Playing An Instrument Being An Activity

[tcastle21]

Hello,

     Yesterday I was playing guitar and after playing I realized that my Fitbit logged my playing as a elliptical workout. Has another ever suggested adding “playing an instrument” to the activity in the log section? It makes it easier for musicians like me to see what kind of calories I am burning during a session. 

[EdsonFitbit]

Hi @tcastle21, and thanks for taking the time to share your suggestion about adding playing an instrument to the activity list.

We rely on feedback like yours to help us develop products and features that we know our community wants to see. If your suggestion receives votes from other customers and gains popularity, it will be shared internally with various teams at Fitbit. To learn more about how Fitbit decides which suggestions get developed, visit our FAQs.

Watch this space for status updates! In the meantime, try visiting Health & Wellness to talk with other members about all things health and fitness.

[SunsetRunner]

As a concert pianist, I have to remove Fitbit while I play, or Fitbit registers it as though I am violently moving. However, playing the piano is still an activity that burns calories, etc. Would love to playing an instrument -- different instruments require different physical movements, hence various levels of exertions -- to be added into the list of activities.

[LizzyFitbit]

Hi @SunsetRunner. Thanks for explaining why you'd like to be able to register your piano activities as an exercise that burns calories with us. This idea was already requested in the Feature Suggestions board, so I’ve moved your post here. That way we can keep this board organized, in addition to clearly understanding which idea other members are voting for. Don’t forget to click on the thumbs-up to show your support.

[Patrifal]

I totally agree with GiantStride, I am also a pianist and I have the same problem. I really would love playing piano was included into the activities list. What I am doing is removing my Fitbit and then register the personalized activity. I have to do it every time I play and I feel it's not accurate. I have noticed that my beat rate is higher during some passages while I'm playing, so removing my Fitbit makes it is not registered. I hope Fitbit could find a good solution for us musicians. Thanks!

[divac63]

I have a similar problem -- I'm an elementary music teacher, and am up and down from the piano every few minutes.  I wish there was a pause feature so that I could tap it when I sat down, and tapped it again when I stood up.  If it's more that a tap -- I don't have time (you know, because I have a room full of students -- well I did before COVID-19 anyway).  I've suggested this before, and I've seen it asked before.  Really wish that Fitbit was more responsive.

[Jellypom]

I am a pedal harpist, and play around 4 hours a day. The harp itself weights about 90lbs. It's quite physically draining. I would love to know how many calories I'm burning. 

[Enoriel]

Hello,

i have a similar issue. I play guitar for an hour or so each day. And it can be quite intense. I always have my watch on when I’m playing so my fitbit sense always registers the activity as out/indoor biking. I’d love to have my sense to automatically detect that I’m playing guitar, but it’s still gives me my an approximation of my calorie counts and that’s what matters to me. However, it does add to my steps.

[ArchibaldJeeves]

Absolutely agree. I’m a guitarist and when I’m playing some of the faster tunes my heart rate will rock out... however I find it either underestimated on my on dominant hand or overestimates If I wear it on my dominant (unless it auto picks up a work out). Be great to have a mode for it.

[Ben_mc35]

I play bass guitar.  I played for about an hour and a half last night, I like to play fast music, and my Fitbit is on my left wrist which is the hand that is moving around the most on the fretboard.  It registered me at 40 zone minutes and over 300 calories burned which seems completely wrong but I really don’t know.  300+ calories doesn’t seem like a stretch for playing for an hour and a half, but 40 zone minutes does.  There’s no way my heart rate goes up to peak when I’m simply just fretting up and down the neck.  I don’t think the heart rate actually tacks through the skin, I think it also take in account how fast the Fitbit is actually moving too because I don’t understand why it registers my heart rate up to 160+ when I’m sitting down playing bass.  Something seems broken. 

[Sunnsunn33]

I’m very curious as to what solutions came about with the instrument practising after the above discussion. 🙂 I’d hate to have to take my Fitbit off each time as thought the practise is totally not accounted for. 

[ElJimador73]

I also notice an immediate spike in heart rate while just strumming a few chords.  At first I was alarmed, but after checking my actual pulse and it being normal, I realized the Fitbit was picking up on the guitar's vibrations through my hand and thinking it was my heartbeat.  It also can happen using certain power tools like a hand sander.  At least that's my theory.  

[ChristinaK86]

YEP. What’s really frustrating is that I teach Music all day and have to take off my Fitbit for A LOT of it because I not only play the piano, but I also tap a steady beat almost constantly, since I’m teaching elementary students. 

[StevenHummel]

I recently upgraded to a Sense and I've noticed that my calorie burn is way too high when playing the piano. From prior posts, one of the suggestions is to remove the watch while playing. I will probably do this. Ideally Fitbit should offer a "piano playing" exercise. I hope to see this in the future. 

[FB_Walkies]

I too play multiple stringed instruments during a session and see a major spike in my heart rate during those times, I'm into the cardio zone which is not accurate. This throws my weekly stats out of whack. Wondering how the FitBit tracks/registers a higher heart rate during playing? I train every day on a spin bike as well as walk 10K and workout using resistance bands, these activities reflect my actual heart rate during actual exercise. I guess I will have to do as others have mentioned and take the tracker off while I am in the studio or just noodling at home.

[natramsay4]

I play guitar as a primary. I play bass and piano in recording sessions. This feature would help out many musicians who record music all day and rehearse constantly. 😄😄

[jensvik]

Please add this as an activity! I would really like it cause its an easy way to track how much im practicing. 

[Leencha]

After searching the internet for this, I found out there is no relieve yet. I play the piano And realy would like to know how many callories I burn. There is no other excersise that seems to fit. Please make playing an instrument an excersise. 

[Dbarahona]

Would like to second this with my thumbs up vote. Drums and piano both register as various activities. Depending on the songs and variety of practice, my heart rate has definitely gone into the fat burning zone. Having a way to differentiate this from other forms of exercise and playing other instruments would be an amazing feature since I already count some of these practices as my daily workout 

[Leencha]

Hello Dbarahona,

Yes, I would also like to add it as an excersise. It’s frustrating that it is not in there. 

What do you play, drums or piano?

Kind regards

[Dbarahona]

Both! ☺️

[Mmmmm3]

Playing piano and singing each day is certainly a workout as I'm shattered after a hour of performance. However only option is to remove tracker and get no credit in terms of calories burned. 

Would be an idea to allow willing participants to specify bespoke activities and allow raw data to be used to model a option to match them. Piano, guitar, drums, etc 

[PrairieOysters]

Funny you mentioned that... I'm a bass player/vocalist. I played a gig on Saturday. Only 2 x 45 minute sets. We are not a hardcore punk metal band by any stretch but at the end of the gig, my Fitbit told me I had done 67 of 22 Zone Minutes and my heart rate during the gig went up to 130.. I get that singing does raise the heart rate but I don't know about the meaurement