Ruphus -> RE: A beginner's question about seating and posture. (Jul. 15 2011 14:07:35)
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo But anyway those sax harnesses hurt your neck after a while. A normal strap is better. Robert Ruck sent me a metal "S" shape contraption that was rubber and you seat the guitar waiste on the bottom, and the top goes over right shoulder. so you play standing. It was funny how simple and comfortable it worked to play standing. To avoid strain with a harness you need to position the shoulder rests close to the neck. ( Right on the neck muscles.) You recommending something as unpractical like common straps over a harness makes me presume that you have not imployed a harness properly yet ( how would you think sax players get along with their much heavier instruments?), nor compared the two means ( straps & harness ) extensively. However, you must have already partially experienced the benefit of a single point suspense through that S-shaped hook. If you gave more credit to the harness / soundhole hook assemble to try it out optimally worn and over a couple of days, you might find that it accomodates playing even better than a S-formed suspense, due to its greater flexibility / consequently improving playing conditions. quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo But to be realistic, I was being sarcastice because to sit and play guitar is not so bad as some folks are making it out to be. The true problem the pro players are having is that while sitting ON STAGE, they can't move even millimeters because of the MIC placement at the sound hole. Moving just a hair changes eq and in ALL cases I have seen (meaning paco vicente, tomatito gerardo, etc etc) the result is feedback. It sucks to have to maintain that postion for two hours every night, and in the end your neck back, legs, arms everything really gets sore. You might want investigate into typical injuries of musicians. The damages caused to guitar players through playing seated are not limited to those who have to watch for microphones, but occure to the average home practicioner too. And the numbers are not as small as you imply. Just a quick search on injuries on this very forum could tell you something. Usual ways of sitting are unhealthy anyway, let alone with the additonal efforts and uneven posture of guitar playing. Rombsix, For some unknown reason flamenco neck straps, hence soundhole hooks are hard to be found ( even asking around in the flamenco scene yields little info on corresponding supply ). Thus, the only flamenco neck strap / soundhole hook I found was of mere plastic, without felt. However, applying it gently has not left any marks, so that I dare to use it also on my best instruments. A risk that I rather see is a possible lever on delicate tops. Consequently, I do watch out to keep the guitar vertical when under load. quote:
ORIGINAL: machopicasso ... without reasonably strong stomach muscles (regardless of whether they're visible), your lower back will be doing a disproportionate amount of work supporting your upper body, and that includes when you're sitting, playing guitar. True to an extend, secondarily, and contradictive in long term concern. While stomach muscles will help prevent / reduce collapse of inner organs on the one hand; on the other hand the typical inbalance of the muscle apparatus comes along as shortened flexors ( front ) and slack extensors ( back ) of the upper body. ( From there the tendency of idle "forward falling" upper body, resulting in shortened / over strained neck muscles, in an attempt to pull the forward falling head up straight. And its reverse area, in slack / prolonged lower back muscles in opposition to shortened stomach muscles.) Commonly lacking are strengthened extensors. So, primarily training the extensors of the back is what helps in general and with concern of sitting strain prohylaxis. Ruphus
|
|
|
|