"ERGONOMICALLY CORRECT" by Robert Fletcher
The following article, Ergonomically Correct, appeared in Lyon &
Healy magazine Fall 1997 issue (used with permission).
Robert Fletcher has been a working engineer in the medical device industry for
seventeen years and has designed dozens of industrial workstations and production
line layouts throughout his career using Ergonomic methods. He is presently working
towards his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan (Ann
Arbor). In collaboration with his wife, Patty Masri-Fletcher, Principal Harpist
with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Robert has helped apply Ergonomic methods
to the harp. Mr. Fletcher approaches the subject of Ergonomics from an engineering
standpoint, he is not a medical doctor.
HOW A COMFORTABLE HARP BENCH CAN IMPROVE YOUR PLAYING, INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY,
AND REDUCE FATIGUE AND STRESS.
Imagine if harpists were told of a product or a tool that could do the following:
* Noticeably increase their productivity during personal practice time.
* Improve one's attention span and enhance their ability to concentrate during
prolonged rehearsals or performances.
* Reduce fatigue, stress and anxiety, and actually help one to relax during lessons,
performances or auditions.
* Provide a sense of comfort and well being when playing the harp and possibly
even improve health by reducing leg and back pain.
..they would be clamoring for such an item. Some even wonder if it were legal!
Amazingly, a good harp bench can easily do all of these things. Seating and harp
benches are perhaps, next to the harp, the most important tool a harpist can
use in their artistic endeavors. Harpists spend more time on their harp bench
than they do with their hands on the harp! But, not surprisingly, many harpists
choose a bench for how it looks next to the harp, rarely thinking about how comforable
it may be. Portability is also important, and so small, lightweight, but very
poorly designed benches are popular. This is unfortunate. Good seating is fundamental
to successful harp playing. In this article, we discuss why seating is so important
and what one can do now to improve the bench they may be using. We also review
where seating design is going for musicians and how harpists may be able to benefit
from these new and encouraging trends.
WHY IS A GOOD HARP BENCH SO IMPORTANT?
There is one reason why a well designed and functional bench is so important
for harpists. That reason is physiological, which pertains to how your body works.
To understand the physiological rationale for good harp bench design, we must
take a few moments to discuss (without getting too technical) how the blood flows
in your body and your blood pressure along with a brief review of the nerve network
in your legs. Admittedly, the explanations here are highly simplified. Obviously,
the area of the body we are most interested in for this discussion is the extreme
upper back of the leg to where it intersects the buttocks, and the buttocks.
Every cell of your body needs oxygen and nutrients to function. Without oxygen,
cells die. Your blood circulatory system brings the needed items to each cell
and removes cellular waste. When your heart beats it takes oxygen rich blood
and pumps it into arteries which eventually branch into the smallest vessels
called capillaries. It is at the capillary level that gases, nutrients, and wastes
are exchanged from each cell. The returning blood vessels are called veins. Veins
are small at first (capillary size) but they quickly merge with others to form
successively larger and larger veins until they return to the heart.
As blood flows through arteries to capillaries the blood pressure, generated
by the pumping heart, drops dramatically. This is due to the resistance of the
blood flowing through the small vessels. Blood flow from your legs returning
to your heart is especially challenging for your body to overcome. When you are
sitting or standing, your abdomen, hips, and legs are below your heart. Not only
must the heart work to overcome the loss of pressure in transit through the capillaries
in the legs, but blood from your legs back to your heart must flow "up hill"
against the pull of gravity as well.
An important vein which carries a significant flow of blood from the legs to
the heart is located along the back of each leg running from the lower calf up
to the back of the thigh. The vein, called the small saphenous vein, lies just
below the fatty layer of the skin and can easily be pinched closed from compression
when sitting on a hard, sharp 90-degree-edged bench. This restricts blood flow
in the leg. If this persists for more than a few minutes discomfort develops;
for prolonged periods tissues in the leg can die due to the lack of oxygen.
Your skeleton provides a rigid framework for your muscles and tissues. Two bones
(each called an ischium) in your buttocks provide a solid base when sitting for
your torso and head to stay erect. However, since they are bones and do not flex
or give, if one is sitting on a hard bench the ischium can compress blood out
of tissue between it and the bench. As before, if this persists for prolonged
periods issue damage will result.
When sitting on a hard bench, a major nerve which runs near the ischium to the
back of the upper thigh bone (called the femur) can also be compressed. This
nerve, called the sciatic nerve, runs along the back, outer flank of the leg
and up into the rounded fleshy part of the buttocks. Nerves carry electrical
signals to and from the brain. Any sudden compression of a nerve will cause significant
and instantaneous pain. However, slow gradual compression of nerves, and the
cutting off of the blood flow, produces the tingling and numbing sensation experienced
when your leg "falls asleep." The sciatic nerve is especially vulnerable to the
sharp, front 90-degree edge of a hard bench. Prolonged compression of nerves
will result in discomfort and possible nerve damage. This is also why one should
never sit for long periods with a wallet, billfold or bulky object in a back
pocket, especially when at the harp.
Some of you reading at this point may be tempted to comment that you have an
abundance of "natural padding" in your derriere. You may feel you do not
need a padded harp chair. Sorry, but it does not work that way. The "natural
padding" in your legs and buttocks simply moves out of the way under compression when sitting
on a hard bench or contacting a sharp edged seat. You will suffer from the same
problems.
WHAT ARE THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN HARP BENCHES?
Designers have been working on ergonomically designed office chairs for years.
Office chairs have full back support, multilevel seat height adjustment, and
a seat pan with, what is often referred to as a waterfall or spillway front which
follows body contours minimizing compression on the back of the legs. Unfortunately,
while all of this effort was going on in the office furniture design industry,
little progress was happening in the music world.
Finally, however, recent design efforts have been focused towards seating for
musicians. Concert Design (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) manufactures a new harp
bench, the Concert Design Performance Chair, that rivals the best office chair
designs. It features a solid five leg base, a multi-positioning gas-shock seat
to quickly and easily accommodate all size and height players, and an adjustable
back support that is missing from virtually all other harp benches. While its
price and somewhat limited portability may not fit everyone's needs, all harpists
should seriously evaluate this bench. Many harpists have found it to be well
worth the investment. You, your legs, and back may think so too!
Whichever decisions you make regarding seating, remember that it is a critical
component in your harp equipment. An accommodating, comfortable seat will help
increase your productivity by improving your attention span and ability to concentrate
during prolonged practice periods, rehearsals or performances. A good seat reduces
fatigue and stress. Lastly, a good bench can provide a sense of comfort and well
being when playing the harp, once again making it a lasting and enjoyable activity
for the amateur or professional.
