Pain and hand problems are caused by moving improperly. Ergonomic equipment, in theory, is designed to force your body into proper positions. They CAN work but it would be better for you to learn how to move ergonomically without the equipment.

The reason is, let’s say you have an improper ulnar deviation when you type (wrist twists to the left on your left and right on your right), you can still execute that improper motion with an ergonomic keyboard and, what good is fixing your typing deviation when you open doors, brush your teeth, write, use your phone or drive your car with the same deviation?

You can’t spot fix ergonomic problems. It is all or nothing. That is why people don’t heal because they try to fix isolated symptoms and not everything that is part of the problem.  You may have pain in your wrist but that is only the location of the symptom.  The problem is most likely how you are using your whole arm.

Often it is not a single movement that is a problem but a cavalcade of movement issues. You may type with flat fingers, curled fingers, too much pressure, equalized fingers, not enough “up,” radial deviation, you may abduct too much, you might isolate a finger, dorsiflexion, have an isolated elbow or shoulder . . . there are a lot of motions we should not do but we do them because many of us are lazy and unaware.

In the old days, manual typewriters forced us to type with the weight of the arm or, gravity.  Today's effortless keyboards have insidiously encouraged us not to use gravity and the fulcrum of the elbow to type and thus, we isolate smaller parts which strain our tendons. There is no such thing as "repetitive stress."  There is only improper movement and if you move improperly, all movement is then "repetitive stress."

Imagine casting a fishing pole with just your fingers, you'd probably hurt yourself.  Now imagine that only with the wrist.  That is better but still not optimal.  Now with your elbow.  Better.  Add the shoulder.  Notice how you are now using all the parts of the arm for one movement.  No single part is isolated but they all share in the casting, including but not exclusively the fingers.  Now as you cast, notice how your feet are planted, how your weight or center of gravity is distributed, your back and abs, notice also the equal and opposite motion required to cast.  In order to cast forward you must first cast backward.  Typing, too.  In order to type down you must first have an up motion.  Without it, you will strain your flexor tendons.  That is also the most dangerous part of using a mouse.  We rest our index finger and long flexor tendon flat on the button and click with no "up" or equal and opposite motion.  There is nothing wrong with the mouse, only how we use it.

The laws of physics must be obeyed. Break them and there is a price to pay.

I have composed a collection of songs for church use and have never plugged them before. So, why not.

The book and CD is called Psalms for the Church Year, Volume Ten, published by GIA. If you would like to hear a sample, go to the following link. My favorite is selection ten, Psalm 69: Lord in Your Great Love.

https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/psalms-for-the-church-year-recording-cd429

GIA's venerable Psalms for the Church Year series has a fresh face with this new volume from Malcolm Kogut, who brings his gift for melody and his comfortable jazz-tinged style to this important new collection of psalms.

Malcolm fills some repertoire "holes" with these settings. He has set Psalm 47: "God Mounts His Throne to Shouts of Joy" for Ascension, and Psalm 45: "The Queen Stands at Your Right Hand" for Assumption, along with a mix of other common and lesser-known psalms. Using primarily ICEL refrains and several Grail translations, this volume is a worthy addition to the Psalms for the Church Year series. And, as with the other volumes, it includes reprint boxes of all refrains and a liturgical use index.

Piano keys are a fulcrum and as we all know from being children, fulcrums are lightest on the edge. Sit on a see saw and notice if you sit inward, you weigh less and the opposite person has the advantage. Sit on the very outside edge and you weigh more.


So, playing on the outside of the piano key gives you more power and the keys are easier to depress because they require less force. If you play on the inside of the key, in the black area or, closer to the fulcrum, the keys will be harder to depress.
However, this is only predominately true if you have poor technique. There are several ways to give the arm more power to the fingers such as proper alignment, rotation, in and out motions because your fingers are different lengths and a fulcrum unto themselves, gravity and basic laws of physics such as every motion must have an equal and opposite motion.  Then, there are things not to do which if we do, will weaken or diminish our virtuosity. 
Some teachers just teach dot matching and don’t have a knowledge of physics, biology and ergonomics. If your teacher doesn’t know what a pronator is or how to adjust the elbow so the four and five fingers are just as strong as the other fingers . . . that teacher may hurt you.  If you are lucky, you will only be mediocre.

