Musicians with Dystonia Bulletin Board

I have been playing different styles over the years both electric and accoustic. I am not a professional musician but I do play a lot and it has been a big part of my life since early teens ( I have now turned fifty)

In the late seventies I played a lot of fingerpicking in the style of Leo Kottke and I practiced quite a lot. In doing so I noticed that there were certain passages that created problems for me and as I practiced these passages intensely the index finger of my right hand litterally stopped working from one second to another. I was and still am incapable of playing with my index - it triggers to early and curles towards my palm just as many others have described.

There was no one who understood what I was talking about so I just gave up and concentrated on playing electric with a pick. A few years later when practicing scales and fast licks on the electric the little finger of my left(fretting) hand suddenly stuck to the finger board - FD struck again - Although I now can play chords and some solo licks the pinkie curles against my palm below and under the fretboard and this playing position is extremely uncomfortable and prevents me from playing anywhere near the level I used to.

I have had all sorts of neurological exams and also surgery and botox but of course nothing helped. By coincidence I ran into a doctor with special interest in musicians problems and he diagnosed me with FD- even so it was not untill years later when I found people on the internet describing the exact symptoms I have, that I actually believed the diagnosis and realised that the problem was not with my hands.

I have tried splinters and taping my little finger and sometimes this helps- also playing in front of a mirror has helped me improve. About a year ago I practiced intensely with a mirror and for a couple of weeks I made so much progress that I honestly believed that I was recovered- only to relapse completely - which has happened before. Itīs a strange thing and I am sure many of you have experienced this - that once in a while you feel better and start to practice and actually improve - only to find that suddenly itīs all gone again. Even now, I can not belive that I actually believed I was rid of FD but I remember telling my wife ( who looked at me in disbelief) that I actually was recovered. The thing is, I canīt put my finger on what I did or didnīt do to loose all the progress I had made. Probably, I started to play without concentrating and became careless and gradually picked up the old bad habits. I know you are thinking; if you did it once then you can do it again. Maybe , but what if I canīt īmake the transission from endless exercises to acually playing the instrument on stage?

Anyway, I have found, like many of you,( pianist Leif e.g) that putting a little tape or a rubber band on the pinkie finger tip actually helps the brain to separate better between the fingers and this relieves tension.

Iīm going to keep working and looking forward to any news from you all.