Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [physical-limitations]

Use this tag for physical limitations of the musician, not the instrument.

See Should there be a new tag for personal physical limitations?

80 questions
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Arthritis In Hands (Playing With Pain In Hands) - Are There Recommended Approaches?

I have been playing guitar for 12 years now and I'm 28. I am under treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis (R.A.) and was wondering if anyone who has R.A., or other pain in their hands, has any approaches they have used to reduced their pain when…
bn01
28
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15 answers

Which instrument can a person play with 2 malformed fingers on each hand?

Due to a birth defect, I have 2 malformed fingers on both hands (fingers 1,2). (The picture is from the web just to illustrate the fingers i'm talking about.) I've seen GuiGui Zheng videos, it is sweet, but I doubt if she can play more complex…
MichaelS
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9 answers

How to use Piano pedals without using the foot?

I have a piano and am disabled -- wheelchair kind of disabled: I can move my feet but not use the pedals. That task is kind of complicated. I've considered buying some kind of a car hand-control like this, but I'm not sure if it works, and if I want…
Lynob
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Ideas for a musical instrument to learn that is easier on the fingers

I am hoping to learn to play a musical instrument (I cannot play anything as yet) that is easy on fingertips and am looking for some suggestions, please. I have psoriasis on my fingertips and it usually spreads to just above the first knuckles. I…
Mhia
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Guitar for a patient with a spinal injury

I work as a physiotherapist at a rehabilitation hospital. I am looking to help a patient get back to playing guitar. He suffered a cervical spine injury and has no control over his fingers in both hands. He has managed to strum with his right from…
Ciara Murphy
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3 answers

Piano exercises post-chemotherapy

Not a common question, not a common situation, and I am not using my primary Music.SE for obvious reasons. The question is simple but not so easy, and I hope you might help not only me, but many with this experience: What exercises can I do now,…
K. 545
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Well-known composers or piano pieces generally suitable for someone with small hands?

One of my struggles with playing the piano is that I have small hands. I can reach an octave - mostly. I can reach it, I just can't maneuver between octaves quickly. Often times a piece will have a running stretch of octaves that I am unable to…
Rebecca Chernoff
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What resources are there for a violinist with 4 fingers?

This is depressing. I have/had a young (around 8 years old) violin student who lost his left index finger in a freak accident over the holiday. He is a beginner, about ABRSM grade 2. I know of people play different instruments in unconventional…
xerotolerant
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Genetic limitations to learn certain instruments

This is something that has bothered me for quite a while. I frequently participate in instrument demonstrations for children. My focus is on wind instruments but I'm also curious about others. What I noticed is that some children just seem to have a…
Carpid
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Playing guitar with webbed fingers

I've just got myself an acoustic guitar and I'm struggling with holding down chord shapes. I have webbed 2nd and 3rd fingers on my fretting (left) hand. This causes those fingers to follow each other, making it very difficult to play chord shapes.…
David Woods
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How did baroque music sound at the time?

Historical context Let's for example consider Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (click here to enjoy). It was composed at the very beginning of the 18th century in Germany. At that time: Architecture of concert rooms was not as sophisticated as…
Remi.b
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2 answers

Can I play the cello without pronation of the bow hand?

I would like to learn to play cello, but I have a mini-disability that prevents me from turning my right hand down (palm-down, or pronation) or up (palm-up, or suspination). How much is this going to get in the way of handling the bow? How…
mcadorel
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Playing trombone with a beard?

I've just picked up trombone, for the first time. I find it really enjoyable to play, but I'm having trouble with my beard and mustache. As far as I can tell, it doesn't affect the sound at all, but after a while playing, the area above and below my…
naught101
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What instruments can a four-year-old with left-side paralysis begin to learn/hope to ever learn?

My four-year-old sister has tragically suffered left side paralysis from a brain injury. Because she's so young, her brain is remarkably plastic, and a lot of functionality has returned. She can walk, she can talk, and cognitively, she's fine. Her…
General Nuisance
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Instruments that are easy on left pinkie fingers

I am interested in learning an instrument but have limited mobility in my left pinkie/little finger due to an old injury. What instruments are least demanding on that finger?
Hannerz
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