Articles on Musical Instruments | Topics: instruments, instrument
by Will Durham
This article will focus on the mental and physical aspect of breathing, which is an important facet of playing any type of wind instrument. Yoga can change the musicians playing experience forever.
From stringed musicians to wind and horn players, the importance of focusing on the breath are not new concept, especially those playing in a group. In several different musical settings when you play as a group, you also breathe as a group. It is customary practice to begin any piece on the concertmaster's exhale, together by their slight lowering of the instrument. Music groups frequently are instructed to breathe rests as a group. You are told to begin and end according to the section leaders' inhalation or exhalation breath, as well as the upward or downward shift of their instrument. For the most part, beginning musicians do not doubt the importance of their breathing. That is until they become an adult and the breathing is not as strong as it was when they were younger.
In music, you concentrate on bringing attentiveness to all aspects of playing: inflection; posture; timing; tempo; position and for many musicians, a great deal of awareness must be given to both hands as they perform very different tasks. In yoga, you apply arriving at a point of unconscious knowledge in all the poses. Different parts of your body work in different manners to add to the overall pose. In both practices, it is vital to seek to remain calmly active in your psyche while positioned in complicated situations, and to eventually seek pleasure out of them, and become lighthearted. Through learning to center the mind in uncomfortable circumstances, you are able to arrive at a finely tuned presence of the mind. Through learning to breathe all the way through difficult poses, you learn to permit the breath to direct you through the practice.
Through the practice of pranayama (moving life force through breath), and by integrating yoga practice into your musical practices and performances, you will learn to let go of the self-consciousness that overpowers the gratification of playing and performing. Not only will yoga add to your focus and self-confidence in performing, but it will also promote the development of inspiration in playing. Yoga makes possible the liberation of the mind, which helps get rid of the fears of performing, and brings new enjoyment to a performance. The addition of this principle to your life will unlock new doors to both your practice and performance. The practice of yoga will bring enhanced balance to the physical and mental component of your musical abilities. By concentrating on spinal position, you are able to improve your breath, the extension of your lungs, and consequently, your general focus and accuracy.
| Quote of the Day |
The novel is, or may be, among the mightiest instruments for swaying the heart and guiding the lives of men.
| —P., U.S. women’s magazine contributor. American Ladies Magazine, pp. 357-9 (August 1828) |
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The instrument is an extension of your body. All the energy is going into your instrument all the way through your body and breath. That is why one becomes so exhausted. All of the energy goes into the section you are performing. If you are exhausted to begin with, the presentation or practice is not going to go so well. If you experience a spectacular performance, then the energy of it resounds all the way through your body. If you cannot let go, then you cannot perform at your highest point. These concepts can be applied to your practice on the mat. Largely as if a musician leaves a grand performance with a newfound energy and smoothness, a yogi achieves energy through the practice of yoga.
For the majority of musicians out there, persistently looking for a new way to hone their practice, whether it is shifting your stance or method, you should try yoga. Not only will it help your stance and pose, but it will also open your ears to an amazing sound that your body has been asking you to hear: your breath. Yoga has helped countless musicians to eradicate the fears and anxieties of performing and playing. Yoga approaches the most important issues of technique and opens the way to emotional and spiritual expression. Through yoga, we build technique, circumvent pain and injury, develop focus, and relieve performance apprehension. We learn how to fine-tune our serenity and strength in difficult circumstances, and through challenging pieces.
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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Strike a Chord – Physical and Mental Aspects of Playing an Instrument" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by MusicInstrumentsCds.com. |
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