It is no secret that violinists often suffer from discomfort and pain. The combination of an awkward holding position, the incredible intricacy of the movements involved, and the many hours of practice and performing, can lead to a smorgasbord of unnecessary tensions. Violinists need a way out of these tensions – or preferably a way to prevent them from occuring in the first place.
This is where the Alexander Technique can help. The Technique is a set of principles for discovering ease, balance, support and reduced tension in any activity. It focuses on the best ‘use of the self’, and optimizes the amount of muscle tone underlying all kinds of movement.
As part of the Alexander Technique and Music Conference 2021, I created a short interactive video to help violinists experience some aspects of the Alexander Technique, such as discovering a less reactive approach to playing, working with gravity instead of holding against it, and replacing excessive muscle tension with adaptability, lightness and buoyancy. For the video, I used the metaphor of three trees as follows:
- Tree on a sunny day – discover emptiness
- Tree in a whirlwind – discover emptiness in movement
- Tree in the breeze – discover spring
I introduced these explorations with some wonderful quotes from three string playing pedagogues: Paul Rolland, Herbert Whone and Vivien Mackie. You can view my video here:
If you’re a violinist, I hope the video will give you some ideas to incorporate into your playing. Having said this, one-to-one hands-on work from a qualified teacher is the sina qua non of the Alexander Technique, so if you’re in the Bristol or London area, do contact me if you’d like to give it a try.
