Musicians spend long hours practicing and rehearsing, and the tension that builds up can lead to discomfort, pain, and limits on what they can play. Performers of many kinds study the Alexander Technique to work with less of that tension. Here is what it is, how lessons work, and what research shows.

Where it came from

Frederick Matthias Alexander, who was born in Tasmania in 1869, developed the technique in the 1890s. As a young actor, he kept having trouble with his voice, and doctors could find no clear medical cause. He watched himself in mirrors while he recited. He saw that he stiffened his neck, pulled his head back and down, and gasped for air as he began to speak. The tension ran through his whole body, and it started as soon as he even thought about reciting.

Alexander spent several years learning to change that habit. As his voice and breathing improved, other people asked him for help. He began teaching in Melbourne around 1894, moved to London in 1904, and taught there until his death in 1955. In 1958, teachers he had trained founded the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. Today there are professional societies of teachers around the world.

What it is

Its teachers describe it as a gentle educational method for changing long-standing habits that cause unneeded tension, and it has been taught for more than 100 years. You learn a skill. It is not a set of exercises, and teachers do not give massage or manipulate the body.

Teachers describe a few main ideas:

  • Notice and let go of extra tension. You learn to notice habits of movement and tension that get in the way of easy coordination, then gradually drop them.
  • Head, neck, and back. Teachers say that coordination and poise depend on a natural balance among the head, neck, and back. Alexander called this relationship the "primary control."
  • Pause before you react. Instead of acting out of habit, you learn to stop, think, and choose a better response. In the technique, this deliberate stopping of an unwanted habit is called "inhibition."

What happens in a lesson

Lessons are usually one-to-one, though some teachers offer group classes. A lesson lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. Your teacher guides you through simple activities such as sitting, standing, walking, and bending, using gentle hands-on guidance and spoken explanation. Part of the lesson may be spent lying down, fully clothed, on a lightly padded table.

You can also work on an activity you care about. For a violinist, that might be a hard passage in a piece. Teachers suggest a series of 20 to 30 lessons as a foundation, and members of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique have completed a three-year, full-time training course.

Why musicians study it

The teaching societies say that instrumentalists learn to hold themselves and their instrument with less tension, so they play with more ease and a better sound. They also describe the technique as a way to avoid pain while playing, prevent overuse injuries, improve technique, and cope with stage fright and performance anxiety.

Universities, conservatories, orchestras, and performing arts festivals around the world include the technique in their training for performers.

Two things to try at home

Both come from what the teaching societies describe. They are a taste of the technique, not a replacement for lessons with a qualified teacher.

  • Lie down in semi-supine, on your back with your knees bent. Use a fairly firm surface, like a rug or mat, with a few paperback books under your head. Put your feet flat on the floor, about shoulder-width apart. Notice where you touch the floor: the back of your head, your shoulder blades, your hips, and your feet. When your mind wanders, bring it back to what you can see, hear, and feel. Teachers suggest 15 to 20 minutes a day.
  • Pause before you play. Alexander's tension began before he said a word. Before you lift your violin or viola, stop for a moment. Notice whether your neck stiffens or your head pulls back. Then begin. Watch for the same thing in everyday moments, like tensing when the phone rings.

What the research shows

Two large trials in Britain tested Alexander lessons for long-lasting pain.

In a 2008 trial, 579 people with chronic or recurring low back pain were given usual care, massage, or either 6 or 24 one-to-one Alexander lessons. Half of each group also got an exercise prescription from their doctor. A year later, people who had 24 lessons reported about 3 days of back pain a month, compared with 21 days for people who had usual care. Six lessons followed by exercise worked nearly as well as 24 lessons. No significant harms were reported.

In a 2015 trial, 517 people who had neck pain for at least three months were offered up to 20 one-to-one Alexander lessons or 12 acupuncture sessions on top of their usual care, or usual care alone. After 12 months, neck pain and the problems it caused had dropped by 31% in the lesson group and 32% in the acupuncture group. Both did significantly better than usual care alone.

For musicians, the evidence is limited. A 2014 review gathered 12 studies of the technique with musicians. It found that lessons may reduce performance anxiety, but the effects on musical performance, breathing, and posture were inconclusive. Most of the studies were small, and the authors called for better-designed trials.

If playing hurts

If playing ever hurts, stop and tell your teacher, and see a doctor or physical therapist. Alexander lessons are a kind of education. They are not medical care and do not replace it.

For ideas on warming up and keeping practice sessions short and focused, see Practice Makes Progress. If you have questions about playing comfortably, we are happy to talk.

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