A “Musicians’ physical therapist” for Harpists.
Article written and illustrated by Coralie COUSIN.
Interview conducted and compiled
by Isabelle MARIE.
Translation into English by Marta Power
“Coralie Cousin: Musicians’ Physical Therapist; what is the purpose of your work?”
It is true that the field of physical therapy for musicians is obscure, but it has
gained importance since famous musicians have begun to speak publicly about their
physical troubles. Mentalities have slowly evolved. More and more musicians are
considering their bodies, and are searching for support: warm-
Due to my work with Isabelle Perrin, professor of harp at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, I have been able to learn much about the extremely complex techniques of harp playing. Upon Isabelle’s encouragement, I have even furnished my office with a harp.
The goal is to find a physical balance between energy and relaxation, which is absolutely necessary to playing an instrument. “Perfect posture; so natural I don’t even need to think about it!” describes one young harpist.
“Are there harpist-
The harp is a very physical instrument; the feet work with seven pedals, the hands
with forty-
Eight out of ten harpists experience pain in the upper spinal column of the neck and in the shoulders, predominantly on the right side of the body, which experiences intense demands from the repertoire, particularly in the extremely tiring high register.
The secret to good posture is found in four points of the body, which are often the source of muscular and skeletal problems.
1. The head should rest on an axis that is the continuation of the spinal column. It should not be pushed forward. It should be free in order to facilitate looking right towards the strings and left towards the music and, in an orchestral setting, at the conductor. The ears must be free to listen. It is thus important that the instrument is not too close to the right ear.
2. The instrument must rest in contact with the right shoulder but not with all of its weight, which could provoke the sinking of the right shoulder. This can be associated with a red rash on the skin. The shoulder would have a tendency to slide down and back or, on the contrary, to roll forward creating a big rounded back. This would compromise the suppleness of the shoulder blade system. They would no longer be able to slide along the rib cage and would not continue to support the arms. The right shoulder is often painful, and the muscular tension is based in the spinal cord. The harp should therefore rest on the inner side of the knee and not on the right shoulder.
3. The wrist should not push against the soundboard; it should simply be in contact with the wood. Otherwise, the elbow will have a tendency to work in a state of fatigue. Right elbow pain is quite frequent.
4. The equilibrium of the hand is complex, especially the thumb. It works not only in opposition to the other fingers but also in synergy.
The thumb must be well placed; it must give the impression of aligning itself along
the same plane as the fingers. But, on the contrary, it must also be disassociated
from the fingers. It has its own muscular structure. The opposition of the thumb
guarantees the enlargement of the arch of the palm, and vice versa. Unfortunately,
the non-
“In your opinion, could you say there are points of contact and points of pressure?”
This really is a good question to ask oneself. I suggest working on the posture in two steps, first without the instrument, then with, always keeping in mind the idea of pressure and of contact:
How to be comfortable in a seated position, away from the instrument?
It is of prime importance to know how to sit well. Look for a dynamic sitting position. Everything is in the distribution of the body weight: 50% on each foot, and the same for the pelvis. Feel the axis of the torso distribute itself over the pelvic bones: the ischiums, without ever staying immobile on either of these rounded bones forming the base of the pelvis. This axis moves slightly inside a supportive polygon of suspension.
I suggest sitting in the middle of the bench, slightly leaning forward as if you were ready to stand up. Regulate the height of the bench depending on the morphology of your body keeping in mind that it could also depend on the piece you will be playing. It is important not to be too close to the instrument.
Arching the back to sit up straight is the most common mistake: putting no pressure on the feet, sitting at the edge of the bench, and straining to become taller. Arched like this, the head juts forward, which causes tension in the neck.
While seated, the musician should imagine that he or she is sitting on a piece of paper and could at any moment lift him or her self up so that someone could remove it. This exercise uses the lower abdominal muscles and makes you aware of the feeling of energy in the base of the torso that it is necessary to maintain. With your pelvis as the fixed point, smoothly stretch your spine upward all the way to your head. But careful, this does not mean being stiff!
Thus, this position is not passive pressure of the upper torso towards the bench.
How to be comfortable in a seated position, with the instrument:
Golden rule: “The harp must adjust to you, and not you to the harp.”
1. It is indispensable to take your time, concentrate on posture, and not rush to the instrument.
2. Once the body has been positioned, and not before, pull the instrument toward yourself. Then consider the inclination of the harp and the new working space, as well as your space in relation to other musicians, if that is the case.
