How the Alexander Technique can transform your musical practice

If you are a musician, you’ve likely experienced those fleeting moments of brilliance when everything seems to flow perfectly. Moments where you play so naturally that it feels like you can achieve more—but then, at other times, something holds you back. Have you ever wondered why you can’t maintain that ideal coordination consistently? The Alexander Technique may be the key to unlocking that potential and enhancing your daily practice.

Of course, many musicians develop excellent coordination without taking Alexander Technique lessons, but the truth is that we all constantly face moments when our best coordination isn’t available. Still, those flashes of brilliance you have experienced show you that your potential is greater than you realized. These fleeting moments of inspiration likely motivate you to practice more, seeking greater consistency and confidence both in practice and performance.

Learning how to learn with the Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique teaches us how to learn how to learn. By applying its principles, you can develop reliable coordination that extends beyond your daily musical practice, helping you make better choices about how you move, think, and respond at every moment.

Stopping interference with your goals

The word “talent” is often associated with something innate that some people have and others don’t. From a technical and musical perspective, being talented means having the ability not to interfere with what you want to achieve, allowing your coordination to flow with minimal effort. The Alexander Technique helps you eliminate unconscious interference.

By practicing mindfully and consistently, you develop more fluid, intuitive coordination, reducing tension and interference that limit your performance. The Alexander Technique shows you how to move with greater ease and awareness, both on and off stage.

Posture and coordination beyond musical practice

What we do in our daily lives directly affects our musical practice. How you move—whether getting up from a chair, picking up the phone, or simply walking—affects how you feel when playing. Often, we aren’t aware of this, and we focus so much on results that we neglect our bodies.

For example, many assume that being “relaxed” means letting the body collapse, but this misunderstanding actually creates more tension. When trying to achieve “proper” posture while playing, we often strain to maintain it, generating unnecessary tension. The Alexander Technique teaches how to find a comfortable, natural posture, where relaxation doesn’t mean collapsing.

Beyond pain relief

Many musicians first come to the Alexander Technique seeking relief from pain or discomfort affecting their practice. This was the case for Peter Buckoke, a double bass teacher and Alexander Technique instructor at the Royal College of Music in London. In his story, shared in the book Alexander Technique for Musicians, he explains how his initial motivation was pain relief. But once freed from discomfort, he discovered something deeper:

“I began to see the musical potential of applying its principles as a consequence of the relief I was experiencing. I changed my expectations about what I could achieve musically, and I’ve been changing them ever since. I realized that you don’t always have to react automatically based on your feelings; you can make conscious decisions about your interpretation and creativity.”

This testimony highlights a powerful truth: the Alexander Technique doesn’t just relieve pain—it allows you to access a deeper level of musical expression, giving you the ability to make conscious choices that enhance creativity and flexibility on stage.

The power of the “Use of the Self”

The Alexander Technique goes far beyond “correcting posture.” The concept of “use of self” refers to how we utilize ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally in all activities, not just while playing. Every movement, thought, and action impacts your musical practice. By learning to observe yourself and make conscious decisions about your daily “use,” you can improve your musical practice even without touching your instrument.

Rather than simply correcting posture, the Alexander Technique teaches how to connect mind and body more efficiently, helping you develop the ability to choose how to respond to the demands and stimuli of everyday musical practice.

Alexander Technique and performance anxiety

In my view, anxiety underlies many common problems in musical practice. Some performers seem unaffected on stage, but that doesn’t mean they are anxiety-free—the effects of anxious practice extend far beyond performance.

The problem is deep-rooted: many symptoms of anxiety are considered “normal” in music education and are often underestimated, even though they can trigger future injuries and more serious issues. Common symptoms include:

• Excessive self-criticism and constant comparison to an “ideal” performance

• Lack of objectivity when evaluating progress

• Feeling you never have enough time to practice properly

• Obsessive repetition of passages without reflection on the purpose

• Poor organization of study sessions and focus

• Guilt when missing practice days and the belief that each day lost hinders progress

The Alexander Technique addresses this by fostering awareness of how we respond to challenges. By recognizing your reactions to everyday situations, you learn to respond consciously, even under pressure.

Preparing your body for a long and healthy career

No musician would intentionally damage their instrument expecting it to work perfectly. Yet many of us use our bodies destructively, hoping to play for years. The Alexander Technique helps improve your “use,” protecting your body and preparing you for a long, successful, and healthy career.

Perhaps the greatest gift of the Alexander Technique is its ability to help you be fully present in all daily activities, making conscious choices about how you move and think. This capacity to take responsibility for your physical and mental well-being not only improves musical performance but also leads to a more balanced, fulfilling life.

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