Constructing Freedom

   6/10/21 RECORDING SIMULATION DRILL DAY 5

Playing with ease is paramount to to any given piece of music and to the long term health of the performing musician. Knowing the piece is bottom line. Then what? Can I play with unity of body, mind and feelings? Between my practice with meditation, Qi Gong and the Alexander Technique I know and understand the vitality available if I allow myself the time to settle into the present moment. Yesterday with the work done within the AT Cycle Practice group I was there.

Todays session was led by Daniela Sangiorgio.  When we had completed doing the Cycle practice there was time for reflection and observations. Regarding the practice of constructive thinking Daniela said “ we do what we do so we can find out when we interfere. When we stop interfering ease will flow.” Yet these are words. The experience of this simple but powerful exercise known as the Cycle Practice over the past few months has been worthwhile. 

I took on recording the most difficult of the pieces I am preparing for later this month. I would like a recording of this work titled What is This? to assist my practice. 

Photo by Paul van de Velde

Questioning My Approach

 As I strive to introduce ease and joy into the six new pieces I am learning I arrived at a couple of useful questions today. What if this learning and practice could be easy? How am I making this harder than it needs to be?

I am grateful and fortunate to have some great music to develop and release. Plus I have the time, skills and discipline to focus on what needs doing. Expanded some mental practice with When I Am? today. Need more of this. While the mental practice is not an easy process, it does not stress my body.

My continued exploration of TheCycle practice with a team of four different Alexander Technique Teachers is also bearing much fruit in the ease of my guitar practice and life. Truly I am a fortunate man.

How Far Within My Limits?

 The human individual lives usually far within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. - William James.

How far within my limits have I lived this life? What will I use today that will increase my capability to enhance our world? What might I bring to one note, then another?

Today I began learning a piece that arose recently - When I Am. If I wish to play with ease and joy - how might I apply these factors to my learning this piece? Before I began my practice today I went through the TheCycle by Mio Morales. An exercise of constructive thinking based on his work with the Alexander Technique. I have been practicing this with a group of AT teachers that I was introduced to by Peter  Legowski. 

As I worked with the first four bars of music, I would pause and invite in ease and joy using the TheCycle. When I noticed I wanted to rush to the next section, I would again pause introducing ease. What better  way to have this sense of ease and joy then to introduce them into the act of learning. If you would like to spend a few minutes in active relaxation join these AT teachers at 10 am Eastern M-F. More info is here: https://www.wholenessworkshop.com/post/it-s-hard-to-make-a-change

Entangled

Entangled body/mind.

Let thoughts fall winds clear our path.

Freedom comes then goes.

I need to give myself permission to pause during my practice session. When I notice my body is tense or the mind dancing with non-related thoughts. Pushing through will not provide me with freedom. Practice is not a performance. I am not in front of anyone, no set time frame for getting off the stage.

If I want to perform well, then pausing during practice is the way forward. When my body and mind are entangled or confused a simple pause for a few breaths invites in freedom. A simple pause for constructive thinking opens the door to letting go of the entanglement. And as Mio Morales pointed out in his Cycle Study session of the Alexander Technique this morning the improvement arrives here and now but also better prepares me into the future. As the Guitar Craft aphorism aptly describes: Small incremental changes are transformative.

Pauses open me to how I am using myself right now. Guiding my nervous system to find ease. And then repeating the questions or directions again. Bringing my hands to the guitar and noticing how I am using my body. Pausing again and then again. Noticing the energetic shift to freedom and then noticing again, when I am diligent, that habit has returned. Will I remember to pause again? Will you?  

Photo by Mohamed Hassan

 

Which End

As I was getting ready to tune, I noticed my copy of the Seven Habits on the shelf and thought about “Begin with the end in mind.” How did I want to be or where by the end of this practice day? In a year?  What do I want/need to learn that will facilitate my next musical release?

Gently adjusting the tuning peg listening to the low C settling in. Noticing tension in my left shoulder I let go a bit. Could I keep both instruments, guitar and body, in tune for the next couple hours. With pausing this was possible and supported the progress I made with a few pieces.

