I got rhythm

Listening to music isn’t just something I do to pass the time. Moving to a rhythm helps me walk tall and run with big strides in a straight line.

Long before I partnered ‘rhythm’ with ‘blues’ the happy couple were Rhythm and Melody.

At my village primary school we sat around the radio to listen to the Schools Broadcast from the BBC Home Service (this dates me!).  Among the early tunes that kicked off my musical education were Vilikins and his Dinah, and Sir Eglamore that Valiant Knight (altogether now, ‘fa, la lanky down dilly’). Other musical offerings from the BBC included Singing Together, Time and Tune, Music and Movement. I wasn’t keen on the last one because it involved prancing around in vest and gym knickers. Funny then, that music and movement should have lately become the mantra for my Parkinson’s life.

Music to my ears

This little piece of Bluetooth kit has been a godsend to me. First, because the earbuds are on strings and I can’t put them down individually and lose them down the back of the sofa. Second, they link me to sources of relaxation – as I’ve discussed in Sweet talkin’ guy.

Most of all, they literally bring music to my ears. And with music comes a rhythm. In Into the Groove – Can rhythm influence Parkinson’s Disease? Nombela et al (2013) reviewed the literature and concluded that:

“Rhythmic auditory training improves gait velocity, cadence and stride length in parkinsonian patients.”

It seems to do this by providing internal cues to replace the weird short circuitry that comes with Parkinson’s.  I’ve been trying to explain this in words for a while, but this graphic works much better (Knutsson, 1972)

The top row illustrates what I found out for myself. My early symptom was a lazy left foot that just didn’t want to come out and play. Rightie would stroll out for a bit but couldn’t persuade Leftie to stop scuffing the ground and take bigger steps. The bottom row shows how far I have come in increasing stride length, balancing out gait and symmetry. Good job, Leftie!

Upping the pace

For brisk walking it’s hard to improve on Sousa marches, especially Semper Fidelis and, for Monty Python fans, The Liberty Bell. My M*A*S*H pin-up boy of the 70s, Alan Alda, who also has Parkinson’s, is a Sousa fan too. I think I’ve said this before – if it’s good enough for Hawkeye, it’s good enough for me.

The first stage was getting to grips with Nordic poles – as I discussed in Polyushko Polye. The next stage was to put the steps to music. But what music, and at what tempo? With the whole of Spotify at my disposal, where to begin?

Running calls for a faster, personal tempo. Currently this is around 134–136 beats a minute. I have tried searching for 136 bpm workouts in Spotify but didn’t recognise many of the tunes.

I don’t recognise many tunes on www.Jog.fm, either, but it doesn’t matter because I can search for my favourite artists and work from there. My current (134 bpm) favourite is Two more bottles of wine, by Emmy Lou Harris. I’m not sure why – if I had two more bottles of wine I would have to start a new playlist!

Be careful

Wonderful though my little headset is, I take the earbuds out when I’m crossing the street and I want you to be safe in traffic, too. I’m on the side of UK Athletics who have banned the use of headphones in road races on any single carriageway road that is not wholly closed to traffic. You need to be able to hear the engines (especially the softly purring e-cars and hybrids) and the marshals’ instructions.

Play > I got rhythm > George Gershwin > Quintette du Hot Club de France > Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt

 Far too fast for me to run or walk to. Just a wonderful listen.

Photo by Paco from Badajoz, España, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons