Learning things over again.

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                                                                   After the Seattle Shakuhachi Matsuri last weekend, my practice routine took on a new life of it's own. During the workshop with Kaoru Kakizaka it was brought out that breath control is so vital for players and that to blow RO daily for ten minutes would increase that stamina as well as hand strength. This will allow for a BIG sound when playing and to project smaller and larger tones. Physics certainly agree with this so, starting then, I have been doing this exercise daily.  But, a few days after doing so I noticed the right hand thumb started to really cramp up and get achy. In fact, very quickly after playing. Part of this is how I have been holding the flute and the other the weight of the instrument. Most of the time till now, I have been playing the much heavier shakuhachi Yuu, which is a double the weight of my bamboo 1.8 from Perry Yung. I''d never really experienced this level of pain in my thumb and could never remember having this problem when starting my studies with Larry Tyrrell in 2011. Why now?

                                      Well, I knew I was holding the instrument correctly so that was not it. Was I gripping it too tightly? That could be a small part of the problem as I admit to doing this like all beginners. yet something was not right and I couldn't put my finger on it (pardon the pun...even though a bad one as it is a thumb). The last thing I needed right now after finding the path again for the shakuhachi, was to have physical issues with the hands.

                                      Then....I remembered. Back in 2013, an incident with a cat had put me in the hospital for four days, leaving me quite battered and having almost lost my hands. The location of the bites from the cat were concentrated on the two index fingers and both thumbs. The wounds had become septic and infected, traveling up my arm within 24 hours. The Dr did indeed say I almost lost the hands and if I had waited, would possibly lost the arms.

To the left is the photo of what they looked like in the emergency room. Funny how only a little time passes and we forget about some unpleasant things that occur, moving on with life and remembering the good only.  Looking at the photo and seeing the condition of my hands, I remember well the pain and tightness the infection and cat bites caused. While the bites themselves didn't penetrate my thumbs, only my fingers (to the bone in both), they DID cause injury to the muscles and have never fully recovered.
                                 
                                                   My right thumb is now under stress it wasn't when I started this journey and I shall have to strengthen it up to make playing longer times a priority. While not a setback, this is an additional issue I shall have to remember and resolve if I can. Time for thumb exercises and to strengthen the hands up for future playing. Live and learn. Keep away from cats when they are set to attack. :-)

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