Feldenkrais Method and/or Alexander Technique for drums?

[Dave Stalker]

Greetings fellow music makers,

I was wondering if any of you have learned and applied the Feldenkrais
Method and/or the Alexander Technique to the drumset. Since I'm in
the middle of recovering from some drum related injuries, :( I'm
looking into some different approaches to modify my technique and
posture. Yeah, I've learned the Moeller and Stone techniques (not the
Gruber though), but have still had some pain problems.

If any of you have learned and applied either of these methods, please
tell me a little bit about your experience and to what extent it has
helped you. Thanks in advance.

By the way, has anyone ever heard of the Dorothy Taubman technique for
pianists? It's supposed to be an incredible technique and I've heard
it can be applied to drums and percussion as well. Though much more
obscure than the 2 previously mentioned methods, I thought I'd check
and see if any of you have any experience with this. Again, thanks.

Dave

[Bill Ray]

A good bit of what I teach and apply is learned from the Alexander method,
what little exposure I've had with it. It helped me immensely.

--
Best Regards,
13612
Bill Ray
www.billraydrums.com

"Dave Stalker" <daves...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b9fe4ef7.01081...@posting.google.com...

[Pete Pemberton]

Have I stumbled into alt.masters-johnson by mistake?

PP

"Dave Stalker" <daves...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b9fe4ef7.01081...@posting.google.com...

[Michel]

OK I'll bite! I haven't got the fugiest idea what you guys are talking
about. Can someone clue me in please and give a brief description or a
reference where I can read about it.

Michel
--
" we get old too soon and smart too late"

"Bill Ray" <bill@_SPAM_ME_NOT_billraydrums.com> wrote

[Soulbelly]

>OK I'll bite! I haven't got the fugiest idea what you guys are talking
>about. Can someone clue me in please and give a brief description or a
>reference where I can read about it.
>

J. Rohmer, R. Lescoeur and J.M. Kerisit, "The Alexander Method: A Technique for
the Processing of Recursive Axioms in Deductive Databases," New Generation
Computing 4, 3, 1986.

oh! not that one...?

:-)

peace,

nick - Processing of Recursive Axioms in Deductive Databases is my life.

soulbelly
www.soulbelly.com
www.trueline.com/endorse/amoroso.html
"The fewer notes you play, the more numbers that end up on your check."

[Dave Stalker]

In a nutshell, these methods were developed to teach us how to use our
bodies in the way they were intended to be used. We have all
developed habits in how we use our bodies in our day-to-day activities
(e.g. walking, sitting, getting up, opening jars, whatever) - to the
point that we don't even think about it any more. But often these
habits are poor and can put strain on the different muscles, tendons,
etc. which can lead to back and neck pain, hand pain, arm pain, or
whatever.

The interesting thing is that these techniques have worked wonders for
musicians since the techniques can be applied to playing an instrument
as well. I've heard it can alleviate pain and make playing in general
much more enjoyable and effortless. Anyway, I've heard enough about
it to make me want to look into it a bit more which is why I posted
the question.

Here are some pages to check out for more information if you are
curious.

Feldenkrais Method:
http://www.feldenkrais.com/rubinint.html
http://www.feldenkrais.com/senseability/0109/3.html

Alexander Technique:
http://www.alexandertechnique.com/musicians.htm

[Jay Epstein]

I used to live with a dancer who studied Alexander Technique and
know a bit about it. It can help us to become aware of balance,
posture and co-ordination while performing everyday actions, &
particularly playing drums. It has similar results to Tai Chi & yoga
where it brings into your consciousness tensions throughout your
body that have previously gone unnoticed, and it is these tensions
which are very often the root cause of many common ailments. This is
exactly what Frederick Alexander, the originator of the Technique,
discovered when trying to get to the bottom of his own voice-related
problem. You might want to check out:
http://www.alexandertechnique.com
I've not done nearly as much A-Tech as I have Yoga & Tai Chi over
the years, but those two preventative & curative disciplines have
allowed me to play most nights and days of my life for the past 30
years pain-free and devoid of physical problems. Now if I could only
remember the form of the tune . . . ;-)

Jay
"It's always night, that's why we have light." - Thelonious Monk
http://www.bridgeboymusic.com/longago/main.htm

[Michel]

Thanks, I've bookmarked those three references, there is a lot of
information to digest in there.

Michel
--
" we get old too soon and smart too late"

daves...@hotmail.com (Dave Stalker) wrote