Violin – The Main Strength of an Alexander Technique Teacher (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)
What makes the Alexander Technique teacher so extraordinarily good at working with violinists is our ability to work outside of the box, whether the Alexander Technique teacher has played the violin or not. In fact, the Alexander Technique teacher who has never played the violin may be able to give the violin player what he or she needs in a way that is way outside of the box. What do I mean?
When I was an aspiring concert guitarist, I went to an Alexander Technique teacher, because I was causing carpal tunnel syndrome to my left wrist, practicing the guitar hours and hours every day. Because the Alexander technique teacher I worked with was not a classical guitarist, she effortlessly got me to question everything I did on the guitar from head to toe.
It was extraordinary for me after years of playing and after many fine guitar teachers, to dismantle everything I thought was necessary to be a concert guitarist, and create my own personal guitar technique.
I kept what worked, let go of what didn’t work, fined tuned what almost worked, and added whole new ways of accomplishing for the first time what I was truly capable of on the guitar.
What I bring to the violinist are the eyes of an Alexander Technique teacher. I assist the violin player in being able to consciously use his or her whole body in a completely elegant, athletic, and coordinated way. I teach the violinist how to play extraordinarily accurately without paying a physical price by collapsing or hunkering down to play.
How do I do this? I went through a three year training, and in my Alexander Technique training I learned to use my whole body with ease and balance in everything I do, from running, to brushing my teeth, to playing the guitar, to teaching the Alexander Technique.
My training also taught me to look at any activity, from walking to playing the violin, and to spot when the person is sacrificing his or her body for the activity. What does this mean? It means when I work with the violinist, I can clearly see when the violin player is hunkering down paying a painful physical price to play with accuracy and feeling. I can see when the violinist is not connected to his or her torso and legs when playing. I can see when the violinist is not balanced from head to toe when he or she plays, and because of this whole body imbalance, is using too much upper body muscle to play.
What I also bring to the violinist is that I embody whole body good use as I assist the violin player in creating his or her personal effortless and accurate violin technique. This means, even if the violinist doesn’t know it consciously, I demonstrate to the violin player with my own posture how to play without pain, strain, and compression. I also use verbal directions and directing hands on the violinist’s body to communicate what is needed to create a pain-free violin technique.
SINCE I AM NOT SACRIFICING MY BODY AS I TEACH THE VIOLINIST, EVERYTHING ABOUT MY POSTURE, WORDS, AND HANDS COMMUNICATE TO THE VIOLIN PLAYER HOW TO DO THE SAME ON THE VIOLIN.
An Alexander Technique teacher is extraordinarily unique in the world of postural teaching, because the Alexander Technique teacher is teaching the violinist to do as the Alexander Technique teacher EMBODIES and says, rather than doing only as I say. Simply, if I tell you to play without locking your neck, and I tell you this with poor posture, you will have one heck of a time learning to play the violin with a released and lengthening neck and decompressed spine.
You won’t know why playing the violin with a free neck seems so hard, but it is because unconsciously you are receiving conflicting messages from me talking about good posture and exhibiting poor posture. A certified Alexander Technique teacher can truly say do as I do, do as I say, and do as my hands are communicating to your nervous system through my free nervous system.

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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.

2 Comments

  1. Steve Linder on December 22, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    Ethan,
    I am interested in purchasing “An Alexander Technique Approach to Violin Technique” in a hardcopy book format, if possible, and if not in PDF format. Can you help me with this? I found difficulty in navigating the site to obtain the PDF version of the book. I also see that the kindle version is available on Amazon, but I would prefer a book or PDF if the book is not available.
    Thanks,
    Steve Linder



    • ethankind on December 22, 2014 at 2:46 pm

      On my website, http://www.ethankind.com, on the Home Page, click on the turquoise bar to the left that says PDF eBooks. This takes you to Ebooks by Ethan Kind. At the bottom of the page click on Add to Cart in the yellow pill shaped box. This will take you to a page where you can buy as many ebooks as you like through Paypal. On Paypal there is a place to leave a message saying which ebook(s) you want me to send you. Or simply email me after you’ve paid for it or them, telling me which ebook(s) you want. Then I manually send you the PDF format of the ebook(s).
      Looking forward to your order.