'd imagined.  Not a fault of the instrument exactly, the EW is pretty good as these things go, but I just never fell in love with it (pitch field too tight, timbre rather boring, no visual feedback - like most Theremins).  Since you are a real musician I wouldn't recommend the Theremini.

I wish you luck!

Hi Martin,

The theremin is probably the ideal instrument for that, as the only part of the instrument that you play is your own body, and actually tendinitis played a significant role in the developement of the theremin.

From the Wikipedia article about Clara Rockmore:
"As a teenager, tendinitis affected her bow arm, attributed to childhood malnutrition, and resulted in her giving up the violin. However, after meeting fellow immigrant Léon Theremin and being introduced to his electronic instrument, the theremin, she became its most prominent player."

When I started playing theremin I had quite some pain from a lower back herniated disk, and at least some of the improvements without further medical treatment (besides selfmedicating with cannabis) I ascribe to having started practicing and playing the theremin, promoting a better bodily posture and overall balance. I feel playing theremin is very close to practices like tai chi chuan, qi-gong and yoga. Or form a more modern perspective, the theremin acts as a biofeedback device for bodily posture, balance and (micro-) muscle movents, withou putting on any external strain. You have to get in touch with your own body, which also means getting more aware when you put strain on you muscles. It is important to stop when something starts to hurt. Probably some form of yoga and/or tai chi chuan in addition to practicing/playing theremin is also helpful in intuiting how to heal yourself versus maing things worse. I'ld endorse getting yourself a theremin.

Hi Martin, so sorry to hear about your tendonitis.  I've played guitar since age 13 and still have no clue how anyone makes it through an hour long set, my left hand would turn to putty and fall off.My wife plays piano and has experienced carpal tunnel injury associated with that.  She went to a physical therapist who actually made it worse!  It seems what is called for is an occupational therapist specializing in helping musicians recover.I think the Theremin is probably one of the lowest impact musical instruments around, but that certain aerial fingering techniques might be troublesome over the long run.Before you buy one, try to test one out in a music store, or make sure you can easily return it.  Playing my first Theremin (Moog Etherwave) was quite a bit different than I'd imagined.  Not a fault of the instrument exactly, the EW is pretty good as these things go, but I just never fell in love with it (pitch field too tight, timbre rather boring, no visual feedback - like most Theremins).  Since you are a real musician I wouldn't recommend the Theremini.I wish you luck!

Yes you are right, I should make a try first before buying one.

Good luck to you too !

Hi Martin,The theremin is probably the ideal instrument for that, as the only part of the instrument that you play is your own body, and actually tendinitis played a significant role in the developement of the theremin. From the Wikipedia article about Clara Rockmore: "As a teenager, tendinitis affected her bow arm, attributed to childhood malnutrition, and resulted in her giving up the violin. However, after meeting fellow immigrant Léon Theremin and being introduced to his electronic instrument, the theremin, she became its most prominent player."When I started playing theremin I had quite some pain from a lower back herniated disk, and at least some of the improvements without further medical treatment (besides selfmedicating with cannabis) I ascribe to having started practicing and playing the theremin, promoting a better bodily posture and overall balance. I feel playing theremin is very close to practices like tai chi chuan, qi-gong and yoga. Or form a more modern perspective, the theremin acts as a biofeedback device for bodily posture, balance and (micro-) muscle movents, withou putting on any external strain. You have to get in touch with your own body, which also means getting more aware when you put strain on you muscles. It is important to stop when something starts to hurt. Probably some form of yoga and/or tai chi chuan in addition to practicing/playing theremin is also helpful in intuiting how to heal yourself versus maing things worse. I'ld endorse getting yourself a theremin.

Yes I have the feeling that Theremin isn't a problem for small muscles like other instruments.

And for sure in any case bodywork will help, so many musicians get hurt in the long run.

MP

Proper posture is key!!! I had a case of tennis elbow that was worsened by improper posture! Don't extend your arms out. Keep close and develop fingering technique that Carolina Eyck promotes.