No Pain No Gain? | Pamela Taylor Music

Have you ever felt pain as a result of playing your instrument?

I did. For years!

During the early part of my study and career, no pain – no gain was the common belief. We were meant to tough it out, and play through the pain. Now of course, we look at that as a very damaging philosophy in a number of ways.

Being the diligent person that I am, when I was instructed to push through, I did. Until I couldn’t anymore. Not only did I practice many hours each day on two instruments, but I also used my hands extensively in my day job as a bookkeeper.

I was walking home one day with three bags of groceries. I realized I wasn’t going to make it. I put two bags down, and walked one home. I repeated the process until everything was on my kitchen counter. I then attempted to rub my forehead. My arm made it halfway up and fell. I tried again. This time, it didn’t even make it that far before it fell at my side.

I thought a bit of rest would take care of it, so I took it easy for a couple of days. As soon as my arm began to function “normally,” I jumped right back into practicing. After all, you have to sacrifice for your art, right? Not exactly.

As a result of overuse and abuse, I ended up without the privilege of using my dominant arm for a year. A year! Just imagine that for a moment. You can bet there was a lot of bargaining going on with the universe. I promised I would no longer work outside of music, if I could just get my arm back.

I did a lot of mental practice during that time. I did everything I could to support my music that could be done without using my dominant hand.

What I discovered was that, if I wanted to be the best musician I could be, I had to first be the healthiest person I could be.

What that meant for me was to educate myself about the methods of Moshe Feldenkrais and Alexander Technique, along with other movement practices. I continued with my yoga habit, but in a more forgiving and, shall we say, flexible way. Incorporating disciplines that support a balanced posture and supple musculature was very important to me, as it gave me a strong foundation from which everything else would flow.

I had always been careful about what kind of fuel I put into my body. I became even more careful, knowing that we truly are what we eat. I was especially grateful for a kind gift of a food processor from a friend who thought I would starve if I couldn’t chop vegetables!

While I relied on some fabulous physicians to help me regain the use of my arm, I researched non-traditional methods that would supplement their work. Even though this was many years ago, I was quite lucky to find a neurologist who incorporated these methods into his practice.

I’m very happy to say that, after applying every tool possible, I was able to return to a full career in performance and teaching. I knew that if I wanted to maintain my performance health, I would need to continue with everything I learned during the injury.

I also found that I needed to consider factors beyond my body, in order to stay strong and supple.

What happens if you don’t fit your instruments?!