10 years ago by
A Pianist
Mr. Fraser,
I have known Barbara Lister-Sink for nearly nine years. I have studied with her for nearly five of those years. Additionally, I have received extensive training in The Lister-Sink Method and worked as one of her lead teaching assistants in intensive training workshops and private lessons. I am a certified instructor of her Method. Given my close working relationship with her, I feel compelled to respond to your recent reviews of her DVD. Not only is there a host of information that deserves to be recognized, but I became quite alarmed by the numerous misquotes and misrepresentations of her work that were presented by you as some sort of in-depth “knowledge” of her teaching methods throughout your extensive reviews on PianoTechnique.net.
Let me begin by stating that Barbara Lister-Sink and the students and teachers involved in The Lister-Sink Method are not interested in scandalous debates about who’s right and who’s wrong. We maintain a very focused intent: to rid the keyboard world of needless pain and injury and to clear up misconceptions regarding keyboard technique and how the whole body functions best with the instrument. The way I see it is this: if your method of teaching is ‘working’ for you, your students are muscularly supple and free, and if they are not chronically injured or in pain while playing, great! Let it go at that!
Unfortunately, not everyone experiences the same charm with their keyboard technique (or lack thereof) that you and your students have been privileged to share. Barbara Lister-Sink and The Lister-Sink Method instructors see a variety of keyboardists who come to us with a wide range of needs—everything from non-injured musicians wishing to improve their technique to clients with severe or devastating playing-related injuries that have all but stopped their careers and ability to earn a living.
Be assured that we do not venture into the treacherous territory of injury prevention and rehabilitation alone. We build a team of medical and holistic health professionals around us who intervene medically on the musicians’ behalf. These professionals are given an overview on what we are teaching in the Method. They all receive and review a complimentary copy of the DVD which serves a dual purpose: we remain accountable to them in presenting up-to-date, accurate and scientifically informed biomechanical instruction and they, in turn, respect our work, understand our mission and use us as a referral. To date, not one medical or holistic health professional--who has taken the time to understand the Method--has discredited the scientific accuracy and life-long work of Barbara Lister-Sink.
I find it quite disconcerting that you—having never studied The Lister-Sink Method—would take such extensive liberties in attempting to refute her work. Additionally, please allow me to correct your assertion that the video excerpts on YouTube provide a “detailed look at Lister Sink’s approach” This is simply not the case. The DVD, in its entirety, is not intended to become a “tell all” production that explains every single question a viewer might encounter. Rather, it is a carefully crafted and refined synopsis of common misconceptions regarding keyboard technique and what can potentially be accomplished both technically and musically when those technical “roadblocks” are removed.
Underneath the “layers” that are seen briefly in the full-length DVD is a very in-depth, sequential and “detailed” retraining process that takes students on a path from the very simplest movements away from the instrument to the more complex coordinations needed for beautiful, healthful music-making at the keyboard. In Barbara’s own words, well-coordinated technique is “a neuromuscular program that must be layered, one step at a time, to be thoroughly learned”. This is precisely why Ms. Lister-Sink has frequently insisted that though the DVD is informative, it does not suffice for the hands-on experience of studying with her or one of her certified instructors.
Having said all of this, please allow me to address your assertions more specifically.
Point One:
Under your subtitles (which are labeled incorrectly) regarding habit 3 and 4 you mention how well and how beautifully Barbara Lister-Sink demonstrates the incorrect ways of playing with high, curved or flat fingers, stating, “… fails to notice how well she herself does the very technique she proscribes”! Ms. Lister-Sink is a world-class artist, performing alongside some of the top musicians in the world. Her concert reviews are extraordinary. One of the marks of a high-class musician and teacher is their ability to accurately demonstrate inefficient ways of playing to their students without compromising their musicality and tone. Furthermore, she demonstrates only snippets of all of these habits for a reason: they have the potential to become injurious over a long-term period of time. She never mentions that one will become injured from playing in this manner; she states that the possibility for injury exists in these habits.
The medical reason for the potential of injury in any of her demonstrated clips is glaringly obvious if one has taken the time to research the medical cause and effect. In a nutshell: our extensor and flexor muscles can become tired and overworked by such activities as high, flat fingers or overly curved fingers. All of the habits mentioned on the DVD lend themselves to harmful muscular co-contractions, over-use and a buildup of lactic acid which, in large amounts, becomes toxic to our system. When the muscles cannot handle anymore of this abuse--anywhere in the body--they simply begin to malfunction, resulting in injury.
Due to the chronic muscle tension—throughout the whole body—with which most of our clients present, we see another phenomenon known as SMA—sensory motor amnesia. Simply put: our brain sends out pain signals letting us know that something is wrong. However, when those signals are repeatedly ignored, the brain simply “shuts off” the signal. Most clients are no longer aware of the state of tension in their muscles. The process for reawakening the muscles can become tedious. But it is necessary in order for the keyboardist to be able to release unnecessary tension habits and to regain voluntary control of his or her muscular responses at the instrument.
