Pay Proper Attention To That Body Of Yours

Professional harpist and weblogger Helen Radice of Twang Twang Twang has some thoughts on the physical in maintaining one's instrumental technique that should be read by all instrumentalists (and conductors, as well).

It is a curious paradox that, for a profession that involves the physical so heavily, musicians often p[u]rsue highly unhealthy lifestyles and keep quiet about their injuries. The obvious reasons for drinking too much, eating junk and not exercising are the stress and irregular routines; a[n]d if it gets out that you aren't in good shape, you will lose work, because like a racehorse you are little use off-form.

[...]

Learning technical exercises is dull and so usually sold to us, thus: the right technique will allow to you express whatever it is you want to do artistically, and it will also stop you getting injured. To have good technique, then, is fundamentally essential, and full of emotional investment, pride and personal dignity. If you have no technique, you are a bad musician. If you get injured, by implication, you must have had bad technique; and, by extension, likewise be a poor musician.

I take this occasion to note that I read several weblogs written by Brits, but absent the occasional Brit spelling of certain English words, all their posts could have been written by a Canadian or even an American. Not so Ms. Radice's posts. They're so essentially Brit in language and texture their author could never be mistaken for anything other than a deep-in-the-marrow Brit. Those posts are thoroughly delightful to "hear," especially for Americans who, as Dear Oscar remarked (or was it G. B. Shaw?; there seems to be some question concerning that), are separated from the Brits only by a common language.

RTWT here.