This e-book, An Alexander Approach Method to Performing Musicians and Train, is revealed in a PDF format. It exhibits the performing musician how you can train with out inflicting put on and tear to the physique or compromise the standard of their performing method.
This e-book can also be on the market on all AMAZON web sites in a KINDLE format.
Positioned in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)
A number of weeks in the past a guitarist got here to me from out of city, and we did 18 hours of Alexander Approach classes in three days.
She has extreme focal dystonia in her left hand. At any time when she approached the guitar neck along with her left hand, her fingers locked up and her actions turned spasmotic.
By the point she left, she was starting to see that she might achieve management over her left hand, in order that at instances the actions have been far more mild.
I knew we couldn’t utterly overcome the focal the dystonia in three days, nevertheless it was a starting.
An apart right here: She raised the query as as to if there was neurological harm to the hand. In fact I couldn’t diagnose this, however we did check out different actions, like utilizing the pc keyboard.
We discovered she might sort completely simply on the keyboard along with her left hand, so we proceeded with the idea the focal dystonia was the results of an excessive amount of pressure and in addition concern, as soon as the lack of management began.
I just lately bought an e-mail from her saying there was some enchancment.
I had her switching the guitar from hand at hand whereas we labored, to have her proper hand reveal how you can play with out the lack of management.
In her e-mail, she mentioned regardless that the left hand was higher, it nonetheless jumped to the guitar neck completely uncontrolled at instances. The arm twitched, throwing the hand towards the neck and the fingers locking up.
I considered what she had written. Every part she mentioned she was doing was starting to repay, however there was one thing about the way in which she talked about her left hand hand that bothered me.
SHE DESCRIBED HER HAND AND ARM SPASMING TO THE NECK, AS IF IT HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN.
That is counter to the Alexander Approach precept that the thoughts can have Aware Management over the voluntary musculature.
Aware Management within the Alexander Approach teaches an individual to regain management over the voluntary musculature, by giving orders of allowance to a muscle or group of muscle groups, that don’t reply to the individual.
In different phrases, you inform your neck to cease hurting, it doesn’t, so that you come to imagine the neck has a thoughts of its personal. This may occur all around the physique.
So, I emailed the guitarist again, that the whole lot she was doing is working and can finally free her of the focal dystonia.
BUT THERE WAS ONE THING SHE NEEDED TO REEVALUATE, AND THAT WAS HER WORDS SAYING HER HAND AND ARM WERE NOT UNDER HER CONTROL.
THEY WEREN’T, as a result of she had come to imagine over a lifetime the physique does its personal factor at instances muscularly.
IT DOESN’T!
Should you come to imagine the physique has a thoughts of its personal, then you’ll not have management over your voluntary musculature, since you imagine you don’t.
We like to be proper! So proper, that we’ll show we’re proper even when we’re incorrect and it doesn’t assist us.
THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE DEMONSTRATES OVER AND OVER, THAT IF WE TELL OUR MUSCULATURE WHAT WE WANT, AND IT’S POSSIBLE, THEN WE WILL REGAIN CONTROL OVER THE MUSCULATURE WE BELIEVED WAS DOING ITS OWN THING.
Once you imagine that you simply don’t have aware management over a muscle, then that perception is Aware Management turned the other way up.
I requested the guitarist to simply accept she had Aware Management over her left hand and arm, to simply accept the hand and arm weren’t impartial of her thoughts, and to hold in there gently ordering her hand and arm to do what she desires.
She bought it.