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

This ebook, An Alexander Technique Approach to Violin 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 violin 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 violin, it means you don’t collapse downward to the violin as you play the violin or pull the violin into your neck. If you observe a 1,000 violinists, you will see most of them not in a truly effortless postural upright balance to the violin. They are usually collapsing downward to the instrument and their hands, or arching away from the violin, even as their heads are pressing into the instrument.
The internal aspect of opposition means that as you collapse downward toward the violin, 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 violin 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 violin, attempting to get control by pressing your head into the violin.
WHEN YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO STAND OR SIT FULLY UPRIGHT WITH THE VIOLIN WITH BALANCED POSTURE AND YOUR HEAD RELEASING UPWARD WITH YOUR JAW RELEASED ON THE VIOLIN, YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR BODY, TECHNIQUE, AND SELF, AND YOU WILL ULTIMATELY BE IN GREATER CONTROL OF THE VIOLIN.
Opposition is an extraordinary concept, that when put into practice, allows you to use your body in relationship to the violin in such a balanced way, that you are able to do the least amount of work necessary to play the violin with effortless coordination.
Being in opposition to the violin is also a physicalizing of how you want your relationship to be to the violin. What I mean, is if you are pulling downward and toward the violin, then you are not conscious in the moment of how you are using your body. In other words, your desire to play the violin 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 violin, then you are choosing also how you want to feel about the violin. This means as you stand or sit fully upright with the violin, aware of your head, neck, and torso balanced upward and flowing upward instead of toward the violin, and you send your hands and arms to the violin instead of pulling the violin into your body, then you aren’t playing with tunnel vision.
Tunnel vision leads to tunnel posture, which means as you play the violin 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 VIOLIN MAKING ALL OF THE POSTURAL AND TECHNIQUE DECISIONS, RATHER THAN THE VIOLIN AND MUSIC FORCING YOU TO SACRIFICE YOUR BODY, BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF THE VIOLIN AT ANY COST.

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An Alexander Technique Approach to Violin 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.