From: kanak@telerama.lm.com (Jim Kownacki)
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic
Subject: Re: Anyone COMPLETELY healed of RSI injuries?
Date: 23 Sep 1995 18:04:11 -0400

David G Koo (koodg@ucunix.san.uc.edu) wrote:
> From my understanding, once you get RSI, it's basically a
> lifelong battle to keep it at bay.  This is round ONE with
> my fight with RSI.  Rest, rest, and more rest seem to be
> helping it quite a bit.

I don't know if this helps, cause my bout with RSI was more keyboard 
oriented than guitar oriented.  It was just getting bad and I placed my 
keyboard in my lap and it makes all the difference in the world.  I feel 
it after some unusually long sessions, but in general its not bad.  The 
only reason I bother to post at all on this (non musical RSI) is that the 
general message is that a change in technique can be everything in 
beating RSI.

> How did Leo Kottke get over his tendonitis?  I remember
> reading that he had a serious flare up once for about
> six months.  But he seems to be doing pretty well now.

He changed his technique.  Quite simply, Leo abandoned fingerpicks.  I 
will type this from Frets Magazine, May 1987 Kottke interview:

Frets: "You had a serious problem with your right hand that required a 
substantial change in your technique.  Did the problem develop gradually?

Leo:  "I was halfway through a tune at a gig in Denver and suddenly my 
fingers wouldn't move.  My whole arm froze up.  It was like pushing a 
refrigerator across the floor.  A doctor told me I had a problem with the 
sheathing on the tendons in my arm.  It would twist funny when I tensed 
the msucles"

Frets: "Were you able to continue playing?"

Leo: "Yeah;but a lot of my performances that year were pretty bad.  I had 
to really swing my whole arm to get my fingers to move.  I was literally 
clubbing the strings with my whole arm.  It was a nightmare.  I really 
thought it was over".

Frets: "what did you do to remedy it?

Leo: "First, I got rid of the fingerpicks.  THen I got rid of the 
thumbpick.  I realized I wasn't going to get much further wearing them.  
At first my tone was anemic without them.  But I learned that with good 
position and a lot of balance, you can generate good tone and volume 
without all the force I had been using.  The changeover was real tough, 
though."

>>>they go on for a little while about people who showed Leo techniques<<<

Leo: "I learned that you use everything in your whole arm to pick, not 
just your fingers.  I found that I could play with less force and get 
more sound.  Finally my thumb notes started coming out, and my volume 
came back.  Now I have more dynamic range, and a lot more different 
colors to draw on."


one last tidbit

Leo: "I feel like I'm finally learning what the people who have gone 
before me have learned.  If I could start my career over again, I would 
never get involved with fingerpicks.  They just plain aren't necessary."



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