I am a pianist but I’m sure that my answer correlates.

Technique is in your brain, not in your muscles. You brain hard wires movement which we call muscle memory but, it originates in your brain. That is why you never forget how to ride a bike or swim because the act of balance and using all those ancillary muscles gets mapped directly into the brain through the initial trial and error.

There are two ways to move: properly and improperly. Virtuosos move properly thus, they have virtuoso techniques. People without virtuosity simply move improperly and those improper movements get in the way of proper movement. Much like two people engaged in a three legged race. Both of you must perfectly sync your movements together in order to move freely and efficiently. If one doesn’t, anarchy reigns. Likewise, within our arms are muscles which must work in sync. If they don’t, we are mediocre at best.

When you first touch your instrument you brain makes those neural pathways and if you move improperly that improper movement becomes your permanent technique. Quite simply, you are using the wrong muscles to play and you will forever battle those bad habits. It is possible to brow beat strength and endurance into those wrong muscles and make progress but the day you skip practice, your body immediately begins to atrophy what it doesn’t need and you will feel rusty.

Proper technique uses the laws of physics and ergonomics and never atrophies because gravity requires no muscle. Pianists, for instance, think they depress the keys with their fingers but the fingers have no muscles. They are moved by the flexor muscles in the forearm and they are all interconnected with each other and also with the extensors. Each muscle moves one bone in one direction and there is an opposing muscle to move it back. If you use two muscles at the same time to move one bone, you will create tension, cramps, fatigue, injury or if you are lucky, play poorly. Even the slightest imbalance will create tension. This often happens when a musician isolates a finger. You can not extend and flex at the same time. Even though you can, you should not because they are still interconnected and they will be pulling on one another creating tension.

Proper playing is actually the result of several movements coming together so no single muscle is taxed through repetition. For pianists, this is called shaping. These multiple muscles include the pronator, supinator, shoulder, elbow and most importantly, gravity. Gravity never fatigues, it is always there. I don’t play guitar but I am going to guess that you never have to strum down because gravity or the weight of the arm will play down. Your only job is to play up. If you remember from HS physics, every motion has an equal and opposite motion. As a pianist, I can’t play down unless I first play up. If you sit at a piano, play a chord. Notice that you must play up, first. Up is the only work because down is effortless. Many pianists go wrong there because they press into the keybed. Since they can’t go any further and it creates no additional tone, then why press? It only creates tension and worse, prevents them from playing up because they are pressing down. You can’t move in two directions at the same time.

There are also muscles we should never use such as the abductors. Again, you can’t use two muscles at the same time. If you flex and abduct simultaneously, you are pulling one bone in two directions and the tendons are what will bear the brunt of this vector force and that is where cramps, fatigue or uneven playing comes from.

Go with gravity. Don’t fight it or try to force it. Remember from HS physics, if you push on a wall, it is pushing back with equal force. The wall will always win. Relaxation only comes from effort but it must be from the equal and opposite direction. Like walking. In order to propel your body forward, one foot is behind you pushing backward. In order to walk up stairs you must lift UP one foot higher than the step then come down on to it, using gravity. Although, I have heard people stomping up stairs. Swing a bat, throw a ball, kick a can . . . they all start with equal and opposite motions. Even your car rolls forward because its tires are pushing backward. Physics is not a useless class in HS that you don’t use in real life. It is everywhere in everything. Use it.

Get the laws of physics into your playing and you will never be rusty. Your technique will be there every day, even with several consecutive off days. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Are you looking for a fun activity to do outdoors with your kids or youth group?  All you need is a camera, an eye for location and a subject (with a solid core) who can hold a pose.  Very little photo editing is required.

First, take a hike.  Check with local hiking groups and online websites to find hikes that are appropriate for your age children then take them to the summit.  Bring lots of water and snacks.  Don't forget the water and bring plenty of water.  Did I mention not to skimp on the water? Bring more water than Brett Kavanaugh drinks beer.  I like beer.

