JAVS Spring 2001

26

VoL 17 No.1

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN VIOLA SOCIETY

• Special chairs and ergonomic cushions designed for orchestral musicians allow for good posture and body balance. • Beware of the hazards of crowded seating arrangements! Upper Arms • Establish a specific upper arm level for each string level. It is important that the upper arm bone feel low in the shoulder socket and that the elbow feels very loose. • Arms may feel weighty or floating. Use the arm weight produced by gravity to reproduce the heavy feeling of the arm at rest-on an armchair, for instance. Or, feel the arms as light as if being suspended by marionette strings. Forearms • Be aware of rotation of the radius around the ulna. • Maintain a loose elbow. It is helpful to visualize energy flow through the elbow as it forms both hinge and straight line. Visualize elasticity (as in rubber bands). • The thumb and hand function in opposition. For instance, in a windshield wiper motion of the bow arm (turning the bow 180 degrees from hair parallel to the floor to stick paral lel to the floor), the thumb serves as a fulcrum. • Relax each base knuckle. Make sure each knuckle is flexible. • Keep fingertips weighty but loose. Try dropping fingertips on the body of the instrument in playing position. Practice with varied finger pressure-harmonics, half-pressure, three quarter pressure. Anticipate the next finger's sensation through feeling the buzz of the string under that finger before the new pitch actually sounds. This is the key to a good left-hand legato. • Keep the wrists relaxed. Other Principles • Make sure there is a good fit between instrument and player. The angle of the left elbow should not be too oblique. The left index finger should not slant back too much when fourth finger is down. • Evaluate each set-up individually. A shoulder rest should have multiple points of contact with the body. Chin rests may be side or center and may be built up for longer necks. • Physical warm-up before practicing or playing is important. • Changing or learning a basic skill should be undertaken gradually, allowing the muscles to adapt slowly. • Stay physically fit. • If something hurts, stop playing!! Common Problem Areas A short fourth finger, small hands, or short arms can lead to straining. On the viola especially, the fit of the instrument is critical. Assess viola body length, string length, size of shoulders, depth of bouts, angle of neck, and thickness of neck for each instrument/player fit. Hands • Relax the back of the hand. • Thumbs are loose and flexible.

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PART I. MAKING MUSIC EFFORTLESSLY: BODY-MIND INTEGRATION In the context of well-balanced posture, apply each of the following principles to some music daily. The musical examples given are a starting point.