A Video to complement my Rhythm!Scene article in October 2015 issue

Marimba Body: Superfriends (aka Wrists part 3)

Tendons are like a muscle's alter ego: a superhero that manages to somehow make sure every scenario ends up ok, regardless of villainous plots. They have undeniable strength, can hold on to just about anything, and save just about anyone. Like Superman and Clark Kent, tendons aren't separate from muscles. They are simply two kinds of soft tissue, gently converging to form one shape. In a way, one without the other is functionless. Both are needed to form a cohesive whole. Any time a muscle attaches to a bone, a tendon forms the literal connection. Take a look at the diagram below. There's a tendon - drawn here in white - at each end of the bicep and tricep. Though it might be oversimplified to the MD's and DO's out there, each muscle in the body has a tendon at each end to anchor it to the skeleton. What is exceptional about the wrist is the number of highly active tendons running through such a small space. Not only are there tendons for the wrist,...

Marimba Body: Back Muscles

This essay is all about the muscles of the back, since we talked about the spine in my last segment. Since I get to talk all about shoulders at PASIC (woohoo!!!) on Friday, I thought a good connection between spine structure and the shoulder joint would be about the muscles of the back that help to protect both. Though I've never experienced it severely first-hand, it seems like there is nothing worse than constant back pain. Ask anyone who has dealt with it and they will say that you must protect your back so you never feel what they do. Doctors warn their patients that once they have one surgery, chances are they will need more. (This makes sense, as you can't fix one part of the long spinal structure without later needing to correct other areas.) There's good news, though: keeping the muscles of the back strong, and freely aligning the spine, can help us lead pain and surgery-free lives. Waterfall Muscles source source ...

Upcoming Excitables

Cool things are in the works, everybody. Publications I'm excited to let you know that I'll have two articles coming out in Rhythm! Scene : one in April, the other in June. It's a two-parter about developing kinesthetic awareness and applying that knowledge to our wrists. In the April issue: developing a kinesthetic mindset, discovery exercises for kinesthetic awareness, and discussion of two stabilizing ligaments in the wrist. In the June issue: tendons, common injuries, and a kinesthetic checklist to help avoid them. TAPS - June 6-12, 2016 This June yours truly will be part of the faculty at the Ted Atkatz Percussion Seminar (TAPS) on the East Coast at the Snow Pond Music Festival. The seminar takes place in beautiful central Maine and it isn't too late to submit an audition tape. Here are the guidelines . TAPS is for college students looking to develop excerpts, audition skills, and musicality. Several TAPS alumni have b...

Laurel Black Music

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