Thesteelydane.com » Violin

A new type of shoulder pad: A review

Nicolaj — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:44:25 +0000

I recently saw an article in The Strad that immediately caught my attention. A guy in Japan had invented a shoulder pad (yes, a pad – not a rest) that attached to you instead of the violin. This – at least in in theory – should make it easier to move the violin around and change your playing position, which from a physical therapy point of view is a good thing. I contacted the guy and he kindly send me a test sample. It is very well made of non-slip neoprene and utilizes strong magnets inside the pad to hold it in place. As a player who usually tugs a thick wash cloth under my shirt, the concept isn’t new to me, but I’ve never seen it implemented in such…

Back in business

Nicolaj — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:00:31 +0000

My wrist is fine again, and I’m playing full time. It took about a month, and according to medical science I should count myself lucky, as it can take up to 3 months for the overstretched ligaments to heal and fully contract. I have been busy freelancing a lot with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in Sweden and practicing for upcoming auditions. I have also been preparing a few pieces to record for this website and expect to upload material within a week.

In other news, the article about my story in “Musikeren” (”The Musician”) is coming out in a few days. Stay tuned for more….

The full story

Nicolaj — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:31:56 +0000

This is the full account of my injury survival story:

I am one of the lucky few that has made a full recovery from a near career ending shoulder injury. It took 2 years of intense, daily physiotherapy, economic hardship, depression, loss of work and a whole lot of pain, but I made it. I also learned a lot in the process and I am now determined to help others avoid the problems that I’ve had. Here is my story:

In the fall of 2005 I was living in Sweden and working full time in the Malmö Opera Orchestra, when I started experiencing a slight, but relentless pain on the front of my left shoulder when playing. I brushed it of as a result of practicing a lot, and not having a proper…