Point Two:
From your comments, I would assume that you are an expert on the arm weight technique. Barbara Lister Sink does not ascribe to that technique in its entirety. It is briefly referenced to make her point clear. I quote her directly from her DVD: “…the assumption that the released weight of the arm produces big sound is true, but it is only true while the arm is free-falling and at the split second of tone production. The moment the fingers contact the key bed, the weight of the falling arm should be transferred back into the torso, leaving just enough weight to keep the key down—just a few ounces." The danger here is assuming that it is okay for one to play continuously with the full weight of the arm. Playing in this manner does two obvious things: It puts undue stress on the fingers, hand and wrist and it can impede one’s ability to move quickly and lightly over the keys in rapid passage work. This is where those who have not studied The Lister-Sink Method become confused and concerned that one can never play in the way she describes above. They don’t understand that we use forearm weight sparingly and only on an as needed basis for production of sound and in creating beautiful phrase shapes. Some concepts are difficult to understand unless you experience them within the full context of the Method and retraining paradigms.
Point Three:
It is utterly impossible to leave the hand and fingers out of the Lister Sink method, as you claim that she does. You assume that because you see a relatively calm hand and fingers that she does nothing with them. This is entirely false and is never assumed by anyone who has ever seen her play or who has studied with her for any length of time.
Ms. Lister Sink and her students utilize the entire hand, wrist, arm and torso in their playing. It is done with only the amount of movement and muscular energy that is needed at that specific point in time to get the job done easily and efficiently, as she mentions above. It is a waste of muscular energy to incorporate unnecessary movements or arm weight just because it looks good or is the ‘normal thing to do’ when playing an instrument.
It is interesting to note that while you condemn her technique for not “doing anything” with the hand and fingers, asserting that they “just hang there like limp dishrags”, on the other hand you are not satisfied with the obvious necessity for the stabilization of the finger joints at the split second of tone production. Once the tone is produced on a keyboard instrument, there is nothing more that we can do to improve it or change it. So why continue to overwork muscles and joints? We learn to release all unnecessary muscular tension instantaneously at the moment of tone production.
For the record, let me state that we no longer use the terms “fixation” or “relaxation”. If one is truly ‘fixated’ on a joint, there will be too much unnecessary muscular energy expended and it will interfere with freedom of movement and tone production. Furthermore, it is entirely impossible to be ‘relaxed’ when one plays. Otherwise we would have hands as limp as a dishrag. Not only that, we would be unable to walk, sit, eat or talk!
Pianist and author Thomas Mark, on page 68 of his book What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body, makes the point clearly: “Thinking of one part of the body as a fixed place from which to move another part of the body generates tension. The only way my shoulder joint, or any other joint, can act as a fixed place to move from is by my fixing it—that is, by tensing muscles.”
Before I move on, allow me to insert here that you mention: “She also fails to note again how many great pianists play in exactly the way she condemns, pianists such as Horowitz, Argerich, Glenn Gould, etc.” If one does the research, one will discover that many artists such as Horowitz, Gould, Fleischer, Pariah and a host of others have suffered extensive playing-related injuries that have suspended their career for a time. There’s a reason why Barbara Lister Sink has gone to such great lengths to discourage playing with such potentially harmful habits!
Point Four:
You mention the wrist functioning as a keystone for weight-bearing at dynamics of mezzo-forte or above. It is quite common for keyboardists to lock the wrist in an attempt to produce more brilliant sounds. It can also become extremely harmful. The wrist is a multi-directional, flexible joint. By design, it can never be a keystone for weight-bearing. Its anatomy is intricate, complex and quite compact. It is probably one of the most complex joints in the body. This narrow, flexible “passageway” from the massive forearm into the hand contains approximately eight carpal bones with corresponding joint space to allow flexibility, multiple ligaments that stabilize each of the bones in the wrist, nine flexor and extensor tendons that are surrounded by tenosynovium fluid for ease of movement through the wrist, and three main nerves that start their journey together at the shoulder joint, travel down the arm, through the wrist and into the hand. These nerves: the radial, ulnar and median nerves travel through separate tunnels through the wrist to the hand and can become easily irritated, leading to a loss of movement or sensation in the hand. All of these tissues are wrapped snuggly by the Palmer Carpel Ligament near the surface of the wrist. All unnecessary weight-bearing on the wrist joint is highly discouraged and is not needed when playing a keyboard instrument.
We view the wrist as a conduit for the transmittal of energy through the arm and into the hand where the apex of the arm and hand arch—The MCP joints—serves as a “shock absorber”, transmitting split-seconds of weight into the fingers and back through to the powerful forearm, upper arm and torso. It all happens in the blink-of-an-eye, after the student has gone through neuromuscular reprogramming, has regained voluntary control of the muscles and has reawakened their kinesthetic sense of how the body is responding to the commands from the central nervous system.
