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using video games for rehab Stroke buddies sesh

Simon

Hi folks
I went to Ralph Preston’s weekly meet yesterday because it was on video games in rehab

Is the recording

It’s nearly 2 hours long because there was a bit of discussion

@Andrew around the 1 hour mark little before then perhaps is a discussion about tremors and judders and practising movement with one hand or both hands Andy and the topic I had not heard of before called intentional tremors.
When asking AI about it and it’s relevance to you I got

Bowing

Setup and environment

Use a shoulder rest and possibly a slightly lower music stand so the bow arm does not have to work at the limits of range.
Shorten practice to very brief sessions (2–5 minutes), with long rests, to avoid fatigue‑induced tremor spikes.

Bow and instrument tweaks

Experiment with a lighter bow or, paradoxically, a slightly heavier bow or weighted sleeve on the bow hand to dampen tremor; different people respond differently.
Use more rosin and start with slower bow speeds and lighter contact so any tremor noise is less punishing to the ear.

Movement simplification

Begin with open strings only, one string at a time, aiming for: “smooth-ish” sound rather than “in‑tune music.”
Break the bow stroke into zones: work just in the middle third of the bow first, where control is easiest, then gradually extend towards frog and tip.

Support and stability

Try practicing while seated with the bow arm supported on the chair arm or a pillow on the leg to reduce the lever length the tremor can act on.
Use slow, rhythmic breathing out on each stroke; many people find this slightly steadies the hand.

Mindset and goals

Treat it as “exploring what my new bow stroke can be” rather than “getting back my old stroke.”

Micro‑goals:

10 reasonably smooth seconds on open D today is success; the piece comes much later.

Andrew

Hi Simon,

Thanks for the info and heads-up.

Essential tremors are usually bilateral and almost always in action. It is most often seen in the older folk. On the other hand, intentional tremors are usually unilateral, and in evidence when one is trying to do something. For someone like me, whose affected side corresponds to the dominant side, there are issues to do with eating, the getting of things from a shelf, wiping the old wossname, writing etc. For me, I am keen to return to violin playing and, given that I was affected on the right, this will require a smooth arm action and a lot of well-controlled movements on the bow itself - the wrist, fingers and arm move a lot, but much of this is on autopilot normally. Now is not normal.

I already use:

A biro for gripping the bow in the right way.
A dowel or bamboo cane held like a bow at one end. for balancing using the last 2 fingers.
A bow. Again for balancing, although the geometry is slightly different from2.
A bow machine I have created using screws and a bit of bamboo sliding on a dowel. This for trying to a make smooth arm action.
A violin and bow for playing normally.

With regard to 5, there is a big issue with respect to holding the bow without dropping it, and then getting it onto the string without crashing into the string. Even then, it is almost impossible to execute what I call analogue bowing, for most of the the time it is digital, i.e. jerky.

To help with everything, I have ordered a bow-buddies creation from Amazon. Time will tell if this turns out to be useful. This is the 7.8cm version.

www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Durable-Violin-Buddy-Accessories/dp/B08HD1YFBS?th=1

It is a device placed over the bow and has holes into which to place the fingers. It is sometimes used for new learners. It may be of use to me.

I’ll check out the video later….

Simon

Andrew
the specific was Ralph demonstrating how much smoother he can be when he uses both sides to perform an action AND how that hangs on a bit afterwards

thought it might be a route with reward…
Simon

Andrew

Simon I’ll give it a go. Many thanks.

Andrew

I have just listened to the central part of the video you recommended. It seems to me that I am on the right track, even if it is all taking longer than I would have hoped. Frequent repetition, the using of time doing normal things with the affected arm/fingers (not too difficult as the affected side is supposedly my dominant side), the keeping fit, the employment of targetted exercises etc. Maybe I should do it a bit more? I suppose that I could go on, but it seems to me that everything I need has already been spoken about somewhere or other. It doesn’t stop me being a bit discouraged occasionally, but I am essentially fine.

In my case, I hate not being able to play the violin. Although I sing weekly in church choir and I occasionally bang/hit things in an orchestral percussion section to a paying audience, the general aspect of music remains tough emotionally for I am not doing what I have done virtually daily for almost 60 years. But I am playing a role, which is good and which is useful.

Scroll-Me :)\<-&->


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