Viola – Opposition in the Alexander Technique (Musicians)(Pain)(Strain)(Injuries)(Posture)(Albuquerque)

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Viola 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 viola 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)
Opposition is an Alexander Technique concept that is about the physical relationships within one’s body, and your relationship to what you are doing. It is a concept put into practice that teaches you how not to collapse into your body and how not to collapse into what you’re doing.
Applied to the viola, it means you don’t collapse downward to the viola as you play the viola or pull the viola into your neck. If you observe a 1,000 violists, you will see most of them not in a truly effortless postural upright balance to the viola. They are usually collapsing downward to the instrument and their hands, or arching away from the viola, even as their heads are pressing into the instrument.
The internal aspect of opposition means that as you collapse downward toward the viola, it means you’re head is closer to your hands and your legs, as you pull your head down to see the music and control the instrument, which means you’re skeleton is not in opposition posturally and between your joints.
The psychological component of this is that you are trying to get your head closer to what you’re doing, to get control of your viola playing. You unconsciously are attempting to be more accurate by being even closer to what you are doing. It is actually physicalizing fear posturally, because you’re afraid of making a mistake.
Most of us learned to do this when we learned to read and write in school, attempting to read or write well for a good grade, with our heads two inches away from the book or paper. You also learned to do this when you were a beginner on the viola, attempting to get control by pressing your head into the viola.
WHEN YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO STAND OR SIT FULLY UPRIGHT WITH THE VIOLA WITH BALANCED POSTURE AND YOUR HEAD RELEASING UPWARD WITH YOUR JAW RELEASED ON THE VIOLA, YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR BODY, TECHNIQUE, AND SELF, AND YOU WILL ULTIMATELY BE IN GREATER CONTROL OF THE VIOLA.
Opposition is an extraordinary concept, that when put into practice, allows you to use your body in relationship to the viola in such a balanced way, that you are able to do the least amount of work necessary to play the viola with effortless coordination.
Being in opposition to the viola is also a physicalizing of how you want your relationship to be to the viola. What I mean, is if you are pulling downward and toward the viola, then you are not conscious in the moment of how you are using your body. In other words, your desire to play the viola well is shaping your posture and your technique, and you are not in control.
When you consciously choose your posture and your technique and remain conscious of how you want to be in relationship to the viola, then you are choosing also how you want to feel about the viola. This means as you stand or sit fully upright with the viola, aware of your head, neck, and torso balanced upward and flowing upward instead of toward the viola, and you send your hands and arms to the viola instead of pulling the viola into your body, then you aren’t playing with tunnel vision.
Tunnel vision leads to tunnel posture, which means as you play the viola without opposition, your technique and posture is being forced on you, because you are trying to get the music right. Rather than you choosing to stand or sit up and balanced and watching it unfold in the moment, you are using excess tension and poor posture to try as hard as you can to play well.
IT IS AN AMAZING FEELING WHEN YOU PLAY THE VIOLA MAKING ALL OF THE POSTURAL AND TECHNIQUE DECISIONS, RATHER THAN THE VIOLA AND MUSIC FORCING YOU TO SACRIFICE YOUR BODY, BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF THE VIOLA AT ANY COST.

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An Alexander Technique Approach to Viola Technique

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Ethan Kind

AUTHOR, TRAINER "When you change old habitual movement patterns with the Alexander Technique, whether in playing a musical instrument, running, weightlifting, walking, or typing at a computer, you create an ease of body use that moves you consistently into the zone." - Ethan Kind Ethan Kind writes and is published extensively on all of the above activities. He teaches musicians, athletes, and computer operators how to stop hurting themselves, by showing them how to use their bodies with ease and coordination. He brings a unique perspective to his work, having been a musician and athlete all of his life. After training for three years at the American Center for the Alexander Technique (New York, NY), Ethan received Professional Certification credentials.

4 Comments

  1. ashely montgumery on August 21, 2012 at 5:46 am

    i wanted to know the playing technique not just the posture:(



    • ethankind on August 21, 2012 at 12:16 pm

      If you buy the ebook, the ebook gets very specific about viola technique.



  2. Geetha.d on November 27, 2012 at 9:53 am

    Wonderful post.



    • ethankind on November 27, 2012 at 1:27 pm

      Thank you very much. Contact me with any questions.