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What the hell is this thing? Alexander Technique, or AT for short, is a method for reducing body tension and avoiding injuries. It was created by F.M. Alexander in the early 1900s. He was a singer and had trouble with getting hoarse every time he sang, and doctors were no help. He started observing himself and realized he had habits he was completely unaware of, that were hindering his singing. He developed a method of thinking that allowed him to inhibit unhelpful habits, which allowed him to continue his singing career. Later, he started teaching his technique and it became popular with musicians, actors, and dancers, among others. Okay, but...what is it? This is hard to summarize, and different teachers will have different methods. In my classes, we do small experiments on ourselves and observe our reactions. Then, once we've identified a harmful habit, we look for ways to bypass our habit to develop more healthy ways of moving. The most important concept here is that problems in our musicianship is often not caused by over-use, but mis-use. If you learn efficient ways of "the use of the self", practicing and performing need not be a painful process. Alright, I'm interested. How do I try it? The best way to give it a try is with a qualified teacher. I own a couple books on AT, and, while they were helpful, nothing came close to working with a teacher. There are several teachers that offer online instruction (FWIW, I have only done this online since I started after COVID). YMMV - not all teachers are alike. You can probably expect to pay $50-$100 for a private lesson, or less for group lessons - I attend a weekly musicians' group workshop which costs $20 for an hour. Most large music conservatories employ an in-house AT teacher, which should give you an idea of how professional musicians regard it. What should I expect? Don't expect this to work instantly. During my first couple sessions, it felt like I was having major epiphanies - my shoulders don't hurt! I can fret notes without pain! Unfortunately, habits are strong and will come back, over and over. At this point I've been practicing AT for a year and a half, and have experienced several milestones in my understanding and use of the technique. I plan on continuing the work for the immediate future. Testimonials Many prominent musicians have used AT to reduce injuries and play better. Some examples off the top of my head: Paul McCartney, Julian Lage (good essay by him here: https://www.easeofbeing.com/digging-deeper-the-diving-board-effec), Sting Resources https://alexandertechnique.com/ - a general site for AT info. This is largely run by one teacher, who has a podcast, likes to promote himself, etc. You can use this site to find a local teacher, if you like. Quotes (taken from https://www.chicagoalexanderteachers.com/performers) I find The Alexander Technique very helpful in my work. Things happen without you trying. They get to be light and relaxed. You must get an Alexander teacher to show it to you. -John Cleese, actor I love the Alexander Technique. It has corrected my posture, improved my health and changed my life. -Alec McCowen CBE, actor The Alexander Technique has played an important and beneficial part in my life. -John Houseman, actor, producer and director Alexander students rid themselves of bad postural habits and are helped to reach with their bodies and minds, an enviable degree of freedom of expression. -Michael Langham, Director, The Juilliard School, New York USA The Alexander Technique has helped me to undo knots, unblock energy and deal with almost paralyzing stage fright -William Hurt, actor The Alexander Technique can be sustaining; it is something that if learned well, can be carried along with you for the rest of your life. It gives you confidence to be who you are when you are up in front of an audience. -Patrick Maddams, managing director, Royal Academy of Music The Technique's many benefits for actors include minimized tension, centeredness, vocal relaxation, and responsiveness, mind/body connection and about an inch and a half of additional height. -Kevin Kline, actor The Alexander Technique makes a real difference to my often tense and busy life. Its thoughtful approach has made me calmer, improved my concentration and given me a clearer sense of my own well-being. I am grateful for it. -Joan Bakewell, TV presenter and journalist End Relay your experiences with AT here, or ask questions. I've experienced such profound changes in the way I play guitar through AT, and feel strongly that many musicians would benefit from paying attention to their use of the self.
