Dave, << Well, the tendonitis in the elbow is not going to get much better anytime soon, and the fall tuning season is about to kick in. After 16 years of tuning with my left arm (though I am right handed), the best solution seems to be learning to tune with the other arm. I've tried it on a few notes during tunings lately. Its awful! Worse that starting over learning to tune because my standards are high but the muscle coordination is not there yet. Very frustrating. >> Try massage therapy by someone who is skilled in acupressure and myotherapy. Or, do it yourself. I have been able to control my pain by applying pressure (with a finger, thumb, or "happy" massager) to a tight (knotted) muscle for about 7 seconds. The way you know you have the right spot is that you will feel a burning sensation. The more painful the spot, the longer I usually apply pressure. Sometimes I will apply pressure for a couple of minutes until the pain goes away from that area. My worst spots are the muscles on the left and right top near the elbow, but there are also several around the elbow and forearm, as well as the tricep area. These muscles seem to be affected by the trapezius and deltoid (above the collarbone and the shoulder area), so you can work with those also. Get _Pain Erasure_ by Bonnie Prudden. Another helpful book is _Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Other Repetitive Stress Injuries._ (Not really sure of this title, and I've loaned the book out to someone.) Both of these books should be available through Amazon.com. << Has anyone switched arms berfore? Any tips? What position of the lever is best for right handed tuning? This indeed a humbling experience. >> I sometimes use the left arm in the upper treble of grands. In grands, I generally use anywhere from 1 o'clock to 3 o'clock, but try to stay around 2 o'clock. In verticals, I try to stay around 12 or 1 o'clock. Hope this helps. John Formsma Blue Mountain, MS mailto:jformsma@dixie-net.com
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