Reviews

'As always, it was sheer pleasure to observe Robin Hill's remarkable fluent technique: everything looks easy when he plays it.' Colin Cooper- Classical Guitar Magazine ----- 'Wonderful for their (Hill & Wiltschinsky) precision, touch and clarity of sound... refined virtuosity, the achievement of a long interpretive process.' Il Giornale D'Italia (Rome) ----- 'I loved your CD and thought your technique and performance were fabulous...' Rick Wakeman

Monday, July 12, 2010

Too Much Inflammation.....

Since my last post Robin has actually been back to Norway and performed three more concerts!
However, today I am talking about something completely different.

Regular readers will know that this year has been very busy.
Robin has travelled to all corners of the world including three trips up the Amazon, one to Egypt and the middle East and one visit to Mumbai.

It was therefore with some irony that in a visit to our local park he was bitten by an unknown insect probably a spider or an ant.

An allergic reaction followed, in the most frightening place for any musician....his hand.

To highlight the problem let me first show you Robin's normal left hand.




As you can see, it is very strong and used to many hours of playing, every single day.
If you follow the regime outlined in this post, 'Music Practice Tips - Classical Guitar' this will be the outcome.

However, currently, Robin's right hand looks like this...




As I'm sure you can imagine, this has caused a great deal of anxiety.
A very sore and swollen hand certainly affects playing and on the brink of a lengthy trip this is far from ideal.

Although I have written about hand problems before, 'Recording For Teldec With Sutured Finger...'.

I have also referred to Robin's hands frequently in posts such as, 'Robin Hill, His Hands and an Unknown Mozart Score' and here, 'Guitarists Hands - and Nails'.

The inability to play is worrying on many levels.
Obviously his income depends on it, but the issue runs far deeper than that.
Musicians who perform at this level live for their playing. The fear that something may prevent them doing this is very frightening.

Luckily for us, our dear friend, and also doctor, quickly prescribed various medications and, hopefully, the problem will resolve in the next few days.

Meanwhile, I shall attempt to calm the nerves of this musician whilst he is restricted in his playing....
Wish me luck.

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