Posts Tagged ‘Inspired Musical Performance’

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Inspired Musical Performance, is published in a PDF format. It is written to give all performing musicians deep insights into the beliefs and bad habits and technique that performers have that can end careers with pain, strain, tension, and injuries.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)

IS ESTABLISHING A CONSISTENT TECHNIQUE, WHETHER PLAYING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OR LEARNING HOW TO PLAY GOLF OR RUN, ABOUT CHOOSING TO REMEMBER HOW YOU WANT TO DO WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING?

In other words, if I’m learning how an instrument or sport should be played, then if have a very clear and powerful intention to do so, and expect to do so quickly, will the pattern of the new technique or revamped technique be deeply established very quickly?

YES!

This is what a musical or athletic prodigy does sometimes so incredibly quickly. You show them how something is done, and they get it right away.

And this whole process is so self-reinforcing. What do I mean?

IF YOU SHOW SOMEONE HOW TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT OR GOLF, AND HE OR SHE DOES WHAT YOU SAY EASILY AND QUICKLY AND CONSISTENTLY, THEN THAT PERSON WILL EXPECT THE SAME THING TO HAPPEN AGAIN QUICKLY AND EASILY, WHEN YOU SHOW THEM SOMETHING ELSE TO IMPROVE THEIR TECHNIQUE.

Most of us believe learning to do something that is complicated really well takes a great deal of time and practice. We always get we expect. We believe ourselves!

CHOOSING TO REMEMBER RIGHT AWAY AND BELIEVING WE CAN LEARN RIGHT AWAY IS WHAT THE PRODIGY BRINGS TO A NEW ACTIVITY.

Slaving away with tons of repetition is what the average learner does to master something.

But is slow learning really the way learning should take place, does take place, or is it the result of a false belief and the result of what you expect?

If you tell yourself, Oh So Deeply, that learning something complicated is a slow process, then you are believing/saying unconsciously it IS a slow process to establish a great technique you can count on.

YOU’RE SAYING LEARNING TAKES A HECK OF A LOT OF REPETITION, AND REMEMBERING TO REMEMBER THE NEW TECHNIQUE/HABIT UNTIL YOU REMEMBER ALWAYS.

What I’m writing about here is not a problem for the musical or athletic prodigy who is taught great technique by a kind teacher from the get go, but it is a problem for everyone else.

If your teacher in whatever the activity, tells you how much hard work and repetition you must do, and that it will take a long time to master the instrument or sport, you’re probably screwed, even if you are a natural.

As an Alexander Technique teacher I’ve worked with athletes and musicians. My primary concern is to show them a new way to do what they do, in a way that prevents injury and establishes great technique and posture.

I always expect them in a quick, kind way to at least get a taste of how wonderful the new technique and posture will be. Once they experience this, there is usually no going back to doing whatever the activity the way they’ve done it.

HE OR SHE EXPERIENCES CONSCIOUSLY THE UNNECESSARY STRAINING AND THE UNNECESSARY PAIN AND THE UNNECESSARY BELIEFS THAT MAKE THE ACTIVITY IMPOSSIBLE TO MASTER.

So, there is the potential to master a sophisticated activity quickly – as quickly as you learn in an instant how untrue your beliefs about how it should be done and learned were.