Tuning up
Jeremy Woolhouse
Taking the time to tune your instrument is always worthwhile, and balancing the instrument’s components to suit the current environment and create the desired sound is quite an art. Alexander Technique considers one’s whole being to be the instrument for performance. Taking the time to make our whole selves in-tune with the current environment enhances any activity.
A balance of tension
Alexander Technique has been described as ‘tuning the body.’ The analogy to tuning a stringed instrument is apt, as in both cases, we are aiming for an appropriate amount of tension. Too much tension makes the instrument sharp or the body rigid, and too little makes the instrument flat or the body collapsed. Alexander Technique addresses ‘the body’ as part of a unified ‘whole-self.’ ‘Tuning our whole-selves’ might be extended to include nervous energy: too much creates anxiety and too little will leave us lacklustre.
The conditions of use
Numerous environmental, pathological, historical, psychological and other elements create the condition we are in at any given moment. When we send Alexander Technique directions, we embrace the internal and the external situation we are currently in. Our directions are bringing us towards the effective coordination of the body relative to itself, our musical instrument (or other tool) and our performance (or practice) environment.
The more we adapt psychologically and physically to our environment, the more we can integrate external elements into our performance. An example might be the pianist who adjusts her or his peddling technique to accommodate the change in the room’s acoustic when an audience is present. In the same way, the musician can embrace any noises from the audience, nervous energies from colleagues or tensions within her or himself. When one stays coordinated, these elements become synergies to performance, rather than distractions. To ‘tune-up’ is to ‘tune in’ to all the current internal and external conditions and refine our response.
Meeting the moment
Attending to the head-torso relationship is a primary interest in Alexander Technique. A positive central poise facilitates improved coordination in the rest of the body. However, being ‘in tune with your body’ also requires being ‘in tune’ with your intentions. The body cannot know how to coordinate without an idea of what activity it needs to coordinate for. The activity that we are undertaking at any given time is an essential element of coordination. For example, clarifying your artistic intention for performance helps you to engage an appropriate attitude and instrumental technique.
Thelonius Monk was both criticised for his poor piano technique and heralded as a jazz genius. The pianistic techniques he employed suited his artistic intentions and were in sync with his physical and personal attitude to music. The same pianistic technique and attitude, however, might not generate the speed and precision which is characteristic of an artist like Oscar Peterson. Both players are great musicians who developed a technique and physical attitude in sync with their artistic ideals and personalities. If we perform a wholistic ‘tune-up’, this helps us access the technique and poise which is suited to our current performance situation.
Perspective
Alexander Technique optimises our internal conditions and brings them ‘in-tune’ with both external environments and our artistic intentions. The moment of ‘tuning-up’ is also an opportunity to check that you are ‘in tune’ with any big-picture goals. These may be the overarching motivations for playing, such as ‘to enjoy the sound I create’ or ‘to learn from each experience.’ If our in-the-moment performance is not aligned with our big-picture intention, the results will be dissatisfying. Reviewing the big-picture intentions can help us appreciate that the discipline of musical practice (or the pressure of performance) is something we have decided is worthwhile and fulfilling in spite of the inherent challenges.
Using time well - don’t waste a minute!
Any moment offers the scope to practise ‘tuning up.’ Taking the instrument out of its case, unfolding a music stand, and walking onto a stage or into a practice room each provide an opportunity for checking in, and these ordinary moments can become a ritual - a series of mindful and body-full actions which transition one from the mundane tasks of everyday life into the sacred space of music-making. If we practice ‘tuning up,’ the connection between self, space and art becomes more familiar and accessible for those times when being ‘in tune’ counts the most.