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Miguel de Maria -> A different way to look at guitar (Apr. 4 2006 15:26:03)
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I have been reading "The Pianist's Talent," by Harold Taylor, and it has some very good ideas. The basic thesis is that the best way to improve your piano playing ability is not by mastering the instrument, but on learning how to use your body more efficiently. Its thesis springs from a study of piano virtuosi and what they have in common, as well as the studies of French piano teacher Thiberge and the Alexander Technique.
It turns out that piano virtuosi have several things in common: They showed their talent young, their talent sprang up more or less sponataneously, and they have "expanding" posture.
If you remember, several months ago I was asking some questions around here, especially of our resident virtuosi like Todd and Grisha. Like the virtuosi in the book, they described their early experiences as "play". Playing guitar was easy and fun for them, analagous to other childhood play such as building blocks or mud cakes or what have you.
The fact that the virtuosi's abilities seem mostly inherent is daunting and depressing. But apparently most of them could play at a high level from the first few times they stepped up to the keyboard. And by the time they were ten, they were playing better than most people would ever play, no matter how much time spent. Again, this reminds me of Grisha--if you see his video of him performing at age 9 on his website, you may feel the same way.
"Expanding" posture is a way of being of using your body, which has characteristics of an open chest, wide shoulders, head held high, limbs tending to be held and used away from the body. Most movements or gestures tend to move away from the body. The opposite tendency, "contracting" posture, would feature a stooped or hunched or slouched spine, limbs tending to be held close in, and movements tending to pull toward the body.
Studies and pictures of the virtuosi showed, at least superficially, that all of them had traits of expanding posture. Of course one caveat is that these pictures were from a different era, where perhaps posture was emphasized more as a mark of civilization!
The contention of the author is that expanding posture is a mark and a prerequisite to high levels of "coordination", the ultimate ability that determines instrumental skill. Expanding posture is the natural state of human beings, is how we were "designed" to function, and by using it we can maximize our coordination and thus ease, efficiency, and skill. Contracting posture is a deficiency that degrades our performance and limits the heights to which we can reach.
It's certainly an interesting idea and it can do no harm to apply it to one's practicing. I have done some experimenting and realized that I do indeed have "contracting" posture. I tend to slouch, keep my limbs close to me, and pull. By keeping full awareness and playing the guitar in expanding ways, I have felt an increase in ease and coordinations. I recommend trying it and seeing what happens, as well as the book: "The Pianist's Talent" by Harold Taylor.
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