Alexander Archives

That Sound — by Selma Gokcen

"Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other in the integration of the human being because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the Soul on which they mightily fasten, imparting grace, and making the Soul of him who is rightly educated truly graceful." – Plato I wonder whether most of us, performers and listeners alike, fall in love with the sound of an instrument before we even know how and why it has such an effect upon us. The primacy of sound—its essential fascination—indicates a deep internal need for the connection to life, first of all in the womb where the heartbeat of the mother is heard, then after birth as the newborn is attuned to the sound of its mother’s voice, and [...]

By Selma Gokcen|2017-10-09T01:59:27-04:00July 15th, 2012|Categories: Alexander Technique for Cellists, Artistic Vision, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: Selma, cello, Production, cellobello, Alexander, performers, Sound, the Juilliard School, emotion, Vibrations, Technique, perspective, Alexander Technique, Gokcen, creativity|

The Eyes Have It (Part 2): More on Attention — by Selma Gokcen

"The obstacle is the goal." - Zen Proverb The training of attention through my line of work—the Alexander Technique—happens in a particular way, through the application of certain principles. We take the obstacles, in this case a pupil’s habits, and work with them moment by moment, observing and undoing the tensions in the neck area and throughout the back and spinal column. In this way the pupil’s habits become rich material for understanding how their attention can be directed. The head is heavy and bears a particular relationship to the spine, as it is either poised (gently balanced) on top of or pulled into the spinal column. Cellists are vulnerable to tightening the neck and pulling the head either forward and down towards the fingers or back and down, shortening the [...]

By Selma Gokcen|2017-10-09T02:04:50-04:00November 3rd, 2011|Categories: In the Practice Room, Playing Healthy, Self Discovery|Tags: Teaching, balance, cello, Alexander Technique, cellobello, Gokcen, music, movement, control, Selma, Alexander, sound production, head-neck-back relationship, energy, spinal column, Technique, expression, Habits|