Posture Tips for the Violin, Cello, Piano

"We are conditioned to think that making music is a license for using our bodies in strange and uncomfortable ways, and for holding these posture for hours, days, and years on end.  We don't like to question or change our habits, for fear of losing our artistic powers. But these strenuous postures do not serve the best interests of either ourselves or the music. Good posture allows the limbs and breathing muscles to be free and flexible. . . 

In an effort to sit or stand up straight, some musicians go to an extreme and arch their backs, throwing their shoulders back. This posture over-tightens the lower back, making it an ineffective source of support and putting constant strain on a few muscles. 

In a more natural spinal alignment, the muscles in the torso don't have to work hard. The bones, together with the connective tissue, take on the load of the body and support you against the force of gravity."

                                                    ~The Art of Practicing by Madeline Bruser

     As a teacher and performer I never want to stop learning. Reading great books on practicing and other areas of music has been very rewarding and enjoyable. I figure if I study Science, Math, Literature, History, and even how to fix things, then why not learn for teachers and professionals in my field? You know what I mean?

I think I know some things about posture and its importance, but Bruser has definitely helped. I want the best posture possible because that is how the body is empowered to perform well, but as Bruser points out we need to be careful that we are not counterproductive. This is a point on which the Suzuki method agrees, since the emphasis is on learning things well in small steps so that they become effortless.

As you work on your posture, make sure your body is comfortable and that tension is released whenever you feel it. One way to work on posture plus comfort in the body is to stop playing for a few seconds when you feel too much tension somewhere. Stretch the tense area and massage it, then play that part of the piece again. Another way to practice staying relaxed is to play something you know well with your eyes closed. As you are singing or playing the piece, start noticing your head, relax it, then go down to your neck, relax your neck. Keep going down the body relaxing each part so that your whole body is tense-free. It takes time and concentration, but the pay-off is great!

What have you been learning about posture? What has helped you to keep a good posture and stay relaxed?

How Much and How Often Should I Practice?

      Good question. This is a question that students, parents and teachers struggle to answer. And, of course, there are many stances on this issue, some of these stances make sense and other do not make sense.

I will not evaluate other stances here, but I will give you mine. Here is the way that I think about it: age, level, goals. I use these three categories to decide how long and how often someone needs to practice. For instance, a five year old (age) that’s just started (level) and whose parents want him to get a good well-rounded education (goals) will practice differently than a seventeen-year old that is in the top orchestra at school that’s interested to keep it as an extra-curricular activity while in college.

Whatever your age, level and goals, it is best to strive for consistency and realistic goals in practicing your music.  Realistic goals are crucial because many people make drastic changes in their practicing that do not last long, so they get discouraged, feel like failures and practice less or give up. Therefore, it is better to start where you are and take one step up from there.

So here are some general guidelines:

1. Days per Week: No matter the age, level and goals start with practicing 3 days a week. Commit to that and you if you get some weeks where you practice a day or two more, that’s good! After a month, you are ready to push for 4 days and so forth.

2. Minutes per Day: Start out with 10 – 15 minutes at a time.  Cover all the material and exercises that your teacher assigned to you.  Get consistent at this for a month, then push for 20 minutes.  If your son or daughter is 4-8 years of age, you may need to patient because 10-15 minutes per day maybe the most they can do with you for a few months.  Eventually, you will be at a level that will require 30 minutes up to 1. 5 hours.  This of course is after a few years of lessons and practicing consistently less time.

As you are working on your consistency and regularity of practice, remember that the quality of time (efficiency, concentration, and expressiveness) is just as important as the quantity of time that you practice.  Always seek to enjoy your practicing, it’s time well spent!

Copyright © 2013 Mircea & Daniyela Ionescu. All rights reserved.