Movement Prep & Resets
Optimizing Movement & Coordination
I have been thinking a lot about movement and music-making. Recognizing that playing and singing is a series of intricate combinations of movements, it makes sense to include a pre-practice/pre-performance routine that prepares and resets the body for movement precision and ease. Just like an athlete, we can prime the body for our craft, AND reset often.
3 Essential Movement Preps for Musicians
Release the feet! The quality of all our movements depends on our relationship to the ground. Feet are stuck in shoes that restrict their movement, leading to tight tissue. Here is a great fascial release that not only releases the feet, but also contributes to opening up hips, releasing unproductive tension in the shoulders, and breathing coordination. The ball I am using is part of the Yoga Tune-Up Therapy Ball pairs from Tune Up Fitness. I like them because they are firm but pliable, perfect for moving soft tissue around and easy to pack with gear.
Warm-Up Hands! - Roll a ball between the palms of your hands to move the soft tissue & joints around. Bonus - Arms are moving too!!! Roll hands for 30-60 seconds.
Coordinated Whole-Body Movement - get the arms and legs moving in larger ways using connections through the trunk (think spine, rib cage, and the amazing core muscles). Don’t forget to breathe as you move.
Movement Resets
As we play or sing, muscles fatigue and tissue tightens if we are overworking. Practicing continuously is learning repertoire with increasing unproductive tension that diminishes expression and eats away at confidence. Another way to think of it is as movement with restriction, like wearing a weighted vest as you play/sing. What you are learning is to move in ways that aren’t reliable, an underlying reason for inconsistent performance. Good news! You can use any of the above movements to reset the body to learn your rep with healthy, coordinated movement that will allow you to shape phrases the way you want, even under pressure.
How often should you reset?
It depends on you! Sleep, rest, conditioning, and nutrition are all part of the considerations in answering this question. Janet Horvath, author of Playing (Less) Hurt, recommends 10 minutes for every hour of playing (p.189). This is the perfect time to integrate physical resets, like those above, but can also include practices like constructive rest or meditation.
Practicing and rehearsing should be about cultivating just the right movements to bring your ideas to life. Ignoring fatigue and tension diminishes movement quality, i.e. productivity. Happy Movement Training!
Be curious!