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Recommended Reading
“She’s a NATURAL!”
Musicians - What are we doing that is different to everyone else?
First and foremost (!) we are human beings; the fact that we stand upright, talk, have opposable thumbs and so on is a remarkable feat by evolutionary terms.
Musicians of course have to consider they have taken a further step by playing an instrument.
THIS IS BY NO MEANS NATURAL
The only way you can make it LOOK and FEEL more natural is if you are careful and you train your body to think that it is natural.
Don’t put unnecessary strain on your hands/vocal chords/shoulders/joints
If it hurts your muscles/joints/voice, STOP (music is wonderful, but it’s definitely not worth hurting yourself for!). If you are starting a new instrument, chances are you will find holding it and/or playing it awkward and possibly even a bit painful after a few minutes. This will become easier if you follow the next point...
Keep reminding your body that this thing that is your instrument is not entirely foreign to your functions
Instruments have (usually) been designed with the comfort and health of the player in mind. That said, trying to hold and use anything new is going to feel strange at first. For example when we first started to write as children, the pen was all over the place I’m sure!
Take the clarinet as another example. Many of my younger pupils find it becomes too heavy to hold for a prolonged amount of time, their right thumb hurts. To help with this I tell them to play (meaning practice!) every day for as long as they can comfortably hold the instrument; when it gets too heavy, stop. Simple!
Breathing ‘to play the clarinet’ is also just the same as it ever was; you have been breathing with since you were born; all of my pupils them know how to talk, shout and scream at the top of their voices; they can all project without much concern for how they produce and support that sound over a fair distance of, say, a schoolyard. With that in mind, I always tell my pupils to pretend that they’re shouting “HEY!!” to their friend at the other end of the playground. They are usually able to do this (despite being a little embarrassed at first!). By asking them to do this silly thing, I am surreptitiously reminding them of their diaphragm and how to support their breath.
Only after following these points can you begin to think about actually practicing.
If you would like to read about Alexander Technique (a self-help technique to prevent injury as a performer) from the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), please take a look at the following URL:
http://bapam.org.uk/news/alexander-technique-for-musicians/
This goes into more depth about what the human body is capable of and what we can expect from it. Alexander Technique could save your playing, and even make it more rewarding!
