How
can musicians express themselves and recreate the
great masterworks with ease and expressivity and
yet avoid injury in the process? Musicians face many
challenges: a highly competitive environment, performance
anxiety, demanding repertoire, years of solitary
practice, and awkward postures. The hectic pace of
rehearsals and performances when added to the mix
often results in the very real risk of physical pain
and injury.
Playing
(less) Hurt is a readable and comprehensive
guide and reference for all concerned with pain
in musical work: professional and amateur musicians,
teachers and students, doctors and therapists.
This book is essential for all musicians. String,
keyboard, percussion, harp, brass and wind players
will play better and feel better.
Read
About:
WHY IT MAY HURT TO PLAY
INJURY SUSCEPTIBILITY QUIZ
RISK FACTORS AND DANGER SIGNALS
HEARING, BACK, DISC, ARM AND SHOULDER PROBLEMS
10 ONSTAGE TRICKS
TMJ, TEETH, LARYNX AND JOINT LAXITY
STRETCHING AND STRENGTHENING
REHABILITATION AND WORK HARDENING
MUSICIANS SURVIVAL KIT
10 DOS AND 10 DONTS
INSTRUMENT MODIFICATIONS
GUIDE TO SAFE PRACTICING
Janet
Horvath
Janet
Horvath, associate principal cello of the Minnesota
Orchestra for more than two decades, is a soloist,
chamber musician, writer and advocate of injury prevention.
A trail-blazer in speaking and writing openly about
the physical stresses experienced by musicians, Horvath
has contributed importantly to improvements in working
conditions and in awareness for musicians' work-related
ailments and their prevention.
Playing
(less) Hurt is the culmination of 20 years
of lecturing and teaching in the field of Performing
Arts Medicine.
BIOGRAPHY (For
a more detailed bio, click here.)
Praise
for Janet Horvaths Playing (less) Hurt:
As
someone who has been teaching instrumental playing
principles for well nigh seven decades, I find Ms.
Horvaths book rife with helpful, valuable,
and entertaining data. The ground she covers is immense,
written with knowledge, understanding, style, aplomb
and humor. No reader can put it down without some
beneficial learning.
Janos
Starker
Distinguished Professor of Music
Indiana University
Musicians
too often suffer pain and dysfunction strikingly
at odds with their extraordinary skill and the perceived
ease of their achievements. Janet Horvaths
eloquent guide provides a much-needed reference for
diagnosing, treating, and avoiding these potentially
devastating conditions. Her book comes to the rescue
of even the most brilliant teachers and their equally
brilliant students.
Garrick
Ohlsson
Pianist
This
well and intelligently written book
provides
a systematic examination of the many risks to their
health faced by present day musicians
an articulate
advocate for making musicians, managements and medical
people alike aware of the potential for physical
consequences of the demands of the instrument
a
valuable resource for musicians already in an orchestra
and for those anticipating this career.
Alice
Brandfonbrenner, M.D.
Director, Medical Program for Performing Artists
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Editor, MPPA mag.
Every
musician should be aware of the valuable musical
and medical information in this book.
William
Preucil
Concertmaster, The Cleveland Orchestra
Janet
Horvath has written a book of vital importance to
all musicians
an essential guide to protecting
and promoting playing health. Playing Less
Hurt is a book I urge music teachers, students
and professionals to read.
Nora
Shulman
Principal Flute, The Toronto Symphony
a
wonderful resource of information
impressive
research and work
Michael
Sachs
Principal Trumpet, The Cleveland Orchestra
a
very timely book [which] applies to musicians at
an international level
With acute and sympathetic
insight, Janet Horvath lists and analyzes every possible
injury that can befall players on any instrument.
She offers many useful suggestions as well as physical
exercises both to prevent and to alleviate these
injuries
I strongly recommend it.
Kato
Havas
World-renowned violin teacher and
Author, Stage Fright, Its Causes and Cures