OK, am I the only one who is having foot pain because of the bent right leg putting strain on the toes of the right foot. Its actually becoming a real problem for me, never had been an issue before the last couple of months.
Just curious…
The human body is meant for motion, not for sitting rigidly still in one position for any length of time. I find it helps to change postion from time to time, shifting the back foot forward (straightening the leg) for a while, or just stop and shake the leg to get the blood flowing again between tunes (no need to go overboard with this - people might start to wonder what you’re up to).
djm
Relax your feet. I notice my feet cramping up from time to time, so I make a concerted effort to relax them… at home, I practice bare foot which also allows me to flex and curl the toes when the foot gets tight.
Also, try playing as flat footed as possible. If you are used to playing with the reg foot arched or up, this is tough to do. But once you get the hang of it, you feet and legs ought to be able to relax more.
…hope this helps.
I don’t see how its possible to play flat footed as you describe. When I play, I have my right knee bent and my foot back behind me to allow my knee to drop and give me best access to my regulators. If I kept my feet flat, because I’m on a 3/4 set then the regs would be flat across my lap, and I have to bend my wrist in various unnatural ways. The bent leg position has been fine for me for a very long time, just recently has this foot/toe thing become an issue…
Understood. Try sitting in on a higher seat to relieve the severity of the angle in your leg a bit. When you sit on a chair to play, make sure you are only sitting on the very front edge of the seat to give your legs maximum manouvering room. Still, you’re going to have move around more to relieve your leg from time to time.
Yes, you can stretch the back of your leg to get your foot flat. Tai chi (dan-yu) or yoga might help.
djm
Michael, you have a very good point. And as I currently am regulator free, I do not have an exact understanding of your dilema. However, I can still play flat footed and rest my wrist and palm across the bass and tenor drones. I suppose it will take getting used to, but not every body type is the same.
I also tend to sit a little forward, which brings my wrist in contact with the drones. My worry is, when I get setup with regs, how will I keep my wrist and palm from hitting them constantly?
I take lessons with Ivan Goff, and he gave me the idea of using a stool for a higher seat position. This helps eliminate the need for the bent right leg altogether if you so choose (if the height is adjustable). I took it a bit further and now use a drummers throne with a backrest. It gives you a higher seat position, clearance for both legs, adjustable back support, and a comfortable seat for hours of play. Ive found it to work quite well. Most large music stores sell them. I have a Gibraltar which I bought off ebay.
Perhaps you could try a thick seat cushion to get your seat higher above the floor (or just use a higher chair) and one of those foot rests that classical guitarists use, to raise your left leg to the position you’re accustomed to. The relationship of your torso and upper legs would remain the same, but your right knee, ankle and foot wouldn’t have to be so folded up.
Now that I think about it, I probably injured myself playing somewhere where I didn’t have the usual foam seat cushions I normally bring when I play out to raise myself up above standard chair level to a proper playing position.
At home I use one of those adjustable Ikea mushroom stools, much like a drum throne to get my self at the proper height so that’s not where I hurt myself, but at my session on Tuesday nights, I don’t normally use the cushions because we’re sitting in a pub snug and they don’t quite fit… Probably a correlation there.
Thanks for all the great suggestions!
By the way, here’s a link to the Ikea stools:
I knew there was a reason to stay away from Ikea stores! How do keep the dog from trying to mate with it?
djm
Take a look at the Ultuna dark grey (actually black) one, its not so bizarre… Click on the color dropdown on the Ikea site…
djm: "I knew there was a reason to stay away from Ikea stores! How do keep the dog from trying to mate with it? "
Dog? Dog? How do you keep me from mating with it? That is one “dead sexy” seat! 
Eskin I wonder if the pain is caused partly from not having a staright back position. do you hunch over your set?
Mike, that has got to be the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life (well ugliest inanimate object).
I had a foot problem awhile back but I started to straighten my right leg once in awhile and the stiffness,pain seemed to go away.
BTW, I use a Target folding stool with a back ($10 Bucks).