3. When drawing the instrument toward yourself, before playing, never forget to think of the pelvis. It is the basis of stability. First the points of pressure of the pelvis must be stable, and then seek suppleness within the space of the instrument.
There is only light contact of the harp and the right shoulder, due to the support of the knees. The head is free. When lifted the arms feel light.
Always keep posture in mind when warming up with technique exercises; then when you begin to play and need to focus on the music and your work, you can cease to think of posture. If you notice, however, that you are beginning to slouch, it’s better to stop than to keep playing. When you feel that your body is becoming tired, don’t ignore it!
Good posture is never immobile; it must be understood that it is the continual movement
of points of pressure within the body. The harpist must therefore find a centre of
balance with the instrument as well as his or her personal points of pressure in
order to form equilibrium without tension. For me, finding the correct corporal sensations
is the starting point to a proper posture.
“Is breathing, which is not used by our stringed instrument for sound production, essential, because it is not necessarily part of our work on technique?”
It is true that the sound is not directly produced through breathing like it is with singers or wind instrumentalists. To breathe correctly, however, contributes to the relaxation of the muscles. I hear all too often “When I play I am blocked up. I feel I need to fight to breathe.”
Keep in mind that there is no good or bad way to breathe. The goal is to be able to combine the effort of breathing with relaxation in playing without forgetting these simple facts of anatomy:
The abdominal muscles begin the exhalation, which must start from very low in the pelvis. The diaphragm is the vector of inhalation. Essentially, inhaling and exhaling depend on one another. Suppleness in the rib cage is essential for the harpist, and it conditions the equilibrium of the shoulders. The two shoulder blades slide along the rib cage so that the hands can reach far on the strings. If the rib cage is tense either due to the pressure of poor posture or of the harp weighing on the right shoulder, the whole balance will be thrown off.
Breathing in the upper torso:
In a situation where the harpist is playing in the upper registers of the instrument, a common mistake is to arch the back moving the source of breath too far up the rib cage. This is a very tiring position that should be avoided.
Proper position:
In order to allow proper relaxation in the arms and shoulders it is important to
breathe with the diaphragm in a low position.
“If a teacher has a new student whose feet do not touch the floor, can he or she place an object below the student’s feet in order to promote correct posture from the very beginning?”
I would say yes, but each child is different in their needs and how fast they grow. It should not be a systematic approach.
It is true that certain children whose feet do not touch the floor naturally stretch their spine and support themselves with the abdominal muscles. Often these are children who hold themselves properly either through the efforts of their parents, through participation in a sport, or simply naturally. Such children can work without support under their feet depending on the fatigue of holding the instrument. However if a child is unable to find his or her own equilibrium, the teacher can help by providing this exterior aid. The support will be used by the student as an active pressure point for the feet, thus offering him or her a feeling of greater stability with the instrument.
The teacher must always consider the morphology and the nature of the child. Nervous and tense children must work on relaxation without becoming mushy, while others who are flexible (and often double jointed) must work on healthy energetic tension without becoming stiff. It is therefore difficult to apply strict systematic rules.
Harpists must learn to work on muscle memory of their bodies. Learning an automatic gesture in order to improve sound production is done through anatomical and physiological muscle memory.
“What advice can you give to harp teachers?”
Many teachers have never had physical problems and therefore do not really understand the importance of having good posture. For them, the priority for their students is relaxation. For some, who are becoming more and more rare, pain is a necessary aspect to playing, and could be seen as proof of having practiced enough.
Group work:
No one is surprised when a sports team has a group of personal trainers. I advise teachers to do the same. Do not hesitate to ask the help of an outsider who will address the same problems but with a different vocabulary and perspective to that of the teacher.
For example, a young harpist came to see me because she was experiencing excessive
fatigue while playing. I advised her to see her doctor, who diagnosed her with scoliosis.
Her fatigue was due to this disease, and I suggested that she fragment her practice
time. Instead of playing for an hour and a half at a time, she should play forty-
Today, despite her scoliosis, she is able to play the harp without fatigue because she has learned to manage her body properly.
Teaching teachers: my second idea is to help teachers learn about the physiology of good posture. Their studies have not necessarily taught them the basics of anatomy and the physiology of movement. For example, a teacher was convinced that in order to breathe, one uses the belly in order to obtain relaxation. This is a widely found idea. I explained to her that the air actually goes in the lungs and not in the belly and taught her to use different body parts to promote proper breathing.
“Could you explain your work at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris?”
