Posts Tagged ‘Viola da Gamba Technique’

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Viola da Gamba (Viol) Technique, is published on this website 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 viol 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)
THE MAIN THREE REASONS FOR TENSION IN A PERFORMANCE OR CONDUCTING IS HABIT, TO CONTROL FEAR, AND/OR TO HELP THE PERFORMER OR CONDUCTOR BE MORE ACCURATE.
Here I’m using habit as synonymous with technique. What do I mean? Habit is the technique you’ve created, chosen, to perform or conduct with. For most performers there are general rules of good technique that are learned and internalized (habituated). These general rules of good performance or conducting habits rarely go below the surface, which means the performer or conductor may look good and sound or conduct well, but still have excessive tension in the body.
There is also the obvious bad posture and technique that is visible to the audience, even as the performer or conductor is creating a wonderful performance. The problem with visible and invisible tension is it creates wear and tear to the body AND IS NOT A NECESSARY EVIL. A performer who works with a fine Alexander Technique teacher can solve technique and postural problems, and not pay a physical price on his or her instrument or in conducting.
The second reason for tension is to control fear during a performance or conducting. There are three effective ways to suppress feeling fear, which means you’re not experiencing fear consciously. One is eating, the second is doing something to distract yourself (like hard exercise or puttering), and the third is tension.
So, in musical performance or conducting the only one available is tension (Ha!Ha!). IF YOU TENSE UP ENOUGH BEFORE AND DURING A PERFORMANCE, THEN YOU PUT A PHYSICAL LID ON YOUR FEAR, AND THIS CAN ENABLE YOU TO COMPLETE THE PERFORMANCE. In other words, you don’t physicalize fear as much, like shaking hands or a rigid neck, so that you can’t perform or conduct.
There is a gigantic problem with this approach, IT IS VERY DESTRUCTIVE TO THE BODY OVER TIME. All tension is whole body and compresses joints from head to toe, and causes damage to all of the joints over time. It even damages static joints in a performance. An example is a cellist who sits with static legs. Constant tension throughout the body during performances will jam the head of the femurs into the sockets of the pelvis and damage the hip joints.
The third reason for tension is to create accuracy. What do I mean? USING TENSION TO CREATE ACCURACY IS AN UNCONSCIOUS ATTEMPT TO MINIMIZE MOVEMENT TO CREATE AN ACCURATE PERFORMANCE. Let me define tension. Tension is unnecessarily immobilizing a part of the body, parts of the body, or all of the body in performing or conducting.
The logic of this makes perfect sense, but the “means”, tension, is again destructive to the body, as you’re attempting to perform or conduct with accuracy and precision. The beautiful performance or well conducted piece is the “ends”. So, as we say in the Alexander Technique you’re placing the ends ahead of the means, and damaging your body and stressing your mind.
You can minimize movement and/or streamline movement without tension, whether you’re playing, singing or conducting. This means you clarify what is physically necessary to get the note played, sung, or conducted by moving EFFICIENTLY WITHOUT TENSION, without immobilizing any part of your body, no exceptions.
Stressing yourself out in a performance is what happens mentally, psychologically, and emotionally when you place the ends, the performance, ahead of the means, you. The loving means is finding the most efficient way to use your body to get the job done, without making your physical and emotional wellbeing secondary to how well you play, sing, or conduct.
Let me make an unusual point here. THE WORLD REWARDS THE PERFORMANCE, BUT HAS VERY LITTLE TO SAY ABOUT WHAT WAS NEEDED TO CREATE A BEAUTIFUL PERFORMANCE, EXCEPT IT ADMIRES THE PERFORMER FOR THE HARD WORK PUT IN TO GET THE PERFORMANCE READY.
This means that the general consensus of the listeners is that the better the performance, the HARDER the performer or conductor must have practiced to create it.
WHAT IF YOU WERE TO WORK HARD FOR A WHILE, SO THAT YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK HARD TO CREATE WONDERFUL PERFORMANCES? What if you created a technique free of tension, so that the hours of practice put in were invigorating rather than exhausting? What if during practice you used your body so efficiently, that you were expending less energy to play, sing, or conduct, than you do when you’re sitting in front of the TV with collapsed posture?
One final point, it may not be easy to replace tension with postural balance and excellent technique. Why? Because if you’ve gotten to be a fine performer with poor posture and tension, then the pull of your established body sacrificing technique may slow down its replacement. The replacement technique and letting go of tension that comes from consciously choosing what works in the long run, will give you what you want out of a performance.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE WITH PERFORMANCE OR CONDUCTING HABITS THAT WORK FOR THE AUDIENCE BUT NOT YOU!