We have shown a number of musicians how these exercises can improve their playing:

• The muscle and structure balancing routines helped a tuba player whose right arm went weak in the middle of the concert (arm and fingers reactive to his left foot tapping out the beat),
• Piano and organ players whose arms also weakened while playing (arms reactive to their feet pressing on the pedals),
• A bass viol player whose right arm weakened during long passages, and another who had been having difficulty in fingering thirds,
• An oboe player and violinist who needed to improve their breathing while playing their instruments,
• A tenor who had been having difficulty reaching high G, because of TMJ.
• And many more, all relieved with the Self-Help Basic Balancing techniques.

An elective class at Kwantlin University College, Langley campus (near Vancouver, B.C.), Psychology and Physiology for Musicians, includes these methods as part of its program.

We remember with particular compassion a highly talented and creative keyboard player who was recording her own compositions using a synthesizer and was so troubled with pains in her arms and wrists that she was unable to continue her recording sessions. Resting for several days at a time was no help; since whenever she went back to playing the keyboard, the problems would return. (Typical of reactive muscle problems.) She feared she would have to permanently give up her career.

She volunteered at a demonstration session. We had her sit down and mimic playing the keyboard and corrected the resulting reactive muscle imbalances. Her pain level was much reduced at the end of the demonstration and freedom of finger movement much improved. She telephoned a couple of days later to tell us she was continuing to do the exercises, was feeling better and better, and had started up her recording sessions again.