In the afternoon we had a session of the Practice Consortium, a collection of fifty or os guitarists that have been come together again for 7 weeks. Different individuals guide the practice each week based on what they are exploring. Today we were playing with chord inversions across three strings at a time. This is the one time of the week when I use a pic, and am generally challenged as the tempo is increased. During this session, I was “trying too hard” to keep up and it took a toll on my body. After a 45 minutes session, I needed to do an Alexander Technique lie down to relax my back. After 10 minutes I did some gentle stretches. With my body in tune again, I enjoyed lunch outside with my wife, then prepped for and taught our Saturday Qi Gong class. Listening to works in progress as I write this.

Need to have a conversation with my friend who said he is exploring accelerated learning. As I have a lot of respect for him, I’d like to know what he is investigating. What are you investigating?

                                 Photo by Randy von Liski

A Question of Ease

Last night I participated in an Alexander Technique workshop given by my dear friend, guitarist and AT teacher Peter Legowski. 

The question we were working with is “*Where else might I be a bit easy*?”

Let go of letting go of tension.  Rather nourish and cultivate ease & freedom. Simple though not easy.

I began my guitar practice session going through Peter's recommended cycle.  I found my practice today to be full of questions.

When might I play with joy?

How simply can I break this line down to find ease in playing it?

Where is the wonder?

Where is my energy centered while learning?

How did this mistake become so insistingly ingrained?

How might I replace it?

What is/are the questions I need to further my development?

Photo by Kevin Dooley

Alexander Reminders Arising Out of Trees

We were learning a new part of a form in Qi Gong class this morning, one where one of the hands moves across the body around the waist and then the alternate hand does this.  Some of us in the class were leaning over, perhaps unaware or perhaps helping the hand doing the movement.  Master Li pointed this out and then I heard the birds.  The trees were so tall in the area we were in and as the birds sang out I spontaneously rose up to hear them better.  As the class went on I let me ears lead me forward and up.  I smiled at yet another reminder from nature about this important aspect of movement delineated by FM Alexander.

As the class progressed the birds continued to remind me to think "up" as I learned these new moves.  To be wide and open, to listen to Master Li's verbal instruction, but to also learn from the graceful way in which he moves.  Unfortunately a recently discovered hernia began to garner my attention and soon I sat out the rest of the class, focusing my energy on this area with hope that it may heal.  As I type I hear the birds singing their nightly lullabies and am again reminded to be forward and up, long and wide.  Be free, be open and sing. Ever grateful for the reminders however they arise.

Photo by Noel Pennington

Magnification

Magnify the most difficult details. 

Oblique Strategy

Working on Slip, another demanding work-in-progress. Once again fingers of my left hand are anchored throughout the piece. Several odd rhythmic changes require my constant attention.  As I am developing the possibilities of the piece I am also working with the space around me.  I wish to maintain my freedom by incorporating the principles of the Alexander Technique and practice good use.  I'd like to say maintain good use, but that is a dream at this point for me.

When this Oblique Strategy popped up today I wondered which difficulty might I magnify.  The shapes my left hand must assume and hold, the changing rhythms, or practicing good use?  Can I keep a sense of the space around me and within me?  Why within?  By noticing the movement of my chest as I breathe I notice two things. One is if I am holding my breath as a "system of control."  While the other aspect I've been noticing is that when I sense my inner space is confined, I notice I am collapsing down and in from my neck and shoulder blades.  The collapsing limits my freedom to play, is a detriment to my long time ability to play, and tires me out.

As I pondered this Oblique Strategy during a break, I saw once again the importance of minding my use.  With good use, I increase the freedom in my left hand, I lessen the tendency to collapse about the guitar and though this does require additional attention I am in a sense growing my attention muscle.  With this growth my future musical pursuits will prosper along with the rest of my life.  By decreasing the strain on my system, I might be better able to hear the additional possibilities hidden within Slip.

