Sitting Tall
Tags: Alexander technique, injury prevention musicians, music practice, stage deportment, technique, The Musician's Way, wellness
“The simplest things are the ones that count.”
–Pablo Casals, cellist
Have you ever dealt with discomfort caused by sitting?
Most of us sit for hours each day as we practice, study, and use computers.
Yet I’ve observed that few music students know how to sit optimally and, as a result, many endure frequent episodes of back pain.
Here are 4 principles that contribute to easeful sitting. All are expanded on in The Musician’s Way (p. 250-269), which includes dozens of high-resolution photos.
1. Balance on Your Sitting Bones
To get a feel for balancing on your sitting bones (i.e., ischial tuberosities), try this:
a. Sit at the front edge of a chair with only your pelvis contacting the seat.
b. Place you feet flat on the floor.
c. Position your knees hip-width to shoulder-width apart.
Next, rock you pelvis forward and back to sense your two sitting bones. Then, cease rocking, and balance on the tips of those bones.
Either remain at the front of the seat or slide back and distribute some of your weight on the backs of your thighs. Employ a seat cushion or lumbar support as desired.
2. Position Your Hips Higher than Your Knees
Placing the hips higher than the knees facilitates breathing and helps release the lower back muscles.
Forward-sloping cushions are ideally suited to achieving this hip alignment (I’m sitting on one as I write this). See the Ergonomics section at MusiciansWay.com for links to sites that sell such cushions.
For taller musicians, a chair can also be modified in a pinch with the like of a phone book, as demonstrated by cellist Kendall Ramseur in the above image.
3. Release Your Shoulders
To enable unbridled use of the arms, for starters, place your hands on your thighs and allow your shoulders to release down and away from each other (the shoulder blades will move closer together). Then, let your shoulders remain free as you make music or do any activity.
Shoulders can be tricky to coordinate as because they’re our most mobile joint.
Many instrumentalists, for instance, tend to stiffen one or both shoulders as they bring their hands into playing position.
So, in addition to adopting good shoulder use as you play an instrument or work at a computer, take regular breaks during which you roll your shoulders, circle your arms, and otherwise counteract any buildup of tension.
4. Align and Lengthen Your Spine
“From your tailbone to your head, let your spine lengthen toward a vertical alignment, and allow your head to rise as if it were a helium-filled balloon.” (The Musician’s Way, p. 252).
Avoid either slumping forward or arching your back like a soldier at attention. Also, be available to move as opposed to holding yourself rigidly.
To evaluate your spinal alignment, it’s useful to place a mirror or video camera at your side.
* * *
In tandem with applying these principles, most of us can best discover optimal ways to sit by taking lessons from teachers of the Alexander technique or Feldenkrais method.
It also helps for us to have adequate strength in the abdominal and back muscles.
If you feel that your core muscle strength may be lacking, consider seeing an athletic trainer or a physical therapist for advice about exercises.
Related posts
Balanced shoulders, open heart
The centered performer
Heeding the signs of injury
Projecting ease
The total warm-up
The quotation that heads this post is taken from Blum’s “Casals and the Art of Interpretation,” (Holmes & Meier, 1977), p. vi.
© 2011 Gerald Klickstein
Geraldine said:
Jan 25, 11 at 14:09I think many student musicians are aware of the issue of sitting properly. I think where it gets hard to follow through with actually siting right is that no matter how properly you sit, you still get in pain from sitting the same way for many hours. I think having a few valid positions available would really help students. Just having one right way to sit only works for long.
Geraldine
Susan Riggs said:
Feb 07, 11 at 15:17I agree. There’s a lot more than one right way to sit. Good, supported movement gets easily confused with posture. Our mothers and teachers were well-intentioned, but when they told us to “sit up straight” we got the wrong message – directing us towards something rigid, uncomfortable, and hard to maintain. What we need is to understand how our bony structure actually supports us.
Musicians don’t need to, and shouldn’t, play in pain. We don’t need to sit the same way for hours. In fact, if you think about it, musicians move for a living. So, we need to cultivate movement, grounded in understanding and feeling how our bodies actually “want to go”, and led by musical intention- how the music “wants to go.”
I’m not talking huge, dramatic, roll all over the stage movement. I’m talking the micro movements that happen when your instrument playing arms and fingers are dynamically supported by your spine, your sit bones, your feet, your breathing. I’m talking fluid, organized movement. I’m talking movements that feel good and deliver.
Piano playing injuries rendered me silent until I finally found my way to this kind of movement. I studied Body Mapping, developed by Barbara Conable to “put musicians on a secure somatic foundation.” The work is based on the principles of Alexander Technique. It’s been my path to reclaiming my musical identity. The certifying organization is called Andover Educators, and you’ll find our website at bodymap.org. We teach “What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body,” and you’ll find teachers all over the world.
Gerald Klickstein said:
Feb 07, 11 at 21:54Well said, Susan – thanks for contributing.
As I wrote above, one aim of balanced, easeful sitting is to “let yourself be available to move as opposed to holding yourself rigidly.” So, like you, I advocate an approach that incorporates micromovements and flexibility in sitting.
I’m also a proponent of body mapping, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, and other movement-awareness traditions that equip musicians to perform optimally and steer clear of playing-related injuries.
Glad to hear that you’re back playing again!