You probably notice excess tension during or after your practice time or performances. Whether it’s a minor annoyance or a full-blown injury, this tension makes your body uncomfortable, can limit your playing time, and can reduce your expressive power and subtlety.
What to do? You can just tell yourself to relax. You need to understand the inner workings of the *behavior* of excess tension in order to release it, even in the midst of a challenging performance. I call this crucial behavior change “The Magic Pause.” Watch for more details!
Today’s video: https://youtu.be/BpyjiLRbDeo
Day 7 of 100 Days of Soulforce:
– How excess muscle tension interferes with life as a performance artist
– My own story of chronic muscular pain and recovery through the Alexander Technique
– Why reducing excess tension is one of my Six Pillars of Soulforce Performance Arts.
– A step-by-step walkthrough of the “stimulus and response” of muscle tension – A brief intro to the Magic Pause
– Today’s practice: Notice your “critical moments” and put a pause after them. See what you notice!
– My own story of chronic muscular pain and recovery through the Alexander Technique
– Why reducing excess tension is one of my Six Pillars of Soulforce Performance Arts.
– A step-by-step walkthrough of the “stimulus and response” of muscle tension – A brief intro to the Magic Pause
– Today’s practice: Notice your “critical moments” and put a pause after them. See what you notice!
Subscribe to my blog or YouTube channel to stay tuned.
What’s “100 Days of Soulforce”?
I’m embarking on a mission to spread the word about Soulforce Performing Arts because I believe it is a needed message for artists of all kinds in our times. To that end, I’m making 100 videos over the coming 100 days (or so) to explain all the different angles and ideas, and to hopefully spark inspiration in you! Each video will have inspirational and practical ideas for you to bring more Soulforce to your life as a performing artist.
These ideas are a part of my upcoming book: “Soulforce Performance Arts: Redefining Artistic Performance, Practice, and Pedagogy in a World That’s Lost Its Mind.” Subscribers to my newsletter will get early access and special perks!
Joseph Arnold
Violinist, Alexander Technique teacher, Founder of the Soulforce Arts Academy — Sign up for my bodacious mailing list and blog!
