Playing an Instrument with a Physical Disability

by Nina

I’ve grown up with a drummer for a father and a pianist for a mother. Both of my parents love listening to and making music, and they’ve passed that passion on to me. At age seven, I started taking violin lessons, and I played that instrument for six years. However, right from the start, violin was a challenge for me. I have limited range of motion in my hands and wrists, which is a flexibility that violinists need. 

Even though I had these difficulties, my teacher wasn’t willing to come up with an alternative way for me to hold the violin upright. I ended up playing pizzicato violin for two years. For those of you fortunate enough not to know, pizzicato is essentially where you strum the violin like a guitar, except it doesn’t make a very enjoyable sound.

In fourth grade, my first orchestra teacher showed me an alternative way to position my left hand, and I was suddenly able to play violin with a bow. Back then, I was playing music at a beginner’s level, so this unconventional hand position wasn’t a problem. However, as I developed more skill, I found myself unable to play more and more pieces. My teacher and I silently agreed that I’d probably made it as far as I could on the violin. In retrospect, I don’t believe this to be true. But my immense frustration at the time drove me to quit; I no longer found any joy in picking up my violin.

I briefly tried to teach myself ukulele, but after realizing my hands would only allow me to play the C Major chord, I threw that instrument away too. 

The only other instrument I’d had much exposure to at that point was piano. We’ve had a piano in my house for a long time, and my mother and grandfather have taught me a few songs on it over the years. Piano is completely different from the string instruments I’ve tried, and it’s easier for me to play. However, it was difficult for me to gather the courage to try lessons. Because of my disability, I know that there are songs on the piano that my hands won’t be able to play. That’s a really hard thing to accept, and especially after what happened with violin, I’m afraid to go through the same thing with piano. 

Ultimately, I decided to give it a shot. I started lessons back in February, and they’re going well so far. I’m grateful that my teacher is understanding of my situation, and we’ve been able to work around any issues that I have. She helps me make adaptations to notes and fingerings, and I’m advancing pretty quickly. I’m fairly certain that if I’d tried piano lessons back when I was seven, I would’ve lost interest by now. What’s different this time is that I fell in love with the piano before I learned to play it. I’m determined to keep learning and playing this instrument as long as I live, and if I have to play differently than most people, so be it.

My point is this: there is no right way to learn an instrument. Having a physical disability will likely make things harder for you, as it has for me. But don’t ever let that stop you-- keep at it. Find a teacher who is willing to adapt their teaching to fit your needs, and don’t get caught up in worrying that you can’t do it.

Here’s me playing Schumann’s “The Happy Farmer”. I had to make lots of alterations so that I could play it. I simplified all of the chords, shifted some of the notes to my left hand, and changed most of the fingering. It sounds very different from the original piece, and I’m clearly still a beginner, but I’m proud that I was able to find a way to work around all of the issues I faced.