The Dynamic Musician Series Blog

The Tricky Science of Science

Scanning the web, looking for articles on the physiology of music, I found an interesting piece on measuring the movements of trombone player’s slide arms.

“Music Performance Physiology: Development of Expertise in a Natural Task: The Right Arm of Trombone Players”
Mark Kruger, Mark Lammers, Lela June Stoner, and Richard Fuller, Gustavus Adolphus College; Debra Allyn, Iowa State University

(to read the article, click here)

I have been thinking about the slide arm and what’s involved in making it work so I was quite excited to find this article. After reading, I applaud the authors’ efforts in trying to “to enhance the oral tradition of teaching instruments and voice.” In the study, participants’ arm muscles, elbow angles, wrist movements and slide speeds were measured along with an evaluation of their performance. Not surprisingly, the professional players had faster slide speeds with less muscle effort and were more accurate with the slide.

However, I was left with some questions about the relevance of the findings and moreover, the efficacy of such study, here’s why:

Measuring just he arm muscles just shows only a small part of the picture. What about the difference in movements of the shoulder blade and clavicle, the flexibility of the ribs and spine as well as the ability to neutralize the effects of accelerating and stopping the slide (and its weight)? From the perspective of a Feldenkrais practitioner, the ability to skillfully use our arms and hands is directly related to the organization of the spine and ribs (and all the muscles of the upper body) as well the support from the pelvis and legs (especially if the performer is standing). I know, all of that would be much too complex to measure and analyze but what good does it do to tell your student to move the slide faster and hold the trombone more steadily if he/she can not organize the rest of their body to do this successfully as suggested in the article’s conclusion.

“The second finding that may be of interest to pedagogists (sic) is the speed and acceleration of the slide. Even though the researchers found that all trombonists have great variability in this area, professionals do move the slide faster, so teachers should encourage younger players to move the slide faster at all tempos.”

From the perspective of an educator, I say great, but what if the student can’t move the slide faster? And to move the slide faster, the student will probably use more muscle effort, contradicting the findings in the study. One of the things professionals have learned to do is indeed move the slide faster with less effort. How have they accomplished this, without sensors hooked to their arms?

And the third finding is even more telling for the need of more comprehensive study.

“The third finding made by means of the sonic ranger and verified visually is that better players hold the instrument without extra movement of the slide from side to side or up and down. Good players have control of the instrument in relation to the body as well as to the manipulation of the slide.“

I would venture to say that the holding of the instrument is just as important as the movement of the slide arm. Once again, how do you organize your whole self to hold a heavy instrument, counter the inertia of the slide, deal with moving the slide arm in and out of its optimal length for strength, AND keep the proper pressure and mouthpiece angle? Now we know why the trombone is sometimes referred to as the elephant of the orchestra, but I digress.

To wrap this up, we have to ask the question: Because most teachers don’t have access to sophisticated testing equipment, how do we know if students are progressing towards a more optimal “physiology for performing?” Some will argue that we need to analyze and control our physical movements in comparison with the masters. Others will plead the need for matching kinesthetic sensation with sound quality. To do this, the student must also be trained in sensing her/his own effort as well as discerning what she/he sounds like. For now, I’ll let you ponder this for yourselves.

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Posture & Sound

A couple of months ago I heard a quote from an orchestra musician who said, “I would rather play in pain than waste valuable practice time doing Feldenkrais to improve my pain.” I’ll bet that we’ve all heard or even thought something like this before (I know I did when my teacher recommended reading about the Alexander Technique back in college). The tendency to think that doing something with, or away from the instrument, which will help our physical well-being would be better spent "practicing" is deeply rooted in our musical education.

Now compare this with a blog entry from young bassist Jason Heath, who writes,

“Of the four previously mentioned issues, I believe that posture has the most effect on sound. The taller that we make ourselves, the bigger our sound can become. In one of my posts on sounds, I talked about creating a bigger lever with our bodies by drawing our sound from the floor. Opening up our abdominals adds at least 3 inches to our sitting height and those three inches can have an enormous impact on our sound. The taller we sit (or stand) the bigger, bassier, and more vibrant our sound can be.” Go to Jason Heath's Double Bass blog

I think most of us will agree that posture has some affect on the quality of sound; otherwise we wouldn’t admonish our students to sit or stand up straight. In addition to sound quality, posture can have an influence on the health of our joints, muscles, and tendons etc. so posture could possibly play a role in the longevity and success of a career.

This seems so obvious that I sometimes still wonder why the study and understanding of posture is not as highly regarded as the study of music theory? It would be unthinkable to graduate a student from a music school without at least a basic understanding of theory, so why should it be thinkable to graduate students without a basic understanding of their own bodies?

Perhaps because:
Many teachers don’t know how to communicate the relationship of posture and its affect on health and sound to the students.

Many teachers don’t know how to deal with the issue of posture because it wasn’t part of their education. Along this line we could argue that it may be too much to ask of a music teacher to also be knowledgeable in this field as well.

Young students’ bodies are often resilient enough to withstand the wear and tear from hours of practicing in less than ideal positions so they don’t feel the need to do so.

And finally, the competition is so stiff that we feel that every minute available for practicing must be spent with the instrument.

Interestingly enough, Arnold Jacobs recommended practicing certain breathing skills away from the instrument because the habits can be so strong when playing that the only way to establish new ones is without the instrument. Now there’s something to think about and I’ll write more about Jacobs in a future blog

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or direct download

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!