Hey guys, I’d just like to say thanks for watching the video I did with Troy. I had a great time, despite the heavy topic. I appreciate the support and kind words more than I can say! I’d also like to thank Troy, again, for having me. You guys are in good hands, here at this site; Troy is a fantastic player and educator!
-TS
Great to have you here Terry. I really enjoyed your interview, some fantastic playing. It’s incredible that you’ve overcome your problems in the way you have. Hope you’ll be featuring in future Code material at some point!
I think your comment on the last paragraph about believing you can do something is significant. Not just in guitar playing but in every facet of life really.
In my late 20’s -early30’s I found myself in a rut. I was working a mediocre job with a mediocre car and mediocre apartment. I was drinking pretty heavily and I was quite overweight.
One day, seemingly for no reason out of the blue I took a long hard look at myself and finally realized that my current path was one I wasn’t meant to go down. I BELIEVED I was meant for more.
I got some help for the drinking, i put myself through truck driving school, got myself to the gym and actually a few years later competed in a bodybuilding competition. I didn’t win the whole thing but I still came home with 2 trophies.
Today I’m married to an amazing woman, have a great job, drive a nice vehicle, own my own home and have tons on quality musical gear…all because I believed I could.
The power of the mind is undeniable.
Thanks, TheCount! Happy to be around, as I can, and thanks for the kind words.
And Gtrjunior… thats fantastic, man! Big highfive to you and much respect.
Hello sirfletcherdavis,
I realize this post is 5 years old but I’m currently dealing with FD.
Your post here has been literally the ONLY useful information on this condition that I can find on the internet. I have even reached out to Victor Wooten and all he said was ‘I have still not cured my condition’ basically he doesn’t know what to do and is coping around it when he plays. Unfortunately Joacquin Fabra’s website is long gone, I hope that you see this and will reach out. Seems we cannot PM each other here?
I am currently suffering from this condition in my fretting (left) hand and would love to know more about how you cured it 100%. I would like to cure it so that I can get back to playing but I also plan to document the recovery process of this condition so that no one ever has to suffer blindly again. It is astounding how little information there is on FD. Thank you so much for what you have posted here, again it has been the only light in the darkness for me.
-Kylan
I think the reasonyou could not PM is that your post had not yet been approved by a moderator (it’s a requirement only for the first post from a new user).
You should be able to exchange contact info privately now, so I removed your email address from your post — just in case you prefer some extra privacy!
Thank you, unfortunately I don’t see a way to PM sirflectcherdavis, either on this page or on his user page.
If you click on a user name, you should see an option that says “message”.
Hi Kylan,
long time since I made this post. I read through it again and it really is still as concise and accurate as I could make it.
I checked and saw that unfortunately Joaquin Fabra’s page is down. I have sent an email to him privately. It’s been a while since I have talked to him and hope he is okay. If he is okay, he will definitely mail me back and I will let you know.
Hi sirfletcherdavis,
It really is fantastic information. On its own it has been very useful and i notice a slight improvement in my condition daily, because now when my fingers curl up I remember to start paying more attention to the movements and my attitude towards playing.
I guess what I was wondering is if Joacquin taught you any specific exercises or practical stuff to speed up your recovery? I hope he is ok and I would love to get in contact with him. Thanks again for the excellent post.
Hi,
unfortunately Joaquin Fabra is not responding. The last time I spoke to him he had a bad health episode, but was recovering… Not responding is definitely not a good sign.
Joaquin Fabra coached me over all those years, multiple sessions per month in the beginning. Focal Dystonia is a complex issue, I doubt that many people will go through what one needs to go through even if told exactly what to do. People want to see something, some result quickly. Well, Focal Dystonia is not curable with that attitude.
The problem is that it’s not about: do A, B, C, then D. One needs to get to know the other person intimately - how they think, what drives them, what their fears are etc. discovering WHY Focal Dystonia occured.
Then being able to create a custom tailored door for that person to follow the instructions. Somebody else, with a different mindset, might need a slightly different approach.
Joaquin Fabra’s skill is very unique - one cannot put a finger on it, it’s not something you can learn at a school or university.
I really don’t mean to make it sound mystical, but it is NOT a mechanical approach. Think of of it more as psychotherapy.
People might have all kinds of belief systems that can stand in the way, before they can work anything physical. Say a person thinks he`s super smart, holding the firm belief that this is a neurological condition. They might expect a mechanical approach to cure it and revolt if that is not what they’re getting. That’s gonna be some piece of work right there. If they cannot let go of that perspective, they will never be cured. Ever. Unless they change how the approach it.
My approach was: I know nothing. I’ll do whatever it takes, no matter how weird some stuff
might seem at first. I just gave it the benefit of the doubt.
And then - trust. I had seen Fabra’s results with Flamenco guitarists etc. and no matter how little improvement I was seeing OVER MONTHS – I had to trust him. Without trust - ok, who would I turn to now? There simply is nobody. There a tons of doctors meddling around with it - good luck!
Fabra developed his approach on himself after watching a Gandhi documentary and trying out the principle of non-violence (in this case - not being violent to one’s own body).
How his mind works is pretty unique and if he was not around anymore for any reason - I’d say musicians with Focal Dystonia are simply fucked.
The chance that doctors will figure this out - in my opinion, is zero. Don’t want to generalize here, but the doctors I’ve met in my life for various serious conditions - many were very arrogant and totally stuck in their university knowledge box. Might there be others? For sure, but hard to find.
Just a few more thoughts.