Alexander Technique approach to Classical Guitar Technique
Ethan Kind: "Between 1971 and 1974 I attended the Royal College of Music in London, where I studied guitar with John Williams and Carlos Bonell. I also studied the Alexander Technique privately with Jean Gibson, who is well known for being Sally Swift's teacher. Ms. Swift wrote Centered Riding, which is a beautiful book on Alexander Technique applied to dressage. In those three years I joined the technique of these extraordinary players with Alexander Technique to heal carpal tunnel syndrome in my left hand and have never had wrist problems since."
The article contains:
- Alexander Technique Approach to Classical Guitar Technique
- Goal of the Alexander Tech
- History of the Alexander Technique
- Orders and Inhibition in the Alexander Technique
- Two Necessary Conditions
- The Teacher's role
- Guitar Technique: Right Hand
- Fingertips
- Guitar Technique: Left Hand
- Left Hand: The fingers
- Posture
- Shoulders
- Fingers lengthen
Further Reading
- Alcantara, Pedro de. Indirect Procedures. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1997.
- Alexander, F.M. Constructive Conscious Control of the Individual. E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., 1923 (Longbeach, CA: Centerline Press, 1985).
- Alexander, F.M. Man's Supreme Inheritance. E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., 1942 (Long beach, CA: Centerline Press, 1988).
- Alexander, F.M. The Universal Constant of Living. E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., 1941 (Long beach CA: Centerline Press, 1986).
- Alexander, F.M. The Use of the Self. E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., 1932 (Long beach, CA: Centerline Press, 1984).
- Bonpensiere, Luigi. New Pathways to Piano Technique. New York, NY: Philosophical Library, 1953.
- Caplan, Deborah. Back Trouble. Gainesville, FL: Triad Publishing Company, 1987.
- Conable, Barbara. What Every Musician Needs To Know About The Body. Portland, OR: Andover Press, 2000.
- Gelb, Michael. Body Learning. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 1987.
- Kind, Ethan. Inspiring Musical Performance. AmSAT News, Issue No. 76, 2008.
- Kind, Ethan. The Hurting Musician. American Music Teacher, Vol. 56, No. 6 June/July, 2007.
- Ortmann, O. The Physiological Mechanics of Piano Technique. New York, NY: E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., 1929.
- Stein, Charles. To Schlep or Not to Schlep: Guidelines for Music Performance Teachers. American Music Teacher, Vol. 45, No. 5, April/May, 1996.
Article © 2008 Ethan Kind. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission of the author.