by PedrodeAlcantara (Author)
The problems of a musician may have many causes and many possible solutions. While working conditions, stress, and instrument and furniture design are all significant factors, the most important aspect of a musician's life remains not what is done to them, but what they do to themselves. F.M. Alexander (1869-1955) saw the individual as a whole, and talked not of 'the body' but of 'the self'; not of 'posture', but of 'use'. The aim of his technique is not to teach you to do what is right, but to help you stop doing what is wrong, through a series of practical procedures which awaken your awareness and allow you to develop your innate potential. The Alexander Technique applies to all areas of musical activity, from technique, sound production, and interpretation, to daily practice, rehearsal routines, and the mitigating of stage fright and health problems. This book, by an experienced professional musician and Alexander teacher, is the first to deal specifically with the applications of the Technique to music making.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 330
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
Published: 20 Feb 1997
ISBN 10: 0198165692
ISBN 13: 9780198165699
This is one of the most thorough discussions of the Alexander technique to appear in recent years, and the musical component renders it unique. Recommended to all libraries with music collections. --Choice
.. .teeming with resources and ideas, ... musicians will appreciate the specificity of its technical tete-a-tete. --Chamber Music
Indirect Procedures provides musicians with their first authoritative overview of the Alexander Technique that is specifically directed to the profession. Alcantara has made a significant and valuable contribution. --Piano & Keyboard