Playing the Clarinet: Influence of Body Posture on Muscle Activity and Sound Quality

Musculoskeletal complaints are highly prevalent in clarinetists and are related to high arm load while playing. It is hypothesized that postural exercise therapy may be used to adapt muscle activity patterns while playing and thus contribute to better sound quality. The goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between body posture, muscle activity, and sound quality in clarinetists while playing the instrument in two different postures, their habitual sitting posture (control, CO) vs an experimental sitting posture (EXP) based on Mensendieck postural exercise therapy, method Samama. Twenty healthy professional and student clarinet players, aged 18–60 years, were included in this cross-sectional study. Participants played a 60-second musical excerpt in CO, followed by instruction on the EXP body posture, and then played in the EXP condition. Two-dimensional goniometric analysis was used to calculate body posture; muscle activity was measured bilaterally using surface electromyography. In EXP, a significantly smaller low thoracic angle, smaller high thoracic angle, and larger pelvic tilt angle (all p<0.001) were found. EMG results indicated that the left and right erector spinae L3 and left and right lower trapezius were more active in EXP compared to CO, whereas left upper trapezius and right brachioradialis were less active in EXP than CO. Most participants experienced better sound quality in EXP, whereas blinded experts found no consistent pattern between body posture and sound quality. To conclude, it seems that postural exercise therapy may change muscle activity patterns. By increasing stability, a decrease in activity of the upper extremity muscles can be induced.

Energy Expenditure in Brass and Woodwind Instrumentalists: The Effect of Body Posture

Body posture appears to influence fatigue and musculoskeletal complaints in musicians. Our aim was to determine energy expenditure and to investigate whether energy expenditure is affected by body posture in brass and woodwind instrumentalists. METHODS: Eighteen musicians (10 women, 8 men; 6 brass, 12 woodwinds), with a mean age of 39 ± 14 years and mean body mass index of 23.8 ± 4.9 kg/m2, played their instruments for 30 minutes twice: once in nonoptimized body posture (posture A), and once in a posture according to the postural exercise therapy method Mensendieck (posture B). Patients were randomized to the order of postures in a crossover design AB/BA. Playing sessions were preceded and followed by 60 minutes of rest. Energy expenditure was measured in a respiration chamber with indirect calorimetry. Basal metabolic rate was measured with a ventilated hood. RESULTS: Mean metabolic equivalents (MET) for playing a wind instrument in the sitting position in a nonoptimized posture and posture according postural exercise therapy were 1.69 (SD 0.18) and 1.80 (SD 0.22), respectively. Percent change between resting metabolic rate and total energy expenditure while playing was 32% (95% CI 25–39%) in posture B and 23% (95% CI 17–30%) in posture A (p = 0.021). CONCLUSION: Average physical activity while playing a wind instrument approximates 1.8 MET. Our data show an association between energy expenditure and body posture while playing a brass or woodwind instrument: playing a musical instrument in a posture according to postural exercise therapy leads to higher energy expenditure as compared to a nonoptimized body posture. These results suggest that fatigue and the general feeling of lack of energy after playing a musical instrument are not related to actual higher energy expenditure.