Comparison in overuse injuries in Flamenco vs. Classical Guitarists

[jtucker]

Interesting article...

http://www.institutart.com/pdf/flamenco_guitar.pdf

[doctorfaustus23]

Yeah that was pretty interesting, thanks for posting. I thought some of the generalizations they made and the conclusions they came to were unfounded, but for the most part the results and methodology of the study seemed to make sense. It doesn't surprise me that Flamenco guitarists generally have more overuse/tension problems. However, I don't think it is just because they play at a louder volume, as this is not necessarily true. The best classical guitarists have huge projection and have to have their pianos heard at the back of a concert hall. It seems like the more important difference would be that classical guitarists focus extensively on relaxation, studying for example Alexander Technique, efficiency of motion in every respect. etc. I'm sure many flamenco guitarists study these concepts in some way too, but from what I know of their pedagogy, it is not as structured or as prominent in the discipline.

[jtucker]

The volume thing was interesting to me also. One thing to consider in that arena is that classical guitars are often built for that huge projection. While the difference might not be that hugh in guitar construction, also consider the traditional venues. Concert halls are generally built and engineered to distribute sound very well. People are expected to be quiet if not silent while the performance is on. Flamenco, not so much.

I did think the generalization between extensive use of picado/apoyando strokes in flamenco versus more free-stroke in classical was a tiny bit of a stretch. Overall, it got me thinking a lot more about my hands and my little aches and pains I've been having.