A Significant Upper Arm Injury Sustained While Learning Simon Preston's Alleluyas: A Proposal for Avoiding this Malady.

Simon Preston's Alleluyas is an organ solo of moderate difficulty written partly in the tonal language of Olivier Messiaen. While learning this piece, I experienced a slight discomfort in my right upper arm. A more severe pain developed later, over several weeks, and my right hand became partially paralyzed. Full recovery took almost 2 months. … My reversible injury was caused by playing just six bars, and it may owe something to the way I "handled" this brief section, or more likely, "footed" it.