This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Harpsichord Technique, is published on this website in a PDF format. It is very detailed and practical, and it will give you the physical tools you need to take the limits off of your ability to create the accurate harpsichord technique you want without sacrificing your body.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)
This is an unusual article on the hands and fingers in a musical performance. I want to look at the hands of a performer, whether the performer uses the hands and fingers to perform or not. So, this article pertains to harpsichord players, as well as singers, conductors, drummers, and trombone players.
I’m going to look at hands in musical performance physically and psychologically. What do I mean? There is the pure Alexander Technique principle of good body use and how to use the hands to play an instrument without causing wear and tear, by using the hands with mechanical advantage.
And there is the psychological implication of what hands and fingers demonstrate in performance when you are a singer, conductor, drum set player, or trombone player.
Here is a definition of the Alexander Technique principle of “good use” applied to the hands. WHEN YOU MOVE THE FINGERS TO PLAY THE HARPSICHORD, YOU WANT TO DO SO WITHOUT CREATING ANY COMPRESSION IN THE JOINTS OF THE FINGERS AND THE WRISTS, WHETHER YOU ARE PLAYING EXTREMELY SLOWLY OR EXTREMELY QUICKLY.
This means that you DO NOT tense your hands in anticipation of controlling accuracy as you play faster. This tensing of your hands to control speed is usually very unconscious to the harpsichord player. What I mean is that tense hands are usually one of those UNCONSCIOUS things that a harpsichord player does to stay in control at a high tempo.
DO NOT TENSE YOUR HANDS AT THE HARPSICHORD TO PLAY AT A HIGH SPEED. WITHDRAW ANY TENSING OF THE HANDS TO PLAY ACCURATELY FAST, AND STRIKE THE KEYS WITH THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF MUSCLE BACKING UP SOFT HANDS AND FINGERS, AND MOVE THE FINGERS REFLEXIVELY.
MOVING THE FINGERS REFLEXIVELY MEANS STRIKING THE KEYS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND EFFORTLESSLY WITH THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF MUSCLE. MOVING REFLEXIVELY WITH SOFT HANDS GIVES YOU EXTRAORDINARY CONTROL AT A HIGH TEMPO, WITHOUT USING TENSION TO FORCE ACCURACY.
When you use tension to play very slowly or tension to play very fast, you are doing a very negative thing. You are forcing the bones of the fingers and of the wrist closer together, and years of this compression damages the cartilage in the joints. TRULY, YOU CAN PLAY THE HARPSICHORD AS FAST OR AS SLOWLY AS YOU WANT WITHOUT TENSING YOUR HANDS AND FINGERS BEFORE YOU PLAY, AND STILL HAVE ABSOLUTE CONTROL OVER YOUR HANDS.
Here is the psychological component of hands. Hands don’t tense themselves independently of the performer. They tense for two reasons that reinforce each other. Two truths: Almost all harpsichord players experience the fear of wanting to play the harpsichord well. Almost all harpsichord players could make changes to their harpsichord technique that would make their playing more mechanically advantageous.
When a harpsichord player performs with fear, then the tension of fear in the hands and moving fingers can compromise a harpsichord technique that could be more user friendly. This means the harpsichord player tenses the hands and fingers more and more to gain more control.
The harpsichord performance then usually goes downhill, and the harpsichord player tenses the hands even more to try to regain control.
WHAT IF THE HARPSICHORD PLAYER CHOSE TO WITHDRAW THE TENSION BUILDING IN THE HANDS AND FINGERS CAUSED BY FEAR, AND LEARNED TO TRUST THE HANDS TO PLAY BEAUTIFULLY AND EFFORTLESSLY. This would end the cycle of tension and fear and tension and fear etc. the performing harpsichord player was in.
It would bring to consciousness the unconscious technique habit of raising the tension level in the hands the more difficult the piece, and give the harpsichord player back “CONSCIOUS CONTROL” of his or her hands and fingers.
NOW, the hands and fingers of the singer, conductor, drummer and trombone player: The singer’s technique doesn’t use the fingers and the hands, and the conductor’s, the drum set player’s, and trombone player’s technique don’t utilize moving fingers (or at least minimally).
But in all of the above cases a clear sense of what is going on the hands and fingers has an effect on the performance.
Let me combine the Alexander Technique here with psychology. IF THE SINGER, CONDUCTOR, DRUM SET PLAYER, OR TROMBONE PLAYER EXPRESS THEMSELVES WITH EASY SOFT HANDS, THEN THE HANDS AND FINGERS ARE NOT REINFORCING FEAR BY EXPRESSING FEAR WITH TENSION. THIS ENABLES THE PERFORMER OR CONDUCTOR TO PERFORM OR CONDUCT MUCH MORE FEARLESSLY.
WHEN THE LEVEL OF FEAR OF THE PERFORMER OR CONDUCTOR DROPS LOWER AND LOWER, THEN THE PERFORMER OR CONDUCTOR IS ABLE TO OFFER A PERFORMANCE OF GREATER AND GREATER LOVE.
LOVE IS LETTING GO OF FEAR.
