Music

Music is an embodied process. It’s something we do. We have this constant influx of sensation on multiple channels and we respond to it by doing things, turning our heads in the direction of a sound or reaching for something.  – Vijay Iyer on Studio 360

As we play an instrument, our bodies adapt to what and how we play. I’ve played guitar since I was 17 and my body is organized around that positioning. (My head turns more easily to the left, my right shoulder comes forward while my left goes back, etc.)

Some of the ways we’ve organized ourselves have helped us to play better and others are holding us back. The Feldenkrais Method can help, not only with the aches and pains of repetitive movement, but also with finding ease and new ways of playing.

One of the remarkable things in exploring the Feldenkrais Method is discovering how many ways there are to do something. Watch this playlist of a selection of pianists, all using their bodies wildly differently, and all accomplished at their instrument. (Thanks to composer & pianist, Scott Ethier, for gathering these examples for me.)

Here’s a video (made by the Feldenkrais Guild of the UK) of a violinist talking about his experience with the Method.