Returning to the guitar, I decided focus on my use instead of Slip.  I played through two pieces not as demanding on my hands while working with the AT directions to foster freedom in my neck, back and spine.  Noticing the fatigue from the past two hours of practice I decided that taking a longer break from practice was in order.  Though the possibilities of the Slip continue to pull at me even now I inhibit my desire to jump back in there.  Time to work with the Musician and allow a rest.  After all does not Music reside in the space between the notes?

Photo by Sam Droege

Glimpses

 Earlier this week I was practicing Tai Chi with Master Li.  As he was showing us a new part of the form, my right arm was forming the tail of the heron.  The hand is pointed down and as is all of Tai Chi - relaxed.  Master Li came over to me, gently shook my right hand saying let go.  Smiling to see The Grip had manifested once again.  While driving home I was amazed at how once again when learning a new movement, I am holding on somewhere.

This morning while practicing Tai Chi down by Sligo Creek, I was practicing a new section and found myself stiffening my neck.  My Alexander Technique work kicked in as I directed the neck to be free.  How does tightening my neck help me execute a move?  Keeping some attention to my neck as I continued to practice, a few other times I noticed I was tightening as I was learning these moves.

Again just now as I type, the neck was tightening.   There is always an opportunity to let go. 


Photo by Shikeroku

Are You Choosing Your Thoughts With Care?

Our greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. 

 William James

Of course this presupposes that I am aware of their thoughts.  My intention is to know when I am opening my guitar case.  This knowing requires awareness of the moment and my actions, which for me means I find my breath.  As I follow the breath, the thoughts begin to slow.  As they slow I then introduce new thoughts.  These thoughts frequently fall under the category of Alexander Technique Directions, which introduces an ease and freedom into movement.

By introducing freedom into my movements, less stress accumulates in my system, allowing greater expressiveness and less opportunity for injury.  Particularly the class of injuries known as repetitive use injuries which plague many musicians.  Amazing that simple thoughts can be a form of preventive medicine and these same simple thoughts can make one a better musician. 


Most of us have a poor understanding of how to use our bodies to get out of a chair, much less to have an effective understanding of performing a skilled task.  These simple thoughts that begin to lead us to freedom via the Alexander Technique take time, and may be just about impossible without the assistance of a teacher.  But then life is too short to try to do everything myself, so I accept I need help.  So choose your thoughts with care and learn how to take better care of yourself.  If you are a musician your next thought might be - find an AT teacher today.

Photo by Tony Fischer

Releasing the Heavenly Pillar

In the Daoist 12 Posture Qi Gong there is an exercise called Releasing the Heavenly Pillar which is how the Daoist refer to the spine.  This simple exercise was developed in a sitting meditation posture but can also be performed sitting in a chair or standing. This simple exercise to assists the spine in releasing out of the pelvis.  As I was practicing guitar this morning, I paused at one point and did this exercise three times in each direction while wearing my guitar.  Not the ideal situation, but I do what I do.

Later I paused to inhibit my activity and direct my thinking with my current twist on the Alexander Technique Directions I mentioned in yesterdays post.  Playing through a section I was working on, the thought to release the Heavenly Pillar arrived.  As I noticed this thought I also noticed a release in my right arm and hand which was welcomed.

Photo by Sue Clark

The Grip

Working with David Jernigan in an Alexander Technique session years ago, he first mentioned The Grip which is a characteristic of my right hand.  I have noticed The Grip manifest in other activities, but on the guitar this not only impedes my ability to execute but also stresses and strains muscular activity through my elbow and most likely further.  This morning I was practicing a section on the high register of the guitar, where my left hand fingers have to move about and land in a confined space.  As I breathed out and began to play this part I noticed The Grip had manifested.


 Why?  How could tightening the hold on my right hand possibly improve the use of my left hand?  In actuality this tightening adversely impacts my left hand by inducing stress in the system.  As I mentioned I've noticed The Grip in other activities such as walking, holding a cup, holding a clip board so perhaps The Grip goes deeper than the guitar.  My right hand is my dominant hand. Is this a manifestation of power or control issues?  Fear, the usual culprit is most likely adding to the fray.  Obviously I do not know what this all means and may not need to. 

