Okay, I'll admit, a bit of a strange thread title, but you need to hear my story (short version), as I feel that I need to tell someone!!

3-years ago, I had a very bad crash while motocross racing. After missing the landing pad on a very large double jump (40 foot gap), I crashed onto the ground from around 20-feet high. While I knew that this was going to "hurt", I was wearing full motocross gear and helmet to protect me as much as it could.

While I did get banged up and bruised pretty badly, I thought that I was going to be okay until someone in the crowd said "Dude, look at your hand"

It was at that point, looking at my left hand that I realized something terrible had just happened to me as my left hand was just "hanging" by some skin and tendons next to my elbow!!

"severe displacement" was the medical term used to describe my injury as the hand had technically not been completelly broken off.

After months of an external fixator, tendon surguries, nerve damage therapy and even a complete new set of skin (my hand turned black and all the original skin peeled off!), I was finally able to move my wrist and fingers just the slightest bit.

After many months of therapy, I was able to actually squeeze a garden hose nozzle half way closed and vowed that someday, I was going to squirt someone in the face with that hose!!

Several months (and bottles of oxycontine) later, I actually DID squirt my friend with the hose, (but not in the face....thats mean!)

It was at this stage of my rehab that my P.T suggested that I do some type of daily wrist and finger exersizes. She had suggested that I do wrist movements up and down (after using a heating pad) and then to "strum" my fingers up and down, "kind of like a piano player would" she said!

Hmmmn!, That got me thinking as I used to play piano as a small child (the only deal I could strike up with my parents to also get a drum set!!)

Anyway, We had an old weber grand piano in the house (that suffered from bad action brackets), but it was way to hard for me to play (physically), So I decided to look for the easiest piano to play (physically), which to me was a Roland digital piano.

While many members really "beat-up" these digital piano's and consider them to be a "joke", It was the pure joy of re-learning to play the piano and actually make some real "nice" music that not only helped my physical recovery, but also re-kindled a very long lost passion for music.

I really love my Roland digital piano (KR-7) as it has brought me from barelly being able to squeeze a garden hose, to now being able to play claire de lune and cannon in D major.

Sure, when I play, there are lots of missed notes and mistakes, almost every time!, but the progress I have made in the last year and a half is remarkable! I truly owe a large portion of it to the wonderfull sounds of music I can play via my piano!

Fast forward to today, I no longer race motocross motorcycles, (however, I did by a new yamaha rhino 4wd off road cart) as I never want to risk my hands again!. Losing the ability to play piano is not worth it anymore.

I seem to have really gotten "hooked" on piano playing as I just bought a brand new Mason & Hamlin "A" a few weeks ago and am already looking very seriously at the "BB". (Yes I know this is getting a bit out of control!!)

Anyway, I felt like now would be a good time to not only introduce myself a bit, but also give just a tad of my history.

I am in NO way an acomplished piano player,and probably never will be, however, I have come a long way from not being able to squirt someone with a garden hose!!

So,like I said, sometimes you just have to clap for yourself!!

"Dude, look at your hand." I think you would've found out sooner or later

Thanks for sharing your story with all of us at the forums, I'd think that sharing that accident must've been tough (I can't imagine seeing my hand "hanging" off of my elbow, and if I did I'd plop over dead right there).

I think it's great that you've come such a long way, and it's awesome that you've attained this recovery from piano a little bit. Keep on playing!

Heck, super-hunky, there's lots of missed notes and mistakes when I play, too, and I don't even have the excuse of recovering from major hand trauma.

What an inspiring story! I really appreciate your taking the time to share it with us. (And I guess your typing skills are back up to snuff, too!)

And what a scary story. You could have so easily lost your hand entirely or been killed. (Yeah, you can tell I'm a mother.) Whenever my kids ask me if they can get a motorcycle I tell them "when you're 21, no longer living in my house, and pay for it yourself because I am not going to be a party to your early demise."

I understand completely what you were saying about just being able to play the music is the reward, even if there are mistakes. I recognize that technically I am not very proficient and may never be, but I get so much pleasure out of sitting down and playing.

You don't have to clap for yourself, super-hunky. All of us out here are clapping our hands raw for you.

you should be proud of yourself, and very much so! it's also great when you can play on your new piano!

