Blow Free: Avoid resistance, tension and inefficiency in your playing.

Rafael Afonso

About this exposition

My goal with this research is to find a solution to my playing problems, which are most of the times related to tensions and stress. For many years, and still today, there are questions related to something I do physically while playing that I couldn’t change, not even with the help of my teachers. It was so deep in my system that I couldn’t control it, I didn’t know what the reason was and I even didn’t realize when I was doing it. This was the starting point and the motivation to write this paper. I firstly looked at the symptoms and investigated them in order to understand whether it was a medical problem or just bad habits on using my body. Then I realized that the problem was not always there and that is was worse when I was under pressure. So I chose two main topics to research: Alexander technique, to help me reducing tension and use my body more efficiently; and Arnold Jacobs approach of “Song and Wind” to improve my playing by directing my focus and avoiding stress. In this paper I also add some observations I made about some lessons I followed and interviews I have done with people who helped and/or inspired me during this process. Finally, I close this research with the description of some exercises that I implemented in my own daily routine. I can feel the improvement in my playing since I started this research so I really hope I will accomplish my goal and who knows one day be able to help other people with similar issues.

type	research exposition
keywords	Musical Training Performance & Cognition, stress
date	11/11/2019
published	20/08/2020
last modified	20/08/2020
status	limited publication
copyright	Rafael Afonso
license	All rights reserved
language	English
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/729980/729981
published in	KC Research Portal
portal issue	3. Internal publication

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Blow Free: Avoid resistance, tension and inefficiency in your playing. (2020)