Looking down and to the right to "guide" this activity with my eyes may also not be helping in this instance.  The little bit of tension arising in my neck is then transferred throughout the system.  Let the left hand do the work it is doing and the right hand do it's work and no more.  How to untangle this? Fortunately, I can come back and still my breath, offer myself the Alexander Technique Directions and let go a little bit. 

Returning to the guitar to work further on this section, I quickly decided a lie down was in order.  Tune my system and then see if I can introduce ease into my playing.  While this was better, I still needed help so I turned to my current take on AT directions that were revised at the beach this week.  May my head float up to the Heavens as my body is as wide as the Ocean and my feet dance on the Earth.  Holding these spatial directions for a few breaths I then brought my smiling hands to the guitar. 

The Grip is not gone, but has eased a bit.  Old habits have energy and require intention, awareness, and energy to release.  I am grateful for the path.

Photo by Andrea Rose

Not Lying Down

This afternoon I was researching and expanding upon some of my previous writings on  the Alexander Technique on Negative Directions.  As I moved to practice guitar, I decided a lie down was in order.  Settling into the floor and thinking about my body, I decided to use I am not doing a lie down.  A twist on directing that I have not played with previously.  Holding this thought a bit,  I then moved to I am not lengthening my arms, not widening my back and not releasing my pelvis.  Going through my body but directing to not release.  My mind quickly quieted with this experiment.  I wondered if I'd notice anything different.  The area of my back behind the chest which usually releases a bit during a lie down did not have the sudden release I've become accustomed to of late.  Not sure why this did not happen, but I did notice.

Continuing with the experiment as I went to get off the floor I directed  I am not getting up.  Which led to I am not walking to my guitar and I am not opening my case.  My awareness spread as I was not opening my guitar case.  Nor was I standing and playing notes as I was not standing on the Earth.  Neither was I recording my practice and I was not afraid of misplaying a particular part.  Shortly after this I noticed I was tightening my jaw as another difficult section was coming.  I paused and directed I am not holding my jaw when I play.  I noticed this jaw tightening two other times during my session.  Now I wonder how much this may be part of my playing and will look for this in the coming days.

While practicing Qi Gong during a break from playing I directed I am not holding onto my energy.  As I returned to the guitar I laughed as I began thinking I do not know how to play!  The freedom in my use generated by these experiments with negative directions today was palpable.  What causes this quieting of the mind and an introduction of ease in my body continues to mystify and intrigue me. 

Photo by Ed Utham

Rusty Frames

Needing a topic for this blog tonight, I thought about an exercise on Lateral Thinking developed by Edward de Bono.  Using a list of random words to stimulate thoughts and associations I arrived at "rust" and "frames."  Smiling as I've just returned from teaching a Qi Gong class where the work we do is to stimulate our energy systems.  Prior to the class and afterwards I demonstrated the Alexander Technique Lie Down to two different students with little aches and stiffness in their necks.

All of us put much stress on our physical and mental frames and after decades of less than optimal care we begin to harvest the consequences.  But fortunately with disciplines like AT and Qi Gong  we can unlock the causes and conditions that have led us to where we are in how we use our selves.  Neither of these disciplines are quick fixes but they are effective.  And as Neil Young astutely pointed out years ago Rust Never Sleeps.

Frames reminded me of some improvisations I did years ago that generated a couple scores I recently came across and want to look at again. Now I have an area to begin my next practice session. 

 Photo by Horia Varlane

eliminART

Art is the elimination of the unnecessary Pablo Picasso

 

Release the "r" from "Art" and you have AT or Alexander Technique,

which is central to the "art" of movement.

 

Eliminate extra mental chatter and you have  meditation,

which is central to the art of living.

 

Elimination leads to mastery.

