Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2015-08-20 22:51
Yes, George, that was the straw that "broke my camel's back".
As painful as it is for me to come out of my "little closet", perhaps doing so may help others.
I have suffered horribly from OCD my entire life. Only, neither I nor my parents were able to recognize it for what it was.
Interesting, when I read about "embouchure dystonia", there's usually a reference to players who have a tendency to be obsessive in their playing. Also, the word "perfectionist" will pop in now and then.
Did I master the organ very quickly? Yep. When a young person is practicing 3 to 5 hours per day, it's easy to master anything in such a short period of time.
If you ever take notice of who wins the International Violin Competition, invariably the person who puts in the most hours of practice always wins. Time after time after time, they are the one's who win.
Even in my thirties, I would practice the clarinet until my cheeks hurt. And then...I would continue playing. Why? Because I simply couldn't stop playing. Yeah, I had a serious disorder but I was still totally unaware of it or what it was called.
I've kept my "strange conduct" neatly tucked away in my "little closet" for over half a century. Although I believe there were some positive sides to having OCD, I believe on reflecting back on my life that the negative aspects certainly outweighed the positive ones.
Need I tell you that I'm a perfectionist and always have been? I'll probably reread this response at least 3 times before posting to be sure that the grammar is correct, that there are no misspellings, that the syntax is the best I can produce, etc., etc., etc.
Although Karl said "but embouchure dystonia isn't necessarily a predictable probability for clarinetists or even wind players". May I beg to differ. IMHO, the longer your playing periods without rest, the higher the probability of developing this particular disorder. However, again IMO, Karl also brings out an extraordinarily important point when he wrote: "incorporating adequate rest into practice routines". There simply is no way for me to say it any better.
So, enjoy your playing, but, take a break now and then. If you find it hard to do that, if you feel "compelled" to continue playing, you "may" have a serious problem which needs medical attention.
If my response here helps even one person, it will be worth the embarrassment of revealing some very personal information about myself.
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
