Somatic Themes for Crafty Guitarists ~ Introduction

AT Weekly Themes Introduction for the CHOPS AAD Course, December 2023

What does having “chops” mean in the context of AT? I suspect most of you will have a mental image of going from a slump into a more upright, elongated posture when you think of the “technique” behind the Alexander Technique.

The structural/functional aspects of AT involve releasing tension (often in the musculature) and establishing a new kinesthetic experience of what your body might feel like, were it to be free from everyday habit and unnecessary tension. Getting there requires self-observation of our postural habits (what am I doing?), something called inhibition (can I stop what I am doing?), and direction (what is my aim?). Adding to that the importance of the reprioritization of the quality of PROCESS over PRODUCT (end-gaining). This is the most basic form, as I understand it.

If we take self-observation of habit in the usual AT terms (what is happening structurally in the body when we move) we might find I tighten here, or I am collapsed there, when I do this, or when I do that, etc. This is extremely useful information, especially in terms of using our bodies to carry out tasks – like playing guitar, sitting, and standing in balance, or use of the hands with material objects.

What would happen if we didn’t stop there? AT is a unique practice in that it integrates invisible aspects of our lived experience – our thinking, our sensing, our feeling – and unites them with an Aim to be more present, more alive to our human experience, and more free.

Often in these courses, I find myself presenting AT in a way that is most directly relevant to the outer form of guitar playing (how to hold an instrument, sit and be upright, etc.) and leave the rest alone. In this 40-day period, I hope to give folks a taste of what a deepening AT practice might yield (for the inner guitarist, let’s say) if we challenge ourselves to take it a bit further.

Every Monday an AT theme will be posted for us to experiment with over the next 6-day period (assuming one day off) that touches upon new or different facets of the technique. Reports are encouraged!