I participated in an Alexander Technique hands-on learning session for string players.

Last Saturday, I participated in the « Alexander Technique for String Players Experience Study Session » hosted by Ichirota, a fellow Vn player.

Ichirota is running this site.

I was introduced to this project by a friend of mine who I had performed with several times since then, not to mention at the time of the grain orchestra.

What is the Alexander Technique?

Let me quote Wikipedia as it is.

Well, it seems to have a range of application to various fields, not only to instrumental techniques. In fact, it might be better to say that it has been applied to instrumental techniques as well.

Why were you interested in participating in the trial session?

As I said when I was instructed during the course, I started playing the violin when I was an adult, and I started playing in an orchestra less than a year ago.

One of the reasons for this may be the way you hold yourself and your posture. However, I don’t know how to improve it.

At that time, I heard about this Alexander Technique workshop from Ichirota, a friend of mine.

I have had the pleasure of performing with Ichirota-san several times through grain orchestra, and we have continued to communicate in our private lives, so I decided to participate in this event.

Alexander Technique, frankly speaking

It is true that the Alexander Technique has a strong aspect of reviewing techniques from a medical point of view, but when you start taking lessons

「アタマ」の開放するためのメソッド

I’m getting a stronger impression that this is the case.

Isn’t the essence of this method to be able to concentrate more on the performance itself by playing without straining?

I would like to explain how I came to feel this way through the explanation of the experience.

The experience session Part 1: Participants and how to proceed

Now, let’s take a look at the actual event.

The trial session was held at a certain place in Tokyo, and there were about 20 participants. I have the impression that there were more women, and the age range was wide from students to the elderly. I think that the age group was wide from a student to an elderly person. Moreover, I think that there was a wide range from the viewpoint of the technical level here, too, not only an amateur but also a professional, a violin teacher, and an amateur whose history of the instrument goes from several years to several decades.

The basic style of the trial session is that one of the participants comes forward and tells the instructor about his or her problems and what he or she wants to improve, and then the instructor gives guidance based on that information in front of the other participants.

The trial session started with people raising their hands voluntarily if they wanted to be instructed up front, and the instructor nominating them.

Each participant was given 10 to 15 minutes of instruction, so we couldn’t provide instruction to all 20 participants within the 3-hour time frame, but I believe that many of the participants were still able to receive careful instruction one by one.

A scene from the trial session No.2: Specific teaching of the Technique, technical aspects

As quoted earlier, « It is characterized by a focus on the head-neck-back relationship, » for example.

• 首の位置の確認
• 肩甲骨を下げすぎると指の動きが不自由になる
• 背骨まっすぐにすることは実は背骨の構造とは反している

and other specific guidance was given at the hands-on session.

It seems that the idea of « keeping it movable » rather than « moving it » is at the root of it.

さらなる具体的な指導等については、先に紹介したいちろーたさんのブログ記事や他の方々のブログ記事などをご参考にしてみてください。

Trial Session #3: More mental guidance than expected

As I mentioned at the beginning, the Alexander Technique is mainly taught from a medical point of view, but what surprised me the most was that there was also a lot of teaching about the mental aspect.

I can also say that the instructor, Basil’s teaching style and « parable » were very easy to understand.

The following is a partial list of the contents.

No.1: Spam apps should be uninstalled

Our instructor, Mr. Basil…

If we compare our performance to an iPhone, the iPhone itself is our body, and our performance technique and thoughts about performance are the application.

metaphorically speaking

‘Negative thinking and excessive humility should be uninstalled immediately. It won’t do you any good in terms of performance.

He emphasized.

No.2: It is rather essential for a performer to get up

The reason you are up is because you have adrenaline. Basil says that it is good if you can direct that adrenaline to your performance.

In the past, the head of the Berlin Philharmonic (I’ve lost track of the instrument) used to say that when he took on an apprentice

« Do you get up for concerts? »

and only those who answered « yes » were allowed to become his disciples.

No.3: Never think of the audience as « pumpkins »!

This is also often asked as a countermeasure, but Basil said that this is definitely not good.

He turned to the audience and said, « I’m going to give you my performance. Please come and listen. It is important to keep this in mind, and when you think about it, I think it is a natural attitude for someone who is giving a performance to others.

Number 4: Don’t force control of what you can’t control.

One of the participants wanted to win the competition. I was impressed by Basil’s words to him, « Since I am going to compete, I want to win.

« I have good news and bad news.

« Let’s start with the bad news.

« In a competition, if you want to win it, it’s hard to get it.

I have good news for you.

‘It’s surprising what you can get when you think you’ll never win again.

In other words.

« Don’t try to control what you can’t control.

Just by thinking that, you can concentrate on your performance, that’s all.

Part 5: The Pledge.

The suggestion is to write a pledge like this every day.

‘God, I leave it to you to decide how well you play.

« In return, I will devote myself to my performance.

This is a story that can be expected to have such an effect that by writing every day, you can devote yourself to your performance and be able to face your performance sincerely.

Thinking again about what the Alexander Technique is.

It may seem that the Alexander Technique is a kind of training to improve one’s « mentality ».

「アタマ」の開放するためのメソッド

And for that…

カラダにかかる無駄な制約を取り除く必要がある

I thought it was something like that.

By the way, as I mentioned above, Basil said, « Your body is the iPhone itself, and the technology is the app.

When I heard this, I asked myself, « What exactly does iOS apply to then? This is a geeky question that I honestly don’t care about.

However, when I think about it, the Alexander Technique can be said to be a concept that smoothly connects the performance technique (=application) and the body (=hardware), so I thought that the mind is the OS, and it is to evolve this OS.

Perhaps the Alexander Technique is the idea that gives us the opportunity to evolve.

Whether that analogy is appropriate or not, I think it’s clear that if you can free yourself from the constraints of unnecessary body movement, you’ll be able to focus more on the performance aspect.

Alexander Technique in the future for me

Finally, I’ll write about what I want to do with myself in the future.

Honestly, it is obvious, but it is impossible to judge whether this method is effective or not after only one experience.

However, I don’t know if it was really the effect of my body becoming free, or just the effect of being brainwashed by Basil’s talk, which was so good.

Although « brainwashing » may be a bit of a misnomer, it is a fact that such a guiding concept can easily lead to a world of « believe it or not » without evidence, so I think we need to be especially careful about this point.

Therefore, I would like to take more time to think about whether I want to study the Alexander Technique in earnest in the future.

However, I would like to continue to follow at least the information of this Technique.

このような体験の場を設定していただいたいちろーたさんと講師のバジルさんにはあらためお礼を申し上げたいと思います。ありがとうございました。