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Phil Tomkins said; > >Interesting - when I play the piano, concentrating on playing the >right notes seems to increase any dyskinesia I might be having, and I >find myself squirming. Anyone have thoughts on why this happens? (I >don't think it's related to the fact that you would squirm if you >heard me play.) > Why are pianists usually so modest?? particularly when it comes to playing in front of other people.Amateurs like myself get frightened that we are going to hit the wrong notes and if performing from memory forget where we are. So we suffer little stresses and tensions which would normally go unoticed but when we have pd can cause unwanted effects.I find that improvising or playing by ear a lot less stresful than playing from notes or playing set pieces from memory. This raises an interesting subject that pd seems to highlight our little weaknesses and nervous reactions. To give an example I have always disliked talking on the telephone despite the fact that I have had to use one a lot.But now I find that invariably I feel myself getting tense and dyskinesic, often find myself sort of stuttering and have difficulty in expressing myself together with getting a mind block. Putting the receiver to ear seems to produce a pavlovian reflex.Way out--use a loudspeaker phone which for me makes the whole process seem much more natural. Probably different people have their own pet thingamy which sets them off into an unpleasant reaction. I know for certain that Mrs L if she had PD would not be effected by the telephone. She really comes to life when she has a receiver at her ear but the quarterly phone bill turns me into a quivering wreck--but she'a worth it ( have to put this in in case she peeps over my shoulder while I am typing this) David Langridge > >