Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE
« Loving every minute.... | Main | Let's have a cuppa »
Mirrors, technique and basics
Heifetz playing without a shoulder rest.
Have you ever noticed some-one's characteristics or mannerisms and realised how they mirror yourself? This can be not only fascinating, but also alarming, and possibly even devastating. Responding with gaping mouth and wide, unbelieving eyes, we think "Oh God!" If the observations are personal, then we can find ourselves turning against that person. However, with luck we may realise that the problem is not with them, but with ourselves and our perceptions. The solution is to be found in changing our own thinking and perspective.
This unnerving experience happened to me at the weekend when I went to a violin recital. The mirroring however, was not of a personal nature, but one of a practical aspect of playing the violin. The soloist who will remain nameless, is considered a virtuoso performer, she tours world-wide and has made many CD recordings. The performance was good, she received rapturous applause, gave an encore and everyone left smiling. I too enjoyed much of the concert, but I was left with a lasting impression that has since changed my life....at least as far as my own violin playing is concerned.
What I noticed was not her personal mannerisms, but her technique and how alarmingly similar I knew some aspects of my own to be. This was not a pleasant or reassuring experience, but one of concern as truth stared me in the face. Mirrors don't lie, only how we 'choose' to see ourselves. And here in this performer I could see where I must not go.
The violinist had a long neck, and like myself used a shoulder rest. This was adjusted to quite a height to support the violin high under her chin to avoid hunching the left shoulder. But what drew my attention was how locked up she appeared in her shoulders, upper back, neck and arms. Despite this she played well and with passion. But one could not be more fixed in place if we had a plaster-cast applied to the whole upper part of the body. You will get the picture. Such physical restrictions interfere with the freedom of our body, arms and neck, which ultimately has to affect our fluidity of movement and performance. This situation can equally apply to so many activities like tennis, golf, archery, horse riding, skiing or the playing of any other musical instrument.
What I observed was not 'how to do it', but how not to do it. Co-incidentally (and we know there are no co-incidences in life) I had just bought a book that drew my attention at the foyer of the concert hall when we arrived. It's called 'Talks with Emanuel Hurwitz - 82 Years with the Violin', by Riki Gerardy. I glanced at it during the interval and it fell open at a chapter called 'Technical Security and the Shoulder Rest'! Within the first three paragraphs he has succinctly explained how the use of a shoulder rest can encourage fixation of the upper body, reduce the effectiveness and dexterity of the left thumb and lead to problems. He qualifies his comments by saying there are many fine violinists who use shoulder rests, the use of which does not determine either good or bad playing. But there are dangers and it is probably best not to use one if possible. The key must be to remain free of tension whether one is used or not.
Well in my own limited experience, I have noticed how there is a tendency to get locked up in the shoulders when using a shoulder rest, and with my Alexander Technique experience, I have worked hard at ensuring I remain as free as possible. But it has been in my mind for a long time, how nice it would be to not use one, to not rely on a contraption and be more in contact with the instrument. It seems more natural, although there is nothing natural about playing the violin. It must be one of the hardest instruments to play and I think myself mad to have started if it were not for the fact that I enjoy it.
So what did I do on arriving home? I binned the shoulder rest. Gone. I read with interest (and enthusiasm) that the violin should balance between the collar-bone and the left thumb. It is almost a juggling act, while also playing a piece. (This appeals to my interests in relation to the Alexander Technique.) Now without the security of a shoulder rest, the violin is precarious. But not entirely. Because now a new security needs to come from a well balanced body that is poised, lengthening and widening in stature. It is my own stability (without stiffening) that provides for security in playing.
It is now back to basics. I cannot play a single piece that I could last week because the change has upset my whole technique, but that's fine. I am now attending to a myriad of details and fundamentals, but do so in the knowledge that experimentation can do no wrong, the experience will develop my abilities and I will ultimately become a better player. I may eventually return to using a shoulder rest, but it will be with new insights and greater depth of experience. But I do wish to play the instrument, as Heifetz, Menuhin, Hubermann, Oistrach and all the others did in the last century before the shoulder rest was invented, free of device. There were violinists with long necks then as there are now, and they managed perfectly well. My nostalgic and traditional leanings sway me that way. My violin teacher supports me in my quest. I just hope I've got the stamina to go through the lengthy re-learning..... But in four days, I've made significant progress and I am excited for the future. I'll keep you posted.
(Read my follow-up blog on 1 December 2006 Here)