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Sep 15, 2022 15:39
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 13:27 |
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Helianthus Annuus posted:I want to know about Alexander Technique as it applies to fingerstyle guitar! Specifically, I have a problem when playing electric guitar without a pick, because muting the open strings is quite demanding on my technique! i've talked with my teacher about this a LOT, for nylon specifically. muting is a challenge and not one i'm great at. however, here's some stuff you can observe... first: can you sense where the tension is originating? sometimes, if my shoulder feels tense, i can do things like wiggle my elbows, which releases my hands from my upper arms and relaxes the whole system. it can help to think of moving from your fingers and letting the rest of your arm follow. even if you can sense where the tension is coming from, it's often secondary - you may have lots of left side tension, which isn't allowing your right side to move freely. the whole shoulder-collarbone system is actually detached from your torso. we often hold that in place rather than letting it move. second, do you ever play in front of a mirror? i often need to do this because my self-conception is WAY off from reality. for example i keep noticing in the mirror i'm tweaking my wrist during chords, but would have sworn i was keeping it straight. third, and this is more broad. "posture isn't a place", as my teacher likes to say. if you have some idea of the "correct" posture and form, you may be inadvertently restricting your movement to that position. instead, allow yourself to move as needed. "micro-movement", we can call it. let yourself move forward and back from your hips, your shoulders, etc - this can help you calibrate a more comfortable neutral. lots of stuff to try out, but those are some ideas off the top of my head (not an alexander technique teacher disclaimer)
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Sep 22, 2022 19:41
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Cabbages and Kings posted:I did AT lessons for, I don't know, several months in McLean VA in 2010 or so, to try to reduce stress on some muscles that were causing a tendonitis called "hyoid syndrome". this has been my experience as well. guitar playing is such a deep, ingrained habit for me that it's one of the last to see improvement. meanwhile, my posture and balance during other activities that i don't do often (like stacking wood) is greatly improved. sounds like those animals had it made
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Sep 26, 2022 19:36
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Helianthus Annuus posted:What do the Alexander black-belts saying to focus on when stacking wood? Are you squaring up to it before trying to lift, getting your feet under it? ha, i didn't get any formal advice on it - this was more about noticing and relaxing the arm & wrist muscles i wasn't using instead of tensing my entire body the whole time
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Sep 28, 2022 16:14
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Helianthus Annuus posted:One thing I think I'm picking up on is: there are lots of small movements that make a big difference to balance and structure, but most people never do them because you wouldn't think to try unless prompted. yup, that's a good way to put it Helianthus Annuus posted:What do they have to say about core muscle engagement and breathing? we talk about this a lot, let's see what i can remember:
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Sep 29, 2022 15:33
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Cabbages and Kings posted:I honestly think this stuff could be life changing for most people. Musicians, computr janitors like me, people who use hand tools for a living --- RSI is the common thread in injuries, and RSI can be greatly mitigated through careful and varied and mindful movement. i feel strongly about this. i came into movement stuff because i'm a computer person, have had horrible posture all my life and along with that came horrible shoulder pain at age 26. there's no reason we should all have to live with that, and it's frustrating that it's talked about that way: i just "have a bad back", "it's what happens when you get old / sit all day at the computer", all that. i don't accept it! webcams for christ posted:I did monthly private AT lessons for 2 years and it was incredible. Permanently changed my relationship with my body, movement, and Being. hell yeah. initially i read this as 2 months, which was cool, but 2 years makes more sense to me. the way my first lessons went was: "wow, this is incredible! i'm completely changed!" then, after the lesson, i went right back to my habits. this stuff takes a looooong time to sink in. re: feldenkrais, i haven't tried it, but the way i see it, all these disciplines are different perspectives on the same idea. how can we move ourselves freely, without pain? they're all valuable in some way and imo there's a lot of value in seeing different perspectives. i have an AT book by Penelope Easten who says as much. she suffered with chronic fatigue syndrome for many years and tried everything under the sun, and what fixed it was NOT alexander technique, but something similar. she rolls a lot of ideas from other disciplines into her work, which is very cool.
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Oct 7, 2022 00:27
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here's something for anyone interested in trying out AT for free. Alexander Technique Teachers of Greater Philadelphia are putting on their annual "Summit", which is free to register and has 3 sessions a day. give it a try! https://alextechgreaterphila.com/online-alexander-technique-summit/
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Oct 11, 2022 21:05
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 13:27 |
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abske_fides posted:Another form of this is https://www.timani.no/ interesting! i hadn't heard of this before. reading their "Seven Pillars of Timani", it sounds similar to the way my teacher conducts her AT classes - minimal new agey stuff, more focus on anatomy, with exercises for movement and breathing. i would give that a shot if i could find a teacher
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Dec 1, 2022 17:12
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