Point Five:
This leads directly into my next point. The Lister-Sink Method teaches—as shown on the DVD—that playing with a chronically raised or lowered wrist can lead to serious injury. Sadly, we’ve seen it happen too many times. When we are made aware of the intricacy and complexity of the wrist and all that it contains, it should become obvious as to why keyboardists, secretaries and anyone who use their hands and wrists multiple hours per day can develop median or ulnar nerve irritation when the wrists are held in continuously high or low positions. These chronically flexed or extended positions create undue pressure on the nerves, causing them to become irritated. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Cubital Tunnel Syndrome and Ulnar nerve irritation can lead to debilitating injury and surgery if left unchecked.
Point Six:
Under your listing of Habit # 5 “Don’t hold the hand arch stiffly” --- a misquote of the Subtitle on the DVD which lists Habit #5 as “Artificially Formed Hand Arch” – you assert that the hand arch along with the intrinsic muscles in the palm of the hand are strengthened from finger action alone. Scientifically and anatomically, this is not possible. The phalanges of the fingers are attached to tendons that follow a path through the hand and wrist and attach directly to the large extensor and flexor muscles in the forearm. The tendons and the fingers are not attached to any intrinsic muscle in the hand itself. These small palm and thumb muscles can only be developed through daily use with minimal weight-bearing activities, so as not to induce injury from over-use.
Point Seven:
Under Habit #9 “Heavy, Relaxed Arms” You quote her directly and accurately: "The assumption that the released weight of the arm produces big sound is true, but it is only true while the arm is free-falling and at the split-second of tone production. The moment the fingers contact the keyed, the weight of the falling arm should be transferred back into the torso, leaving just enough weight to keep the key down, just a few ounces." This is followed by several “observations” and questions from you in your review. Your first question was addressed earlier in my comments when I stated that the hand and fingers are never “left out” of The Lister Sink Method. Please refer back to those comments.
In your second question, you assume once again, that you are the authority on what Barbara Lister Sink teaches when you state that, “…the arm would have to be free-falling for each single note or chord in a passage which might be moving with considerable speed. Another highly doubtful assumption, because to let the arm free-fall, stop it in the moment of contact and then start it again in the next instant to prepare the next note or chord is something that simply cannot be done rapidly.” You are entirely correct when you state that free fall of the arm cannot be done on every note or chord in rapid passagework. It is impossible. However, you are not aware—since you have never studied her Method and apparently have never watched the DVD in its entirety—that we do not “stop…and start” the arm in the manner that you have described. We use some very elementary components of physical science: multiple note strokes, impulse technique and ballistic movements. It is the use of these impulses that propel the hand and arm through phrase-after-phrase of rapid, non-stop passagework. Likewise, it is these same movement concepts that propel the competitive swimmer down the lane, the tennis player through his swing or the gymnast through her routines.
And finally, in question three, you reveal the obvious: You really have no idea about The Lister-Sink Method. If you did understand her method, you would never have to ask the questions, “How does one transfer the weight of one's arm into one's torso? Am I supposed to lie my arm on my shoulder?” This statement alone reveals a significant lack of understanding on your part regarding what Barbara Lister Sink teaches and how she and her students go about learning to play in the manner which she describes.
In the “Definition & Rationale” section on page 3 of Freeing the Caged Bird: The Lister Sink Method Teacher Training Manual (2008), Lister Sink recognizes that:
“It is essential and scientifically informed to define technique as an activity of the whole body. The body, which includes the brain, is an intricately interconnected, interrelated web. What happens in one part of the body effects the other parts. Training coordination of the arms is reliant upon the nervous system, the control of which is found in the brain and spinal cord. The whole body, not just the arms, is abundantly involved in the act of playing—legs, torso, ears, eyes, etc. Furthermore, much discomfort and dysfunction associated with playing originate in the torso where the arm muscles begin.”
As always, Ms Lister Sink and I are open for honest debate and discussion in the areas of musician injury and healthful keyboard technique. It is a field that is fraught with confusion and controversy. That is why Barbara Lister Sink has dedicated her life’s work to research and partnership with medical specialists, reviewing case histories of playing-related injury and observing patterns that lead to injury, all-the-while seeking to understand the biomechanics of how the body works best with the mechanics of our instruments. Her mission is to clear up the confusion with scientifically and biomechanically sound methods and procedures for establishing and maintaining healthful keyboard technique for a long life filled with joyous music-making.
I hope that this response has helped to clear up areas of concern for you and your readers. If we can be of further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Best,
Kanda R. Haight
Teaching Assistant
WINGSOUND International
Barbara Lister Sink, Director
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