Klarinet Archive - Posting 000400.txt from 1998/02

From: John Penrod <mdpn@-----.ca>
Subj: tendonitis and Alexander technique
Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 16:53:54 -0500

In the thread on tendonitis, I'm surprised that no one
has mentioned the Alexander technique. I started lessons
about a year ago for relief of carpal tunnel syndrome
(which I developed from long hours on the computer keyboard).
I was aware of the technique because some string players I knew
and a former voice teacher had mentioned it to me. Unfortunately,
I waited until I had a lot of pain and had been through
quite a few doctors before I tried it. I feel immensely
better now, and the change is a lot more than the absence
of pain in my hands and wrists. Unconscious and (at times) conscious
tension that was also present in my neck, head, jaw, shoulders,
etc., is also gone. This tension is the enemy of musical
expression, and without it, I have found the increase in
musical possibilities amazing (within my ability).

Clarinet playing is a physical process like playing a sport or
dancing (pardon the pedantic tone). Learning how to "use" the body with
ease, energy and freedom of movement is crucial but unfortunately a bit
neglected. In my experience, after a lifetime of bad habits, developing
this ease of movement and "use" is a lot more complicated than having
your teacher tell you to relax (although it's a good start). You have
to learn a new set of habits to replace the old ones, and the old ones
can be pesky and difficult to dislodge without some help. The Alexander
technique is one way of learning this. I suppose that
yoga or Tai Chi or the Feldenkrais method are also viable alternatives
(though I have not tried them, I have surfed the web in search of all
sorts of alternative therapies), though the Alexander technique, as
far as I know, has more of a tradition of helping performing artists.

The carpal tunnel problem had an ironic and happy twist for me. One
reason the problem upset me so much was that I thought it would keep me
from going back to the clarinet, which I had given up roughly ten
years previously. I had given up the clarinet because of some
frustration with my playing (though I periodically dreamed of
recapturing the "magic"). However, the carpal tunnel lead me
to the Alexander teacher, and a year later the pain and the problems
with the clarinet playing are history. In this sense, my Alexander
teacher is the best clarinet teacher I ever had, and I had some good
ones.

Pardon the long message. In lieu of adding anything more, I will offer
to correspond by e-mail to anyone who wants to trade notes on this
subject.

John Penrod
mdpn@-----.ca