Posts by Ethan Kind

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Viola Technique, is published in a PDF format. It is very detailed and practical, and it will give you the physical tools you need to take the limits off of your ability to create the accurate viola technique you want without sacrificing your body.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)

I also go into great detail looking at how to use each arm in a way that is user friendly, so that you never have to get into physical trouble on your instrument again. Many violists get into physical pain when they play, because they do too much work. In other words, they use too much muscle to get the job done.

Another reason that violists get into trouble is because they don’t treat what the whole body is doing as part of the viola’s technique. So, if your back begins to hurt because of poor posture, then it has a profoundly negative effect on how you play the viola. A third reason is that when a violist is focusing almost completely on what is coming out of the instrument, they may not be taking care of him or herself with a loving technique.

This detailed ebook on viola technique takes a look at what the arms and whole body are doing as you play, and makes you aware that when you play the viola, there is always movement as you create the music. In other words, at the very least, the right arm and shoulder are constantly moving when sound is coming out of the viola. This is not true about guitarists and pianists.

Because there is constant movement in playing the viola, then I describe the posture and technique needed to play the viola with ease in terms of flow and motion, and not in terms of static held positions of technique. So, when the right arm is bowing the instrument, I help you discover how to support the bow without immobilizing the right shoulder. Think about it, if the shoulder is using too much held muscle to support the right arm, then you are fighting the movement of the bow with rigid muscles.

I also bring to this ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Viola Technique, my three year training as a certified Alexander Technique teacher. My Alexander Technique training has given me the tools to look at what any violist does to play the instrument and find a way to make the technique the violist has chosen work. This means the chosen technique doesn’t cause the body to hurt with straining and injuries.

The Alexander Technique has taught me how to refine the chosen technique of a violist, and show the violist how to make subtle changes that clarify exactly what the violist is doing in performance. This gives the violist conscious control over his or her whole body as he or she practices or performs.