A downside to self-employment

[Dean May]

You must strengthen the balancing muscles to the ones between your shoulder
and neck. Do pull ups on a chin up bar. If you have access to a weight
machine do the pull down bar.  The problem is you are overworking the
muscles that hold your arms up.  You need to strenghthen the muscles that
pull your arms down to balance it. 

This really works. It works the same for sore back muscles- balance them by
strengthening your abdominals.

Dean

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of J W Stein
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2006 10:33 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: A downside to self-employment

Interesting topic.  Speaking about pain,  I wonder if anyone has developed
any neck pains over the years.  I tune with my right hand, thus using left
to strike the keys, and over the years have developed a tightness and pain
on the left side of my neck.  It's annoying but I keep on.

Anyone else have any similar symptons?   Any suggestions for relief, besides

weekly chiropractic visits?

Jon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Diane Hofstetter" <dianepianotuner at msn.com>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2006 1:24 PM
Subject: RE: A downside to self-employment


> Dear Sunday Sofa Spud,
>
> Actually, that's the upside to self-employment---that you can learn what 
> your limits are and respect them.  And the sooner the better.  I've had a 
> lot of trouble learning that lesson, and it continues to cause me problems

> when I forget to take care of myself.
>
> I just spent four months of not tuning at all.  The pain in my hands, arm,

> shoulder, lower back--- ALL WENT AWAY!  What an eye-opener THAT was!
>
> I hope you feel better very soon!
> Diane
>
> Diane Hofstetter
>
>
>
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: piannaman at aol.com
> Reply-To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
> To: pianotech at ptg.org
> Subject: A downside to self-employment
> Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 01:44:26 -0400
>
> You don't get paid when you don't work.  That's the big downside. 
> Vacations we generally tend to account for, but it's hard to plan sick 
> leave.
>
> I probably should have taken this whole week off.  I had a couple of 
> nights of fever and chills, and was feeling weak most of the time.  But 
> like the stubborn ox I am, I pushed through what I thought was a cold, 
> capped by a 4 tuning-with-some-voicing Friday that included a fair amount 
> of driving.  I ended up in the ER that night with chest pain.  Turns out 
> it was a mild case of pneumonia, not a heart issue.
>
> Do others of you notice a difference in sound perception when you have a 
> fever?  Even pianos that I tuned that passed every interval and etd test 
> available to me sounded unpleasant and off.
>
> Next time, I'll listen to my body when it screams, "take the time off." 
> It would be a lot more costly to end up in the hospital for a long stretch

> than to miss a few days of work.
>
> Be Well,
>
> Dave Stahl, Sunday Sofa Spud
>
> Dave Stahl Piano Service
> 650-224-3560
> dstahlpiano at sbcglobal.net
> http://dstahlpiano.net/
> ________________________________________________________________________
> Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and security

> tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web,

> free AOL Mail and more.
>
>
>