embochure dystonia.
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I'm an old cat. Not to good at all this computer tech. Didnt grow up with it. I would like to comment on embochure dystonia. I've had it for 3 years after playining all my life and I'm 76 years of age. When i was in High School i got to go to a clinic with Rafael Mendez. there were about 20 of us in an auditorium sitting down in front with Rafael standing in the pit area. After telling us about circular reathing and his upbringing he asked if we had any requests. I raised my hand and asked if he would play Chiapanicas (sp). He said yes that he played it almost daily. I had been practicing it so it was special. Now getting back to embochure dystonia.... I have been a physical therapist for 46 years, now retired. I have researched A. D. and it comes from the brain stem. It is a central nervous system malady. The only way to temporaily get by it is to depress the central nervous system. I normally cannot play worth a crap since ai've aquired this abomination. But, I hav found if i can depress the central nervous system by ingestin ETOH, alcohol, I can play as well as i ever could for a period of time. I play 2nd trumpet in two big Bands and get a lot of adlib solos. i can do this without drinking in excess. No one will talk aout thid so I thout I would tell my story. It is a true story and i enjoy playing too much to give it up. Signed, ThornyBob.
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@thornybob THANK YOU for coming out and being so open about it. Very much appreciated.
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@thornybob I too (67 years old) suffer but have discovered that the trigger is contact with my index finger on the left hand and my lips. That makes me hold my trumpets in funny ways but lets me keep playing at my previous level.
I also have the effect when I drink from a glass held with my left hand. The tremor starts when the glass makes lip contact. If I lift the index finger, the tremor stops. If I touch my lips with another finger, I short circuit the effect for a very short time.
I have not noticed an improvement through alcohol, beta blockers or quitting coffee. I have never smoked. -
I’m 75 and also have dystonia. I used to have a solid low register. Last year I played 2nd trumpet in Shostakovich Symphony #5. In the 1st movement there’s a section where you have to play a passage that has repeated low As culminating in a long diminuendo. I can’t do it anymore.
I used to enjoy playing pieces such as 2nd trumpet in the Beethoven Violin Concerto or the Prelude to Carmen. A colleague suggested a medication that was a benzodiazepine but it is addictive and has a horrible withdrawal. I also haven’t had alcohol for 38 years and am not going back to that.
Every day in my practice I do long tones which sometimes helps.
I’m open to any suggestions that do not include chemicals.
LCM -
@malintrumpet As I noted, in my case there is a specific trigger that needs to be fulfilled to start the tremor. (some connection with my left index finger which can happen through the trumpet, when drinking a glass of water held in my left hand or even directly touching my lips with that index finger. If I hold the trumpet or glass of water only with my right hand, I am symptom free.
Navigating through such diseases is not easy and even if chemicals (including alcohol) can hide the symptoms, I believe that the "solution" is to get the brain and body reorganized. I currently have Feldenkrais sessions 1-2 times a week and this has been very helpful in getting a fresh view on how everything about us is connected and letting the brain do the work. I have a much higher level of mobility now in just about all activity.Dave Monette is also finishing a book that covers the esoteric part of performance. A good portion of his teaching is based on Moshe Feldenkrais' teaching.
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I hasten to say I am not a doctor, and I am not a sufferer of this condition.
I have a great deal of experience in golf and in music among other things and I suspect I may be seeing a correlation with a condition that professional golfers can suffer called the Yips.
This is a condition brought on by high levels of stress in a professional setting typically while putting in a highly pressured situation such as holing a putt that would decide the outcome of a match.
One single putt can be worth tens of thousands of dollars if it is sunk. This is immense pressure to succeed and is the root cause of the condition.
The sufferer suffers a spasm that makes controlled playing impossible and the putt often ends in a hazard.
This is a very real condition and almost without exception has ended the careers of many top money earners.
Bernhard Langer became a sufferer and after many years managed to control the condition and play golf professionally once again.
If there is a link perhaps Bernhards experiences and how he overcame the problem might prove to be helpful.
Perhaps this is worth exploring.
For all sufferers of this condition I hope you can find a way forward. I would hate to be a fellow sufferer of such a debilitating condition.