Whatever mountain you choose, if you are not an experienced hiker, read trail reports to figure out how long a round trip will take.  Plan accordingly.  Bring flashlights (along with water) in case you miscalculate.  Chances are you live near an area with short one or two hour hikes.  You can also do a Google Image search of your chosen peak so you can see pictures of the summit that other hikers have taken and plan your photo layout in advance.

Then, look for a ledge, large flat slabs of granite or a large rock (erratic) that they can lay on.  What is important is for the camera to get either high or low enough to catch the subject but with either only sky or rock in the background.  If you catch any trees in the background you will have to do some editing for everything in the background will belie the optical illusion. This is why you may have to hike to the summit of the mountain and look for layered ledges or a large erratic.  If you try this on a slab of granite, make sure there are no shadows from trees or people which will give away the illusion.

Once you find your location, safety always comes first.  Do you know what the leading cause of death is while hiking?  The selfie.

Find a crack or bulge in your rock and have your subject lie down on their side below it with their bottom arm stretched up to the crack or bulge (a more realistic picture will have their arm at a right angle).  They must lie in a straight line.  Their upper arm should be relaxed but held up in the air pointing toward their feet.  Their head can be angled downward and their eyes can look all the way down toward their feet.  This is the "acting" part to give the illusion of awe of the height.  Too much acting will look fake.  Anyone brave enough to climb a cliff won't have the look of fear on their face.  Likewise, a real climber would not hang by his fingertips and smile for a camera. Real climbing is serious business and poses often look fake or at least, not dangerous. This should look like a candid pic snapped in the midst of action.

Now the hard part.  The subject needs to raise both feet and legs off the ground.  At least the upper leg.  Point the toes downward, this is very important.  Likewise, the arm should have the relaxed grace of a ballerina.  After the picture is taken, load it into a photo editor and simply rotate it once in the proper direction then save it. 

Another tip to ensure that the photo looks as real as possible, the subject shouldn't wear loose clothing, loose long hair and, their shoelaces should be tucked in.  Gravity will grab anything it can to make your photo look fake.

Free organ concert with Malcolm Kogut at Foothills Methodist in Gloversville.  June 3 at three. Free.  Here is a sample (Flight of the Bumblebee):

One of the causes for strain, stress, injury and other maladies pianists, organists and typists experience is simply that they press too hard into the keybed of their device or instrument. Let's first take a look at sports and then physics (that HS subject you think you don't use in real life). 

As a baseball player stands at home plate and the ball is hurtling toward him, he back-swings, forward swings, hits the ball, then all the energy left over from the swing dissipates into the follow through.  The same action occurs when an athlete swings a tennis racquet, kicks a ball, swings a golf club, punches someone, throws a ball, etcetera.  That is Newton's third law of physics that every action has an equal and opposite action.  In order to forward swing, one must first back swing.  Even when we walk forward, as one leg is extending up and forward, the other leg is pushing backward.  So according to the laws of physics, in order to type or play the piano down, one must first lift up.  Many of us were trained or taught to play or type from a resting and relaxed position which actually creates tension because holding a position requires effort.  So we know that everything requires an opposite motion and a follow through.  I bet all you smart kids out there know exactly where I'm going with this.

Now imagine that our baseball, tennis, soccer, golf, football players or boxers are standing before a concrete wall and they backswing then forward swing but instead of hitting an object and following through, they strike the immovable wall.  All the energy of the swing, instead of following through and dissipating, ricochets back into the athlete.  That can hurt. 

A piano is much the same.  Many pianists press into the keybed of a piano and not only does that fail to produce any more of a tone but, all the energy of pressing down is being transferred back up into their finger joints and tendons.  We often don't notice this until after an hour or so of practice or the next morning when we wake up with stiff fingers.  We are taught by bad teachers "no pain, no gain."  In this case, it is very much a lie.  No pain, no gain is fine when building muscle but not for bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and certainly not for our technique.  Often poor technique, strain or missed notes are a result of what we are not doing rather than what we are doing and often we are using the wrong muscles.

