china doll tickles the ivories a bit too much... -Erin Bates

[blisterine]

erin "china doll" bates had to have surgery on her hand and will not be able to play the piano for a month.

 

gilbatesfamily.com/2011/07/09/surgery/

 

didn't someone mention that she beats the shit out of the piano when she plays it? maybe she needs to ask god for a lighter touch.

[kb2]

That is some well-fixed hair for pre and post surgery.

[Jessica]

Break the link before they find us!!! :-O

[bananacat]

I would not want someone taking pictures of me before surgery. These people really don't have any concept of boundaries, do they?

[1004srs]

She does have awesome hair for post-surgery.

[ladypuglover]

Wow, I never looked as going into surgery as Erin did coming out of it. Not fair! :lol:

eta, I really can spell and type.

[liltwinstar]

I can't snark; I used to play the piano and if I'd had to have surgery I would have been *terrified* of losing my ability. Hope she gets better soon.

(She is very pretty post-op. The last time I had surgery, I had blue goo - some kind of disnifectant?- on the lower half of my face and all the way down my chest. Not cute. At all.)

[GenerationCedarchip]

That post-op surgery photo reminds me of the scenes of soap opera characters in the hospital - just so impossibly gorgeous.

[Lainey]

Her hair is very pretty, both pre- and post-op. My hair never looks like that. Do we have an "envy" smiley?

[FundiesInMyFamily]

Ok that is so not cool. Who does their hair to go to the hospital? I just had major jaw surgery (ok it was my face not my hand, but still) and I came outta surgery with my jaw wired shut and blood in my hair. I'm just now looking normal 9 weeks later!

[MamaJunebug]

I pray that Miss Erin heals quickly and completely!

That said, her virtuosity reminds me of the Miller girls, aka "The Eden String Quartet." All the young ladies are talented and evidently practice conscinetiously. However, their music lacks any sort of subtlely.

edenstringquartet.com/trailer/index.html

Unless it's "Freebird" or the CDB, I likez subtlety and nuance and musicality and pianissimo, now and then, in my music. YMMV. ;)

[Chrystal-J]

That is some well-fixed hair for pre and post surgery.

I was gonna say--how much hair-spray do you buy for pre-surgery readiness?

[emmyfair]

That's pretty harsh, surgery so young for a repetative strain (assuming here, c'mon, piano injury???) I've played the violin for 17 years without a medical proceedure yet. Erin might find some unfavorable consequences as she ages. I'm sure she believes as long as she plays for God, that will never happen.

... best wishes for a safe recovery. And yeah, the hair looks great.. :roll:

[Oddeverything]

Her hair is something else. She really shellacked it for it to look that good post-surgery.

I am just bitter, however. Last time I had surgery I awoke screaming and I peed myself. Good times! Needless to say my hair did not look so good.

[emmyfair]

I am just bitter, however. Last time I had surgery I awoke screaming and I peed myself. Good times! Needless to say my hair did not look so good.

Oh, I felt just terrible for you reading this! What a harsh experience!

[Hisey]

I think that poor kid needs another outlet besides piano. If she is stressing her hands so much, it tells me she doesn't have much else in her life. Piano, Jesus (of course) and childcare--that's it.

If her parents had let her go to the U of T to study music, I'll bet she'd never have gotten this problem. Cause although she'd be there to play piano, she'd have friends, activities, hobbies, parties, shows, etc. . . the piano wouldn't her only outlet.

I think that post-surgery photo is faked. It doesn't look natural to me. I think they said, "Erin, pretend to be asleep, we need a post-surgery photo."

That girl has too much hair and really needs to cut it.

[Oddeverything]

Oh, I felt just terrible for you reading this! What a harsh experience!

Oh thanks, Emmyfair. It sounds terrible but I am just one of those people who does not do well on Versed. The nurse told me that at least I didn't come out swinging - she said some people with a bad reaction actually become violent. So at least it wasn't as bad as it could have been. :)

And I agree with the comment above - the "after" pic does look a bit staged now that I look at it, but that sort of makes me feel better. I'd rather see a staged pic than know they took pics of her in a painful state post-surgery.

[3 is enough]

Funny, I was just going to say that the "after" photo looked staged to me, but I'm a bit late.

Who takes pictures at the hospital unless a baby is being born? These people baffle me. :?

[Wolfie]

That's pretty harsh, surgery so young for a repetative strain (assuming here, c'mon, piano injury???) I've played the violin for 17 years without a medical proceedure yet. Erin might find some unfavorable consequences as she ages. I'm sure she believes as long as she plays for God, that will never happen.

... best wishes for a safe recovery. And yeah, the hair looks great.. :roll:

Agreed, I can't imagine having surgery at that age for a repetive strain injury. I think if she'd had proper musical training, she'd have had some training in how to avoid this- I know I did, and I was aiming to teach music, not be a concert pianist. (though in college we were all treated similar in lessons if it was our major)

[FloraDoraDolly]

Agreed, I can't imagine having surgery at that age for a repetive strain injury. I think if she'd had proper musical training, she'd have had some training in how to avoid this- I know I did, and I was aiming to teach music, not be a concert pianist. (though in college we were all treated similar in lessons if it was our major)

I've heard of gymnasts, figure skaters, and other young athletes having repetitive strain injuries, but not a musician at that age. I have heard of rock drummers with hand or back injuries, but they were a lot older than Erin and had been on world tours and such.

[VVV]

That's pretty harsh, surgery so young for a repetative strain (assuming here, c'mon, piano injury???) I've played the violin for 17 years without a medical proceedure yet.

Um.

I'm a professional violinist, and while I have never had a repetitive stress injury, I know many people who have. My standpartner lost an entire semester in college because of tendinitis. Another friend couldn't play for two years--she was older, but not by much. And she had a job in one of the most impressive US professional orchestras at the time, so it was definitely not due to inadequate technique.

Repetitive stress injuries in musicians have many causes. Yes, incorrect technique can cause or exacerbate such injuries. But a lot also depends on the individual's anatomy. Some people have a slight variation in how their tendons/bones/whatever are put together that can make injury either more or less likely. Some unfortunate people can do everything right and still get hurt.

Snarking on pre- or post-surgery hair or makeup is fair game, but cut her some slack over the injury.

[Vex]

Was it definitely repetitive strain? I've played the cello for 19 years (through broken fingers and other hand injuries) and the only thing my hands have to show for it is my left hand being larger than my right. I feel pretty lucky in that area, especially since my technique has always been shoddy. She's kind of young for that kind of injury but it certainly does happen.

That is fabulous hair, my hospital hair is always shocking. I hope she recovers quickly and doesn't stress about it. I'm sure she'll get through it all fine.

[moreorlessnu]

C'mon, they sent Michaela in w/ a curling iron, and had her re-do Erin's hair. Michaela is the work horse who has to do everything, dontcha know??

Seriously, I've woken up from surgery w/ my lipstick still intact. Aside from the shower cap they put on you, if they were just working on her hand, it's possible they didn't have to move her around much.

[Markie]

If you look at the time on the clock - the pic with all the doctors, the time is quarter to three. Chances are Erin did her hair for the day and then went to the hospital. Hope she heals quickly. She really loves music and will miss not playing. Good to get the surgery done now so she will be able to play when college classes resume in September.

[fundiefan]

I can't get over how perfectly coiffed she is for surgery. Who does that and why? However explained or speculated, it's the point I can't comprehend.