Wow. What an amazing and inspirational story! Congratulations on your progress.

I make mistakes all the time! And, after reading your story, I am ashamed of my feeble excuses for doing so!!

Enjoy that awesome M & H. What a great piano!

What an amazing story

Makes me feel really humble that I moan when say...I cut my finger and have to wear a plaster thats interfering with my playing.

I sometimes worry about losing the use of a hand or worse losing a hand.

Thank goodness you are on the mend and the piano is helping


regards


Lee

Well Mr. Super Hunky that really is inspirational! I was worried about trying to climb back into the driver's seat after not playing for a year!

You're recovery and determination is something to be proud of, and definitely worth the applause not just from yourself, but from the rest of us here on PW.

John

I clap for you, too!

I clap for you too, Hunk. You've come a long way, baby.

Ya could come back.
And I won't tease you anymore on your 1. 2. thread.

Peter

Your ability to derive the joy of playing piano from such a terrible accident is amazing. The world may have lost a moto-crosser but it gained a wonderful music maker. Thank you for sharing your story.

S-H
I listen to your recordings when I have time and they just keep getting better and better. I admire the progress you are making, and you had better be careful becuase your addiction is spiraling out of control!

You are lucky to have found such a passion.

Great story SH! I clap for you too!

Here is another motorcycle story to balance the horor.

I messed up my thumb in a cross country ski race when I was 12, it sort of made my right hand thumb inflexible, not a big deal for guitar, but a sort of big deal for piano.

over 30 years later when my fiance and I were planning our honeymoon she encouraged me to get a new motorcycle so we could take at trip up the california coast and stay at B&Bs (when we met I was riding daily but we never got the chance to take a trip together). Well, one week before the wedding I was a mile from home after a nice 5 hour ride on the twisties, and someone in front of me with burned out brake lights stopped without me noticing.. I missed their bumper but dropped the bike at low speed. My only injury was my.. you guessed it.. right thumb.

This time, during it's recovery I moved it (painful) every few hours and when it healed I had regained full use of it again!!!

Unfortunately the bike was badly damaged so we took the honeymoon in her car, which turned out really good anyway. But I got my thumb back!

I started reading this (without looking at the date) and was thinking...hmmm.....I've read something like this before, why is Mr. S-H posting this again......then I realized the post was from last year originally (Sharon, you confused me!).

Anyway, I clapped for you then and will clap for you again Mr. S-H!!

And Tenuki, here's thumbs up for you too!

Bingo - Sharp, Rocky. yup - guilty of "fishing" around.... I just had to unearth this thread - I thought it most interesting. I never read it before...only heard about his injuries. Amazing eh? Skin fall off.... yuck!!!! But now, he's like an incredible piano player... I think he really, really is. I know you agree.

Tenuki - That's some incredible story, too, man!


Later,
Sharon

You get more "clappage" from, here, too, Mr. S-H! What a wonderful story! And a true testament to the power of music. I am going to shut my mouth and not whine anymore when my tnedonitis flres up! At least my hand was never hanging at my elbow!

Oh, and if I could make mistakes like you do, I'd be one happy piano player! Mine are far too obvious, while yours are-- not noticable many, many times!

I'll throw a third motorcycle story in here (my own)....although it wasn't in a motocross race or on an exciting ride through the twisties, it was just learning to ride in a parking lot....on a Honda Rebel 250....about as low-powered bike as you can find.

I had been doing well in learning, and was practicing figure-8 and S-turns in the local elementary school parking lot, and moved on to practicing hard stops. The first couple went OK, but on the last one, I hit some sand, and instead of hitting the brakes or pulling in the clutch, I pulled back on the throttle, and over-revved the bike, which sprinted toward the curb. If it were a normal curb, I would have been launched over the handlebars into the grass, or jumped the curb and stopped with nothing more than a dent or two on the bike.

As it was, the place I hit on the curb was a drain, and the pavement lowered another inch or two leading into the drain. It also had a hard 90 degree edge, compared to the rounded curb to the left or right. When I hit, I got bounced off the bike, and landed with my back right on the edge of the curb, fracturing my L2 vertebrae. ("exploding it", according to the ER doc). If I had tried to stand up, I'd be in a wheelchair today.