Sit at any acoustic piano and very slowly, depress a key so you don't play a sound.  At some point you will hit a little bump in the action, then press through it and you will hit the keybed.  That little bump is the point of sound once you actually play. 

As a pianist drops the controlled weight of their arm onto a key, they must use Newton's third law.  As they hit the point of sound, much like an athlete striking a ball, they must then follow through without hitting the keybed.  When they press into the keybed, not only is their energy backfiring but, they are pressing down and according to Newton, we can't set up for the up motion if we are pressing down.  This hinders technique.  You can't play down if you don't play up and you can't play up if you are pressing down.

So, the key and cure to playing without tension or pain is learning to play to the point of sound and simply following through and not pressing into the keybed.  Unbeknownst to most teachers, their students press into the keybed.  It is a motion that is often invisible.  When a student experiences problems with technique or pain, the teacher often says practice more or run exercises to build strength and endurance and the teacher is often oblivious that the way the student practices is what needs to be addressed, not a clock.

Danger Will Robinson. Before anyone tries to learn to play to the point of sound, there are other components of technique which must first be in place.  This includes controlling arm weight, controlling up/down, controlling in/out from the shoulder and elbow, using the fulcrum of the elbow, controlling rotation of the forearm through the use of the pronator and supinator muscles.  Likewise, there are movements to avoid such as abduction, curling the thumb under the palm, isolating a finger, equalizing fingers, radial and ulnar deviation, and trying to play too relaxed, still and quiet.

A virtuoso technique looks like it is effortless and relaxed.  That is true, the fingers are relaxed because the arm does all the work.  Observers are often looking at the pianist's hands and fail to notice the elbow and arm is actually doing most of the work.  Pianists who attempt to play from the fingers and have fatigue, are told to relax so, they relax the same muscles they are continuing to use and they achieve nothing.

Once all of the proper motions are achieved and the improper ones eradicated, point of sound will just happen. Some "techniques" such as the Russian Technique, surreptitiously imbue the pianist with these movements but personally, I would rather learn the physics and ergonomics of movement rather than being tricked through mindless imitation.  Although, it works to some degree. Where it fails is when a pianist encounters a passage they can't execute and if they knew the mechanics of the arm, would be able to figure out what sort of adjustment is required to play that passage.

I once studied with a leading concert pianist in my area who didn't know what he was doing but had a phenomenal natural technique.  His instruction to me was to watch him play then imitate his motion.  That would have been fine but I already had bad habits hardwired into my brain which were getting in the way.  Since he didn't know anything about ergonomics nor physics, he had no idea how to fix me other than prescribing "practice more."

I once gave a lecture on this topic and a pianist disagreed with me about Newtons third law citing that the piano is down, not up.  The finger must come straight down onto a key.  If the pianist is playing with a "still and quiet hand" and they must also play black keys,   note that the black keys are higher than the white keys.  This results in the still and quiet pianist to stretch or twist to reach those keys which in turn create vector forces or, two muscles pulling one bone in two directions simultaneously.  This creates tremendous imbalance in the arm which controls the hand and fingers and this leads to an incoordinate technique.  Keep in mind your fingers have no muscles.  They are moved by the flexor muscles in your forearm so that is where the pianist must first play from. 

If you were to walk up stairs, your ascending leg would lift HIGHER than the next stair, then come straight down onto it.  If you tried to walk upstairs without lifting your foot higher than the step, you'd trip.  Playing the piano is the same.  We must use the larger muscles of the arm to get the fingers higher than the notes we are desirous to play.  Of course as we become more efficient, we minimize the height but make no mistake, although it may appear invisible, it is still there. Hanon knew this and prescribed the pianist to isolate one finger and lift it high but, this isolation engages the flexors and extensors at the same time resulting in strain to the long flexor tendons which leads to median nerve entrapment (AKA carpal tunnel syndrome). Remember the arm, hand and fingers can only move in one direction at a time.  By abducting, for instance, the hand gets pulled in two or four directions despite the pianist trying to play a passage in a specific direction.

I have no conclusion to this post other than don't try this at home.  Find a teacher who knows what a pronator and abductor is and work from there.