I have been meaning to write about the Alexander Technique lessons that I have been taking since April. I think I keep putting it off because there is so much to say. I had taken a workshop several years ago and noticed immediate benefits. I hadn't really realized that one takes a weekly lesson with a teacher for ease of overall body movement, but when my friend, Lynn, started taking lessons, she convinced me to start.
It has been an amazing journey. I have learned so many things from my lessons, and, after orchestra rehearsal last night, I realized that my back no longer really hurts on my right (bowing) side after playing through three movements of a symphony. I am also more fluid in the fast passages, although I am still working on playing faster.
One of the interesting things I've had a hard time allowing myself to do is to practice where I am not at all concerned about the quality of the sound, but about how my body movements feel. I have worked on making my left hand fingers go fast up and down the fingerboard (sloppy), or moving my bow quickly while fingers are relatively still. Then I put them together, and think about the arc of the music, or the direction. Of course, I still have to practice playing correct notes and rhythms, and I do that slowly and gradually increase my tempo. I figure that both approaches will meet in the middle.
It's been what seems like a long time getting to this point, and now I have a greater appreciation for my students who are learning to hold their instrument and play it for the first time. It is something that takes hours and hours of practice, and little by little, it comes along.
No comments:
Post a Comment