As it was, I knew enough not to stand up, and when the paramedics arrived, they immobilized me, and got me to the ER. I had to have a laminectomy, a bone graft from my hip, and a T12-L3 spinal fusion. My right leg was paralyzed, and I had to go through extensive therapy and rehab in the hospital (for a month), and outpatient (for the next 6 months). Today, 18 months later, I'm pretty much normal, but it's scary to think how close I came to something much worse.....

I'm glad your story ends well kokomo! life is a scary and random place!

Wow, what an inspirational story. I applaude you S-H...CLAP CLAP

I didn't catch this the first time around, so I'm glad someone bumped it up.

I clap for you too S-H, that's quite an inspiring story!

Gosh Hunky;

You have got to be the most shameless poster I have ever read. I mean, it seems as though you will do ANYTHING to get more attention to feed your enormous ego!

Oh wait a minute, I just realized that this is an old post from last year.

My bad....sorry!

Weezer - I so agree with your comment. A clap for you, (and a few snaps, 2 - snap, snap).
(giggle).

Mr S-H...terrific inspiring story and I clap for you too. I also had a hand injury, no where near as serious as yours, but enough so that I can appreciate the fear of not being able to play - even for just a short while.

About 5 years ago a lump, quite large in fact, sprang up on the back of my hand. It was unsightly, and often became sore when I used my wrist a lot. I had a doctor look at it and found out - with relief - that it was just a fluid filled benign cyst. So I scheduled to have it removed. The day before the surgery, the cyst drained and it was gone all of a sudden. Fast forward to two years ago...I discovered my love of piano playing. After about 8 months of playing, that cyst reappeared and was even more sore than ever. I could hardly play the piano without pain. Reluctantly, I headed back to surgery and this time it was removed. Funny thing was that a major part of the therapy to getting full use of my hand again was also from playing the piano afterwards. I asked the doctor if I could resume playing and he didn't just say yes, he highly recommended it as a great substitute for regular PT. I no longer have pain in my wrist but I do have a noticeable scar there to remind me. Now, I am so careful with my hands - especially when using knives or heavy tools. I don't think I could bear it if I couldn't play piano.

So Cheers to you Mr. S-H. For many years I took my hands for granted...but not anymore!

way to go Hunky, that really is an enormous achievement,
especially considering that you play the piano so well! you reall do make some real nice music.
very inspirational, thanks for sharing that.

S.H.

Thanks for sharing your story....what a long road to recovery. How wonderful that it lead you back to music!

Wow! I think my eyes started sweating while I was reading your story.
For years I worked an ran with the toughest of the tough-boys, but only one or two were up to your standards. Either you have more courage an strength than anyone I never met, or you are the most stubborn person on the face of the earth.
Either way my hat's off to you!!!

On the flip side, now I feel really lousy about my piano playing.

As good as you play, I would have bet hard money against a hand injury of any sort.

LeadFingers...with no excuse

Anyone got a motorbike for sale cheap!

Great stories about 'overcoming' .... in a way, that's what piano is about!

Balladeer

I agree with your comment, Balladeer. Overcoming is what piano is all about - at least in the AB.

Overcoming physical and/or mental blocks we all have periodically - or whether we need motivation, encouragement.... or to physically mend an ailing appendage...true...
right now I seek focus more than anything....just sit and play your pieces and let the time pass (without getting up). Perhaps this belongs in another thread (how you practice)... whatever.. i'm letting it ride.

Nope... ain't got no motorbikes for sale....never road one myself - only on the back of one a few times (many years ago)....scary wild - but soooooooo thrilling.

Peace.

bumpity bump.

heck mr sh i find your music beautiful and inspiring, i not only clap my hands i give you a STANDING OVATION or however you spell that. congratulations on coming such a long way in such a short time!!!! i love listening to your music!!!!

I remember reading this thread a while back, but never really connected that it was the same person that recently made his ascent into PianoWorld celebrity, lol. Way to come back Mr. S-H... you're indeed an inspiration to everyone!

I LOVE all the praise and compliments I'm getting, keep 'em comming, heck, start sending me money!!

Before this gets too out of hand, remember, in real life, I am a piano hack!!