 

How many notes do I discard to create a piece of music that moves me and maybe even others?  

 

How much tension needs to be released in my spinal cord to allow for an effective use of myself?  

 

To allow for an energy flow that enlivens all of me?

 

 How much study do I need to recognize the unnecessary?

                                                     Effectively

                                                   reLease

                                                  noIse

                                                     Misunderstanding and

                                                      Instigate

                                                      Nuanced

                                                      Aggregates of

                                                      Truth

                                                    bEauty

 

 

Photo by Art Happens Here

Standing on the Earth

In Qi Gong there is a suggestion to stand on the Earth, not on your feet.  You are invited to allow the Earth to support you, to sense your body extending into the Earth like the roots of a tree while also extending up and out from the Earth, blossoming beautifully where you are planted.  As my morning practice moved to the guitar the thought arose to sit on the Earth, not on my buttocks.  Again to sense the support, the rootedness and extension.  To sense and allow the freedom in my arms, hands & fingers to sway like a tree in the wind. 

Since the Earth is always in motion rotating about her axis, than I too remain in motion.  Is my motion free and directed following the principles of the Alexander Technique?  Or am I unaware of my support, unaware of the possibilities available through my musculoskeletal system when right directions are offered to the pyschophysical domain?

My guitar is of the Earth - her wood harvested from trees, her strings and frets mined from ores deep within our planet.  I am of the Earth - carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and other elements combining and recombining as my needs change.  Since we both are of the Earth, we are one.  But I must work to recognize my unity, work to allow the freedom to sustain this unity.

Our air circulates freely about the Earth.  May I allow my breath to do the same.  Just breathe in, then out, again and again, without any hindrance of anticipation or holding on in fright.  May the breath let go of past errors as easily as the wind goes round or over a mountain.

The Earth is ever changing as am I.  Even when I am not aware of the changes they transform us, over and over and forever.  May I be able to dwell within this impermanence with peace and oneness of mind.  Just sitting on the Earth,  just playing.  Happy to be sitting and happy to be playing.  Dare I nourish the seed of happiness while playing? 

photo by NASA

The Pause That Delivers

Whether at the beginning of or in the midst of an activity, to pause and consider your actions requires a choice.  To choose to pause and direct our thinking with the Alexander Technique or to follow our breath introduces freedom and change.  Our energy shifts as does our relationship within and to the space around us.  If we are interacting with others, we are now more fully engaged, alert, and aware.

Why then does the act of pausing require so much discipline?  Habit, habits and more habit is the quick answer.  Over decades I have developed the habit of pausing and my relationships to myself, the guitar, and to others has shown improvement.  For this I am truly grateful.  So I continue to instill the discipline of pausing to foster my development.  What has been delivered far outweighs the occasional agony of "what again?" that sometimes arises within.  Pause right now, before you surf off.  Connect with your body, your thinking, perhaps even your heart.  Consider your aim.  How does it feel to be alive?

Photo by Anders Sandberg

How Did That Happen?

After three hours in a recording studio today, my body was a wreck.  Five friendly microphones capturing every nuance of my playing, intended or not.  Good work was done by myself, the engineer and the mics, but my neck was sore and my body cramped.  How did this happen?  I worked with my breath, stretched and even worked a bit with the Alexander Technique directions.  Obviously not enough attention was given to how I used myself.  Understandable.  New situation with a new person and the subtle pressures of recording.

I will continue to learn, apply and move forward.  A walk and some Qi Gong along Sligo Creek began the restoration.  A nap followed by teaching the first session of Sunlight Qi Gong at the Takoma Park Community Center completed the release of unnecessary tension.  The work continues.  I am grateful for the daily disciplines that guide me.  As the aphorism states - we begin again constantly.

Photo by thierry ehrmann

What Is the First Wrong Thing

Stop doing the wrong thing and the right thing will do itself -  F. M. Alexander

The aim of the Alexander Technique is to introduce harmony in how we use ourselves by cultivating freedom in the relationship of the head and neck.  In AT lessons, the hands of the teacher guides us into this freedom.  A feeling of lightness and ease ensues.  After performing an AT lie down I can generally sense this for myself.  FM Alexander put forth directions we are supposed to think to allow this freedom to arise.  This is much more elusive.  Difficult even.  Why is this so? 

