Pain and Illness

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Musicians’ Injuries, is published in a PDF format. It is written to give all performing musicians deep insights into the habits and technique that performers have that can end careers with pain, strain, tension, and injuries. I look at all of the instruments from piano, to guitar to clarinet, to singing etc.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)

WHICH IS THE BEST MOTIVATOR, FEAR OR TRUST, IF YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE AT YOUR SPORT OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT?

The more I look at this world, results are mostly what matters, not what you do to yourself to get there.

So, if you’re incredibly hard on yourself and drive yourself mercilessly to become the greatest runner or pianist in the world, then the world rewards you for being the best, even if you’ve brutalized yourself, and have set your body up for permanent damage.

In fact the world admires a person who becomes the best, ignoring their pain.

NO PAIN NO GAIN!

Let me look at sports first.

There is always a set goal of winning in sports, and as long as you win, there really isn’t an aesthetic to be concerned about.

WINNING IS WINNING NO MATTER HOW UGLY YOU DO IT, EVEN IF YOU WIN UGLY IN GYMNASTICS.

Does this apply to playing the piano or singing?

Yes and no.

What do I mean?

A person can drive himself mercilessly to be the best singer in the world. What this means, is that you can sacrifice your well being, physical and mental, to be an incredible performer with great sounding technique and musical interpretation.

BUT YOU CAN’T TELL ME THAT HOW THE PIANIST OR SINGER GOT TO BE GREAT, DOESN’T COME THROUGH IN THE PERFORMANCE!

In other words, I can tell when I’m listening to a musical performer, and can hear and feel that the performer got to where they are by NOT tolerating mistakes, using FEAR to guarantee a great performance.

FEAR is the operative word here.

I can also tell when when an athlete bullies his or her body to win, rather than trusts the body to excel.

At the very least, I can see the fear in the face of the athlete or in the face of the musician, as to whether fear or trust motivated them.

From the Alexander Technique perspective, if you use trust to achieve athletic or musical greatness, then you have a two for one.

You get a win in a sport or a great concert, and you’re able to enjoy getting there, enjoy the concert or the athletic event as it’s happening, and when the concert is over, and the run is over. You can look back and remember how you got there, rather than conveniently forget what you did to yourself to get there.

One last point, a place I’m coming to in my life.

I NOW BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU USE FEAR TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS RUNNING OR ON AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT YOU’RE DOING IN THE MOMENT MAKES LIFE NOT WORTH LIVING. THE WAY WE MAKE IT WORTH IT, TO BRUTALIZE OURSELVES, IS TO FORGET HOW WE GOT THE CONCERT OR THE WIN DONE.

When I had an incredible aha moment years ago, and always from that moment on trusted myself to play the guitar with great accuracy, then sitting down to practice was something that I never had trouble doing.

BUT, AND THIS IS A BIG BUT!

I was not able to practice or sustain a career on the classical guitar and quit.

I finally just in the last couple of days truly realized why I had to quit.

PLAYING THE GUITAR FEARLESSLY WAS AN OPENING TO MY LIVING EVERY MOMENT OF MY LIFE FEARLESSLY, WHICH I BELIEVE IS WHAT ENLIGHTENMENT IS.

Who we chose to become, as a person, cannot tolerate letting go of fear, because fear is central to the the existence of a human being.

I was already on a spiritual path, seeking enlightenment, so my ego had to shut the guitar down, which easily opened me up to enlightenment.

MUSICAL AND ATHLETIC PRODIGIES AND CONTINUE WITH THEIR SPORT OR INSTRUMENT, BECAUSE THEY CAN RUN OR MAKE MUSIC BY COMPARTMENTALIZING THEIR GENIUS, AND LIVE THEIR LIVES AS FEARFULLY AS EVERYONE ELSE DOES.

You can have your cake and eat it, if you accept that your whole life can be lived as fearlessly as you run or play the piano, making a specialized activity a path to enlightenment.