Isabelle Perrin, the harp professor, invites me to her class every month. I then see her students individually on Thursdays.
When the student comes to see me I understand their problems and their teacher’s objectives. No time is wasted and I go straight to the source of the problem. We have very good working conditions, which allow me to follow the student’s progress regularly throughout the year.
The majority of the students, despite their high level of playing, have never worked with a physical therapist. Some of them have faults in their posture, which may be the source of problems since the body is asked to play six or seven hours a day. These faults act like a brake causing the student to stagnate in their technique. Rapid gestures require perfect dexterity in the hands.
Our lesson plans:
In the beginning of the year Isabelle and I start with the basic rules of good posture. The students are future professionals and thus future professors; pedagogy is thus important.
Each student plays in front of the class. The harpist may not necessarily even be
aware of his or her faults due to the absence of pain. We fix the fault together.
The presence of the professor is very important – it instils confidence in the student.
The new posture is not always comfortable immediately since the reference points
have been modified. The sound, however, is always freer. The sound the student
has been looking for is produced with more relaxation. The student must work on
the new position for the next month. He or she may come see me individually at the
Ecole Normale. I verify that the student has not exaggerated in the corrections
in his or her posture. I also give stretching and warm-
A month later, the class meets again. Often the first correction reveals another fault, which we then correct. For example, once the balance of the pelvis is in place, the right shoulder may begin to slide down and back.
The student is monitored all year. Our work on posture is very in-
As the year continues we help the harpists prepare for their exams.
Physical preparation for exams and competitions:
In order to succeed the harpist must be in the best possible physical shape, and train his or her body.
Nothing is more satisfying than to see a musician the night before a competition; tired but with an athlete’s body.
As the exams approach we no longer talk about posture. At such a time we need to focus on the essentials; neither the therapist nor the teacher wish to correct faults, destabilizing the student.
My role is to help the student be in the best shape possible. I give individual sessions on general physical wellness and I concentrate on relaxation of the breathing: massaging the diaphragm, relaxation of the neck, gentle stretching of the spine without brutal manipulations. These sessions of course are not too close to the date of the exam, the ideal time being a week before.
I do not change the “ instrumental technique” of the harpists. For example, for
certain students come to France with a non-
The professor and the therapist compliment each other:
There is a very personal emotional relationship with the professor, which is to be expected since she represents Music. She gives advice, but the student is not always able to follow it. The physical therapist is disassociated from music. She explains things differently and the student understands he or she can arrive at the same results by a different route.
The work we do together is very rewarding because it is oriented towards the prevention of physical pain despite six to eight hours behind the harp.
Feeling in shape allows the harpist to gain self-
“What is your goal in your work with musicians?”
It is better to prevent than to heal:
In France, a lot of money is put towards healing and not enough towards prevention. It is an unfortunate reality, in stark contrast to the sports world where athletes retire millionaires at the age of 36!
Yet, at the end of conferences on medicine in music, we all agree that success lies in one word: “Prevention”; WHY?
The importance of muscle memory:
There are several types of memory musicians use. We are interested in muscle memory. A musician is the first one to say that long hours of work and much repetition are needed in order to develop this type of memory and to make playing automatic. It is a memory that is stimulated at an early age when the brain is still absorbing a maximum amount of information. If a student begins with improper posture it will be very difficult to correct it at an adult age.
Habits are slowly changing…
In France, I have much admiration for the quality of the professors who teach while continuing an active artistic career with recitals, orchestra, and recordings.
More and more heads of conservatories, orchestra directors, and festival organizers are asking for the participation of a physical therapist to educate their members about prevention, which did not exist twenty years ago.
This idea is becoming more commonplace, but we still have a far way to go in comparison with the United States, where it is completely natural to take therapeutic classes (physical therapy, yoga, Alexander technique…) in parallel with music lessons.
A shared passion; Music:
My goal is to share my passion for music.
To know and to respect ones body allows the musician, over the years, to find harmony between his or her body and the instrument so that playing becomes a natural exercise. It must never be forgotten that each one of us has a different solution to a different problem, but that we are all aiming for the same thing: to transmit emotion through sound.
* * *
And thus we have shed light on the interesting subject of posture and our body’s relationship to the instrument. Thank you Coralie for your knowledge and insight, which have shown us the point of view of a specialist in a subject that concerns all harpists, be they students, teachers, or performers. The subjects sighted are vast enough to arouse our interest, and perhaps to give us the desire to delve deeper in to this aspect of our domain.
Thank you to Isabelle Perrin and her students at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.