Today as I sat down to practice guitar I found my breath, then began working with the AT directions.  Certainly I have found value in this and have conducted countless AT experiments over the years. Much ongoing valuable instruction, and a real desire to reliably introduce this freedom that comes from the technique has been crucial.   This morning I heard myself ask when and/or where does the wrong thing begin?  Momentarily I was stunned, then some quick answers arose - habit, faulty sensory awareness, and even a general lack of awareness.  Still where does it begin on this day?  Does this lie within the body or the mind?  In my view these are inseparable, and the problem is that they are frequently not operating in harmony.

The first wrong thing I'll posit is a lack of attention.  Plain and simple, not being where I am.  The good news is that this can be transformed. The second wrong thing is holding onto or going for a position I think is right.  The third wrong thing is not being able to sustain my awareness of myself over time leading me back to the first wrong thing. 

To the degree that I've had success with AT, I attribute to great instruction from the likes of Frank Sheldon, Sandra Bain-Cushman, David Jernigan, Pedro de Alcantara, and William Conable.  Missy Vineyards book How You Stand, How You Move, How You Live: Learning the Alexander Technique to Explore Your Mind-Body Connection and Achieve Self-Mastery has been invaluable.  As has been my practice of Zen.  Just sitting, observing my thoughts and generally choosing what thoughts I want to manifest while following my breath is the key for my use of the Alexander Technique.  I just need to remember to pick up the key and apply this work over time. Then pick up the key and apply again; and again ...

Photo by Joao Vincente

Developing the Power to Choose.

Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
How to allow myself to find this space of which Frankl speaks?  Finding my breath and observing it  a few times is one way.  Using the Alexander Technique concept of inhibition is another.  Slowing down our habitual responses to life's activities,  allows an opportunity to see what one is doing and to maybe even have a choice in how the activity is carried out.  This is paramount for a musician.  Habits useful or not are so easily formed, but not so easily released.  I want the time remaining to play my instrument to be effective, to serve music and this musician in a sustainable manner.

As I pick up my guitar case I decide that I will focus on practicing Alexander Technique Inhibition throughout this session.  When I place it down I pause, first to calm my thinking, then to direct my thinking about how I want to open the case.  Is this important?  Yes.  When I begin my practice with quality, then this can spread and grow throughout the session.  As I sit on my stool, I hold the thought "I am not holding onto any outcomes for this session."  For a goal directed person, this tweaks my being.  But I want the freedom to see, learn from and develop how I am playing.  And yes, I  want certain pieces to be ready to record next week, but if I allow this goal to be the key rather than how I get there, the goal may be compromised.

As I begin playing through The Call I notice mental chatter.  If there must be chatter then let's direct it.  Slipping in thoughts of length and freedom between the phrases I'm working with, rather than judgements seems an informed use of chatter.  Sensing this blog post was developing I reach for my clip board to make notes.  Then I inhibit my need to do.  I see how I am holding the clipboard, guitar about my body, leaning to the right.  I make  different choice and remove the guitar.  Inhibiting again and directing my thinking along AT lines I then make notes.  Noticing the extent of my awareness I am grateful and continue to inhibit after I put the clipboard down.  May seem trivial to some, but the aliveness in my being was a sign to me to continue.

As I reach for the guitar, I think of my edges - the fingers, toes, head, skin - are they alive right now?  Free?  I include my mind and heart.  Can I approach unity in my action?  I continue in this manner as I practice bringing my thoughts back to how I am using myself as I play; as I take off the guitar; as I walk to the kitchen to get coffee.  The reward is heard in the notes.  As I reflect at the end of the session I formulate this thought.  Change will happen - am I directing the change or merely devolving into old habits?  Are you?


Photo by Sammiblog