Robben Ford Discussion

[bluejack]

I can tell ya'll that Qi Gong(Chi Kung) is traditional chinese energy healing.
Qi(Chi) is energy
Gong(Kung) is skill
Therefore it is' the skill of attracting vital energy.'

www.qi.org or www.nqa.org

May we all play pain free!!
J

[telefunk1]

This has been a great thread, and even though I am fortunate enough not to have tendinitis (yet) there is some good info here. I wanted to raise another alternative approach that has not been mentioned, and that is just to lay off playing for awhile. As guitar hounds I think we sometimes focus too much on the mechanics of actually playing and practicing, to the neglect of listening. I have found it beneficial over the years to stop playing for a bit (as much as a year at one point) and just absorb new sounds and ideas. Like sex, so much of making music is in the mind (so I have read...) and it needs time to itself without an instrument getting in the way. Just a thought. I always tell people that it is not so much what you practice, but how, that makes the difference anyway.

[tonemaster2_11]

I agree that sometimes the best practice is NO practice at all. I find that with just the right amount of time away my mind gets fresher and ask new things of my fingers. You tend to play more with your mind and your ears rather than seeing the same familiar paths around the fretboard! I recommend caution however since too much time away can make it difficult for the fingers to keep up!
I would like to point out however, as far as tendonitus and CTS are concerned, time away from TYPING at your computer is probably much more effective therapy!!!