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Posture when playing... seriously.
I watch a lot of videos with folks playing iOS devices. Most of the time you can't see them playing but after watching this video and looking at my own posture playing the guitar and my iPhone I thought a discussion or warning could be warranted. Unless performing, which I don't do, then most of the time any playing is done by sitting down. I think we are coming to learn about the potential dangers of too much time on our rear-ends. I've started standing up to play my guitar more often, and may have to look into a stand that puts my iPad and iPhone at a reachable level. I'm not certain I want a mic-stand in my office where I play but we'll see. Thus far I don't have any known problems w/ back or neck pain but I'd rather do something to avoid that state in the future.
When we play for others we stand up and move around. Those who play piano keyboards and were reading sheet music had pretty good posture, as do those who hold their guitars properly. It is this looking down at our devices that could be an issue.
So, what do you think? Do you do anything specific when playing to ensure your posture is appropriate? Sitting up straight, wearing glasses if necessary to see the screen, getting up and moving around occasionally, what else?
Comments
Interesting.... i can confirm that problems with back and neck are a huge problem to use those devices if you doesn´t watch out. It gaves me the "rest"
Because of that i´m still a bit scared of an iPad Pro or large iPhone
I can thumbs up on this having just wrapped up over a month of physical therapy for pain in my back and shoulder. The physical therapist said that posture was probably the major culprit in causing this. Sit up straight people!
There is a new word called "Smombies" for this young people walking the street and watching only on their smartphones.
Also some doc says to me that the smartphone neck is going to be a big problem.... no joke!
But hey, there is a healthness app or?
Great subject @fprintf! People are looking down on their phones or tablets everywhere you look. This will probably lead to a big rise in back problems globally. the stress on the spine is massive when you hold your head down for long periods of time everyday and I think that this is one of the major downsides of these devices. I'm always trying to keep a straight back and to not look down on my iPad for too long and frequently make pauses. but I still keep getting a stiff neck every now and then. I think that physical exercise like weightlifting is a great counter measure to these problems. keep your heads up!
edit: a short article about the subject:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/what-texting-does-to-the-spine/382890/
@Cinebient said:
If I remember right there was an awesome music video about this on discchord some time ago. I haven't found it yet but I'll keep on searching.
I tend slouch over instruments. Don't know why, exactly. I just like to be closer to them; let them envelop me. It feels more intimate. I'm talking acoustic instruments, though. No point getting closer to speaker, or a screen.
Anyway, has anyone thought about trying a standing desk, or workspace? I've wanted to do this for a while, since I think and work better on my feet, but it would require a complete makeover in the studio, as everything is currently at sitting height.
I pretty much do all my playing while reclining.
I'm not much for sitting at any time. I am either standing and moving around or stretched out.
when I use hardware synths/ grooveboxes I prefer standing, the feeling is definitely completely different from sitting. with the iPad though I think it wouldn't be so good because I always have to look down on it while making music so the back/ neck issues might be even bigger than with sitting. Or maybe an iPad stand where the iPad is mounted vertically at the height of the eyes. that could be good.
@synthandson I like standing with hardware synths, too. I think an iPad at elbow height might work. Maybe I will make that a New Years project, jerry-rig a temporary standing desk and see if I want to make it permanent.
Or use ThumbJam and jumping trough the house while adding vibrato via shaking. When used ThumbJam in the past i must have looke like a conductor on drugs.
But also with a hardware device i have to look down often.
Now with the "post" pc like the iPad pro where you look down and have long ways to touch the screen we will see more back damages. Great new times.
I begin to think what is the best thing to do while i love to create music but will loose the ability to use such tools more and more.
Interesting is that using the notebook keyboard while try to look straight to the screen seems to be the most painless thing for me. Sadly i begin to loose control over some things...... not sure how it goes
But then drinking sometimes and eating sugar and fast food is also not healthy..... f...... i love it!
my back hurts standing at the keyboard. although this is partly due to hunching over to control the ipad which sits atop of it.
do you have a video of this?
I´m like a vampire.... you will never see me on a video
Also, this days are over.....
I hurt my neck reading this thread
(New Year's resolution, improve my posture)
I've yet not found a 'comfortable position' to work with a touch-tablet for extended periods of time.
I can comfortably sit in a chair behind a desk and use my laptop for hours while using the iPad on the desk tilted or otherwise is a real pain on the neck, and the 'point-fingers at the screen' is taxing on the shoulders compared to using the trackpad on the laptop.
I can understand the 'health-care professionals' who say tablets are an ergonomic disaster/nightmare when it comes to extended usage.
I could see some kind of podium being nice for the serious ipad musician. Hemingway wrote his novels standing up, at a podium.
I actually find sitting at the dining room table, hunched over, to be the most comfortable way to work with my iPad. Not great for posture granted.
Maybe some bend and lift exercises with an iPad Pro between is good
I´m drunken and opened the apple shop app..... not the best combiantion..... good thing is, maybe tomorrow i forgot and will be surprised in a few days what is shipping lol
I say, as an owner of iPad Pro, as magnificent as it is, it is also heavy. Not heavy as in I don't have heavier gadgets/computers, but a lot heavier than my iPad 4. I have to keep an active watch on myself and my posture, especially as my iPad holder, which held my iPad 4 just fine, in eye height above my midi keyboard (swan neck, 4x clipping to keep it safe etc) is simply to small for my IPP. I now sit with a swan neck myself, as the thing is impossible to keep in your arms for longer stretches of time.
This work?
I work in a dev shop, and we all slowly sink into our chairs over the day. I need to workout, and get up and go for a walk at lunch, and walk around the office, to keep from freezing up. My back is starting to deteriorate, but when I work out and stretch, it gets better quickly. But that's the problem, just doing that.
We all have two monitors, which creates another problem, as sometimes you are typing on the keyboard while being twisted to look at the second monitor. Not good on a long term basis.
The trick is to keep one step ahead of your own body's laziness. Whatever you do, your body will find a way to slouch it if you do it too often. I was having all sorts of issues and finally realized my $1000 ergonomic chair compressing my nerves and cutting off circulation. I caught it in time and now use a standing desk most of the time. I'm all better now but bad habits will still crop up— shifting all your weight to one leg, leaning against the desk, etc. Put your screen up and look out for your bad tendencies. I stand on a skateboard while I work sometimes, whatever.
Right around the time I switched to a standing desk setup, I got an ipad, which made standing seem a lot less desirable when I could be stretched out on the couch. Seems like I end up in pain no matter what I do so I give up, kinda-sorta.
Bad example exemplified.
not to mention having the large light pointed at your eyes (assuming tablet)