In all my years of teaching how to play the cello, one crucial factor has always come up with beginning students, or even sometimes advanced ones: playing the cello in a relaxed manner by eliminating unnecessary tension.
Too often, this needs to be clearly understood by players, especially the newly emerging ones. What does it mean to be relaxed? I have noticed that beginning players struggle to relax their fingers, especially with the left hand. The tendency is to grab the fingerboard tightly instead of placing one's hand firmly without clenching the cello's fingerboard.
The fingerboard is the cello part where the left hand is placed while playing. Several difficulties arise from having to put a hand in this position. Since the fingers come in contact with the strings, the player is given the idea that the strength to produce the sound comes from this contact while forgetting that the weight of the hand supports the fingers and not otherwise. The initial pain or discomfort a player might experience at the tip of the fingers might also contribute to this misconception.
I have experienced similar issues and have corrected them successfully in the past. During my studies, one of my teachers remarked that I was tense from head to toe and needed to change that. Once I made that conscious effort to work out a way to rid my muscles of tension, my playing also changed.
Therefore, relaxation is critical when wanting to improve a situation. But how exactly can one do that? Many times, when students are told to relax, they don't usually recognize that they are tense, or if they do, they don't know how to remedy the problem.
The first place to start is to make sure that the following are in check;
Your body posture, the way you hold the instrument, your left hand, and your bow hold. The help of your teacher is vital at this point because the continuous assistance you get in forming good habits from the beginning will take you a long way.
How can you check yourself at home when you are not having your lesson with your teacher?
You can remember everything your teacher said about the positions before you start practicing.
First, check and ensure you are holding the cello correctly; then, the left-hand position and the proper bow are held separately. If necessary, stop and correct; it is more critical to correct position issues beforehand than playing exercises with faulty holds and building habits that will not serve you in the long run.
In cello playing, the left and right hands are engaged in different movements where one is placed on the strings, and the right hand is used to move the bow in a specific manner. Coordinating these two is a complex task. Therefore, a relaxed posture and correct and well-coordinated positions from the beginning are necessary.
Another suggestion would be to practice playing in front of a mirror when unsure so one can observe and correct these problems well in advance. However, I recommend not doing this too long because it can become a distraction at some point, and one does not want to rely on the mirror all the time. After that, one thing to remember is to assume the correct position without tightening up.
What do you do when you can't recognize or have difficulty noticing that you have tension? The following suggestions can help you achieve relaxation if you are willing to implement them patiently.
Apart from doing daily exercises and practicing, one must pay close attention to how one goes about one's daily life. That aspect usually carries into one's daily routines as well. The first thing that can be done is to observe closely. When I began noticing how tense I was, I also started seeing how I performed different things, such as holding my steering wheel or even a glass of water.
Suppose you observe tension in your hands; mentally tell your hands to relax and direct your thoughts in that area. You can do this for your entire body by noticing if you are even seated in a relaxed manner. Usually, the tension is not isolated in one area because the person might be tense all over, as my teacher noticed. It is also possible that the student is inwardly nervous, and their tension is due to the anxiousness of playing. In that case, the beginner can work that out by improving inner dialogue and asking oneself to let it go again.
Another way is to distinguish between a tense grip and a relaxed one. For example, squeeze a little ball into your hand and let it go completely.
If you are still having difficulty, think of yourself as a rag doll and dangle your arms like you are so heavy and need to be lifted to see the difference between tensing up and relaxing the muscles.
I did take some classes on how to relax, which was very helpful in recognizing and correcting my mistakes. It is beneficial to sign up for courses that teach how to relax and carry your body correctly.
Always mentally check your body positions by asking yourself if your shoulders are down, your feet are grounded on the floor, and your arms are relaxed. Tension in the body does not help and does not allow progress and should be eliminated as soon as possible.
Next time you feel that you are having issues with your playing or difficulties understanding how to proceed, always check to see if you are relaxed and eliminate tension as best as you can from your playing.
How do you deal with tension during your practice sessions? Please share in the comments section below.
Add comment
Comments