Dear Vance, I'm glad to say that whoever told you that it's necessary to give up playing to use Alexander Technique was quite wrong - you don't need to stop playing at all, let alone for 5 years. If you have Alexander lessons and play the lute, what will happen is that over a period of time an ability to play without excess tension will develop.
It's actually applied to your whole life rather than just music, so it's used in all physical activity and can have many beneficial effects on life in general. It requires some application to let go of old habits, but it can be done. Many Alexander Teachers are experienced in working with musicians and can help in this process. Finding a teacher in some parts of the world can be a problem, but there are professional bodies for AT around the world who publish lists of their members and can locate the nearest one to any area. I have not checked but I expect that Jacob has the necessary links on his website. Best wishes, Denys ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vance Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "lute list" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2005 6:14 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Repetitive Stress Syndrome > Denys: > > I agree, the Alexander Technique is the way to go. There are two problems, > one is finding someone who is skilled in teaching it, and the other is, as > I understand it, giveing up playing the instrument for five years so that > you can unlearn some bad habbits. Julian Bream used this method before he > retired and spoke well of it. > > As to the muscle awareness issue; I have found with myself that it will show > up first in my breathing. If my breathing becomes audible then my body has > become tense. Sometimes you do not notice this yourself, someone else may > have to point it out, or you can quickly discover it by recording your > playing. I realize this is not the sum of all things but it is one thing > you can start to think about where there was none. > > I am not playing down the Alexander Method, except for the five year > sabatical I have heard nothing bad about it and I don't know enough about it > in other areas to be critical. I would recomend it to anyone who has the > opportunity to access a good teacher. > > Vance Wood. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Denys Stephens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "lute net" <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2005 11:45 AM > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Repetitive Stress Syndrome > > > > Dear Vance, > > What you are saying would be good advice for > > someone with good kinaesthetic awareness, so > > it's not wrong and I'm sure it worked for you. > > But one of FM Alexander's discoveries was that the > > kinaesthetic sense that tells us what's going on in > > our body can be numbed by excess tension. After a > > time muscles that are habitually tense start to feel > > "normal" - he called this "unreliable sensory awareness." > > So in this state your body is not always doing what you think > > it is doing - it is of fundamental importance to > > understand that this can happen, although it's a challenging > > concept if you are not used to it. > > > > For a person whose kinaesthetic awareness is not > > functioning correctly it is impossible to let go of > > excess tension by volition. Furthermore, a habitual > > use of excess tension is extremely difficult to overcome. > > It can be partially released by relaxation or stopping > > the activity concerned (in this case lute playing) but > > when you start again the habitual use reasserts itself. > > > > I know this to be true from my own experience of > > poor posture and excess muscle tension holding back > > my own lute playing for about 10 years. For me > > use of the Alexander Technique was the only way > > of overcoming the problem that worked. So I keep > > mentioning it whenever someone complains about > > tension or muscle pains in the hope that it might > > help them waste less time than I did. > > > > Used to the fullest advantage Alexander Technique can > > really enhance musical performance - IMHO Jacob Heringman's > > wonderfully poised and relaxed playing technique is living > > proof of this. It is a standard part of the curriculum in many > > music and theatrical colleges, but is less well know to > > self taught musicians. > > > > Best wishes, > > > > Denys > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Vance Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "lute list" <[email protected]> > > Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2005 2:53 PM > > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Repetitive Stress Syndrome > > > > > > > Craig: > > > > > > I would not dream of telling you I have all the answers but I have had > > some > > > of the same problems and here is how I have dealt with them. First of > all > > > you are probably playing with too much tension in both arms. > > Understandable > > > because the music itself does not come easy and difficult things create > > > tension. Try to relax. Work out passages with as much relaxed posture > in > > > your arms as you can make yourself aware of. When you feel yourself > > tensing > > > up stop and start over. > > > > > > Work on material you already know well, pay attention to your shoulders. > > > Most likely you are pulling the muscles across the back causing your > > > shoulders to tense up. We are taught to sit up and have good posture, > but > > > this act in itself can cause the kind of tension that is giving you your > > > problems. If you can control this it might help, the tension in the > > upper > > > area can cause back ache, neck ache, and it does gets transmitted down > the > > > arm. If you have no aversion to taking supplements try Glucosemine and > > > Chondroitin, I prefer the stuff you mix in water it works better IMHO, > and > > > faster. Be careful with the elbow, you could be developing tendentious > > > where the only cure is to leave it alone till it goes away. Try to > relax > > > the right arm. I hope this helps in some way if nothing more than > making > > > you think about the tension in your body. I look forward to more > informed > > > responses. > > > > > > Vance Wood. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Craig Allen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "Lute List" <[email protected]> > > > Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 1:46 PM > > > Subject: [LUTE] Repetitive Stress Syndrome > > > > > > > > > > Lately my right arm has been giving me lots of pain, in particular > > inside > > > the elbow. And it's affecting my playing. I sit and pracitice for half > an > > > hour and when I unwind from the instrument I get this pain right inside > > the > > > elbow. I suspect the general cause is working on a computer all day and > > > finally the mouse is catching up with me. I'm also getting a sharp pain > at > > > the left shoulder just at the base of my neck. This can be excruciating. > > > > > > > > So then, does anyone here experience similar pains and aches and what > > are > > > you doing about it? If you're undergoing physical therapy I'd be > > interested > > > to know more about what kind specifically. I've also heard Pat O'Brien > > often > > > has good advice for these sorts of things, but as I'm not in New York > > maybe > > > one of his students here could expound on any help he's given them. > > > > > > > > Thank you for your replies. > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > Craig > > > > > > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________ > > > > $0 Web Hosting with up to 200MB web space, 1000 MB Transfer > > > > 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much more. > > > > Signup at www.doteasy.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > > > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > > > Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.12.5/148 - Release Date: > 25/10/2005 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > > Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.12.5/148 - Release Date: 25/10/2005 > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.12.5/148 - Release Date: 25/10/2005 > > -- Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.12.5/148 - Release Date: 25/10/2005
