2021-03-24
Within a few days after the next treatment (after 14 days) things went back to normal. After two treatments things actually picked up a bit and I am now again able to enjoy playing the Goldberg Variations reasonably well, so I am about at 95% of my pre-Parkinon’s abilities on the clavichord. Variation 27 is the canary in the mine. It lacks the playfulness and beauty of the other 29 variations. It is only two part, not much to hold on for finger-pedalling and rather dry.
The dopamine release seems to react immediately when I don’t fully enjoy what I play. This also shows when I play the horn. The lower register was always more challenging for creating a beautiful tone quality. This means that forcing myself to work on tone quality with extensive warm ups (I averaged about 40-60 minutes each day) won’t work; it actually makes things worse. So I stick to my song collection which I really enjoy.
Today I tried the piano. It is a bit of a challenge. The keys are slightly wider than on the clavichord (and harpsichord) and the action is heavier. This creates tension, which I can overcome with music I fully master.
Since I have plenty to play and end enjoy on the clavichord, and since I prefer the gentle sound of it, I decided that for time being I won’t be playing the piano anymore. Sofar however, whenever I pick up the recorders, playing them works really well. On the hammered dulcimer I have to be more choosy with the music I play and it has to be perfectly in tune, otherwise I lose the aim for the right strings. This gets the shakes going which are augmented by the length of the hammers (about 30 cm).
Taking the TCM formulas prescribed bed by my practitioner helps quite a bit too. I definitely notice when I run out. To sum it all up, I am close to normal functioning. I also keep my balance better.
Reflections 