Improving Handwriting, "writing With The Shoulder"

[Mickey]

 

Basically the hand flexes at the wrist. The forearm does not get involved with pushing the pen around. It only moves to get out of the way when you are writing a long line. However, this is just for Italic type writing and lettering. I have only played around with Copperplate and have never studied it seriously.

 

You point is taken however, there is plenty of dogma around to tell you what to do (and what not to do). I found Tom Gourdie's explanation the easiest and simplest to understand (back in the 70s) and I still write that way today. I can say that I don't get "death grip" finger cramps from writing too much.

 

I converted to italic in the early 80s and picked up Spencer a few years ago. I write both fairly much the same way, the fingers and wrist relatively quiet (except for OP, where they are silent), regardless of style.

 

In a thread a couple of month back, I succeeded in writing passable italic with my index finger entirely off the pen and wearing a wrist brace. This was done with no practice or retraining. The results were hardly worse than my usual writing. The biggest difficulty I confronted was stabilizing the pen without the index finger. (I used surgical tape.)

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/256936-a-modest-italic-experiment/

 

I am a writer, not a calligrapher.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Mickey

[isoc]

 

If you're using just your fingers (the muscles in your forearm) to play the piano or organ, you're inviting an RSI. You might Google 'weight of arm' and learn that the 'whole arm' concept is not confined to hand writing. As for the flute, finger movement is predominantly along the digits' most natural lines of movement (opening and closing the hand), the pad and key travel is relatively short, and the moving mass is small.

 

As for what is unique about writing, nothing, but the large lateral component requires fingers (in a fingers only approach) to do substantial work in directions not well supported by their structure. Imagine playing Chopin with your wrists shackled in one place.

 

You are right about the organ: I do use my shoulders and arms (and feet and ankles and toes and heels, too) not just the fingers.

 

I was thinking more about the endurance and rapidity part, especially with the flute. It seems our fingers can work rapidly and with endurance. Although sloppy and careless, I wrote rapidly with my fingers for many years, although now most of my rapid writing is with a keyboard.

 

- Ted

[Mickey]

 

I was thinking more about the endurance and rapidity part, especially with the flute. It seems our fingers can work rapidly and with endurance.

But only in certain directions. If the movement is toward the center of the palm, speed and endurance are possible, but lateral movement is not well supported by the structure of the hand. This is one of the reasons I use a Maltron style keyboard. Very little lateral movement is required.

 

I was organist, too, right up to the day my shoe size turned 14.

[Blue_Moon]

I'm confused. It seems some say rest your hand on the paper. Others say to only let two fingers touch the paper. Most say don't write (primarily) with your fingers. I find it difficult writing with my shoulder. It seems that the major muscles used are in my forearm. I can feel the muscles in my shoulder, but rather than my shouder muscles controlling my arm muscles controlling my hand, it seems that the thrust of effort is coming from my forearm (which) rests on the edge of my desk. I can feel the muscles in my shoulder, but they are not primary; they are secondary. I'm distinguishing this because I CAN write with my shoulder muscles, but that's not where I'm most comfortable. Just to clarify - if I lifted my forearm off the desk, then I would be writing with my shoulder muscles. However, my shoulder muscles relax and I'm expending effort from the muscles in my forearm. My hand is off the desk with two fingers touching the paper. I'm most comfortable writing this way. I don't know enough to use this method of writing for copperplate and that method for cursive, etc. (as I've read). At this point, I'm just trying to improve my handwriting.

 

Please comment and give me feedback about my method. Thanks!

[HDoug]

I write with fingers and wrist, usually no fingers (neither pinky nor ring finger) touching paper. The outside right side of wrist lightly touches paper. If I have a proper desk (which I usually don't) the forearm also touches desk surface (along with that point on the wrist which sometimes touches surface, sometimes hovers above). The contact is very light. Shoulder doesn't move except to move the rest along.

 

In order to accommodate reality, I write fairly long lines without adjusting the paper beneath my pen. The angles and arc of my wrist, arm, and shoulder change because of this but the "game" I play with myself is to try to keep the writing very uniform despite the changes in hand and arm position.

 

I have small italic with x-heights around 2mm and use a nib of around .5mm in a cursive italic grind. Any close handiwork I do is done with participation of the hand with all its levers and axes of movement. Writing with shoulder movements seems really weird to me. It's like someone telling me that they cut quills and carrots with shoulder movements. But really, to each his own.

 

Doug