This Summer, when I started making a point of practicing playing guitar regularly, I used to just sit cross-legged on the floor next to my amp to practice. Chillin' hippie style for an hour or so a day was absolutely fine by me...at first.
Then one day, my feet started cramping. The muscles would tense up and they would curl themselves tighter and tighter into themselves. Needless to say, this was excruciatingly painful, but I was determined and I figured that I could power through the agony if it only happened on occasion.
Of course, life doesn't work that way. The cramps became more and more frequent until it started happening almost every day. Luckily, I'd found a way to stop it from happening. All I had to do was stand up and put some weight on it for a few moments. Unfortunately, this had the effect of interrupting me, sometimes several times in one practice session.
It got so bad that I went to the doctor about it. She advised me to get new shoes. And also to stop sitting cross legged. Apparently it can pinch a nerve or something. Of the two explanations she offered, I was more want to believe the one about sitting cross legged. I had, after all, been wearing ballet flats on a daily basis for almost four years with no prior ill effects. So I knew I had to do something about my current practice set up. I decided to take the plunge and buy a chair.
I got the idea of setting up a little "practice corner" in my bedroom, complete with a magazine rack for my music books and a place to keep my guitars, and of course, a comfortable place to sit when I wanted to use them. I looked at dozens of pictures of other people's practice spaces on the Internet to get inspiration for my own. Finally, I settled on a lovely cream leather chair and bought it.
And today? I keep a regular book in the magazine rack. You see, as ridiculous as it is, I've to this day been unable to break the habit of practicing on the floor. So every day, I kneel down right in front of the chair I purchased for this very purpose, and practice my guitar. I find that if I kneel instead of sit cross-legged, my feet don't cramp up the way they used to. However, by the time I'm done practicing, my legs are so thoroughly numb from sitting on them that I usually can't get up right away. And I figure that if I'm stranded on my bedroom floor, I might as well read a book while I'm waiting for my legs to gain the strength to support the rest of my body.
From the sounds of it, this is like an armchair, right? So if you kept a cushion on the floor right in front of the chair and sat on the cushion with your back against the chair for support and your legs straight in front of you, would you still be able to practice? I don't know how much room you'd need for your elbows or anything (like if the chair behind you would get in the way), but if it's doable for you it might be something to try... (shrugs) It doesn't really help with the spent money, but maybe then your legs won't get so numb.
ReplyDeleteI suppose you could even go without the cushion if your carpet is soft enough to sit on for that long.
Just a thought. :-) That little set-up sounds really cosy though... I've always wanted something similar in my room, but space limits me to either the desk OR cosy nook, not both. :-(
It's actually more like a dining chair...I used to have an armchair where it now sits, but I found that the pitch of the chair and the arms got in the way while I was practicing. I actually don't mind the set up I have now. Even though I don't use the chair as much as I thought I would, it's still a cozy little place to sit. I could actually probably get away with getting rid of my desk as well if I wanted to because I usually sit there to use my computer, too. :)
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