Yes, I can improvise a little, but remember, I improvise because I am too stupid to read the actual score as written.

A few people get this, most don't. Sit me down in front of an intermediate classical piece that you can't just "make stuff up" and watch me wet my panties right in front of you!! I would'nt even know where to begin!

My hand injury was very severe. I came extremely close to losing my left hand and wrist completely, but several years have past now and I can use my left hand very close to normal now.

The range of motion is a bit limited, but that really does not have much effect on my piano playing. Come to think of it, I'm starting to run out of excuses on why I can't play more difficult songs. Oh well.

What really IS amazing is how far medical science has come. I mean from having a hand that was literally just dangling by my elbow to now being able to play and perform in piano recitals is truly amazing. Its NOT my playing ability, (thats just very average at best), but it is how well I have healed from such a trauma and what a great job the surgeons have done is what really amazes me.

I, unfortunately, do have a very big curve ball thats been thrown at me at an increasing speed recently, and hopefully, with a bit of faith (and luck), I may somehow overcome it as well. Fortunately, my piano playing has not been affected ...yet. I can only hope that this remains to be the case.

Hunky:

Piano Hack, my back-side!
I listened to your latest "Stairway", you didn't whip that out in 20 minutes nor is it possible to get that from a book. you have to aquire a feeling for the piece of music you are trying to voice. I believe it is better to be very artistically talented and limited technicaly, than the other way around. artistry is in the soul, technic can be learned. you obviously have technic cause you can play those pieces you recorded! I suspect if you were interested in classical music you could breeze through those intermediate pieces. I also suspect you choose those pieces that peak your curiosity; those pieces you can shape to make your own.

LeadFinger predection number one...you will be playing jazz, with feeling and heart in less than 5 years. (The path has been chosen, you have no choice, deal with it!)

Don't make me say it...Now you went an did it,you're gonna make me say it!
To call yourself a piano hack, is to do all of us lesser piano hacks a great injustice.

Besides we all want to be Hunkys when we grow up!

LeadFingers

Thanks for the insight leadfingers. You may have hit part of the nail on the head as my favorite thing to do is to improvise nice songs.

I really wish that I was better than I am because when I hear certain songs, many times, I can hear things missing that (in my opinion) would make the song sound evern better. I only wish that I could really "fill in" these sections that I hear in my head.

I can "think" very nice songs in my head, but I can't put those "thoughts" down onto the keys yet.......yet!!

Mt "stairway" is just barely scratching the surface of what I would really like to do with it and other songs, but as I said, I don't know how yet to fully transfer whats in my head onto the keys.

This is actually what keeps me very motivated to play as if I can one day do this, I will be extremely happy.

For me, this is a lot of fun, its not work by any means and I never have to "force" myself to play.

Thanks again for the support.

Maybe I make that my new piano montra - if you don't mind.

Peace to you, Mr. Hunky.

I'm with you!
I never have to force myself to play...BUT many are the times I have to force my behind to the bench. After I touch the first key, it's like a porthole opened up to alternate reality, where music is everything. (and if I can stay out of my own way it works)

There is no feeling in the world quite like putting the music in your head, to the keys.
The most frusterating thing in the world, is trying to play that same music the next day. I can rarely remember it enough to play it 2 days in a row!
I'm hopeing a microphone will help.

LeadFingers

Yes.

For some reason I thought this was a going to be a story about a venereal disease...

hahahaha mark, teeeheee


What a great story, I kind of passed out when you mentioned something about your hand hanging but once I woke up and got off the floor and i read the rest, I thought wow what an inspiration.!!

I clap for you many many times

Hunk,

Despite your need for ego feeding, :p your injury was, indeed, a life changing experience on many levels. I applaud your piano playing but more so the fortitude and dedication to fight your way to your current stage of recovery. Imagining you sitting at the piano, I know better, now, that music and your playing of it has brought you in touch with many aspects of your personality that may have taken many more years to reach without this adversity.

Your experience touches me.

Way to go, Hunk!

Wow, Mr. S-H!

Monica pointed me to your story after I introduced myself to the forum here:

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/32/1933/12.html#000288

What an amazing story! What did I do all those years after my injury???!!! It took you just 3 years! Congratulations, you are now my true inspiration!