Releasing body tension while playing...

[Xperience]

Hey whats up, I'm new here, (nice site!). I was wondering how you guys go about releasing the tension in your body: arm, hands, fingers and such as you play. I know this is very important but I can't seem to do it. See I have grown up playing blues/rock stuff where it just feels right to grab a note and leave finger indentions in the fretboard when you leave it, but here recently I have discovered my love and have converted all my energies to Neoclassical Metal. Like symphony X, Yngwie, Stratovarious, etc... this is the best stuff. So as a result I have been learning some Classical/Romantic period music. i.e. Brahms fourth Symphony, Ravel's Daphin Et Chole (suite II), Mendelssohn's Flute Scherzo op. 61.. these peices are not written for guitar (I go through the music dept. here at school (college) and take every type of audition sheet I can find.. then copy it into a program I downloaded for composing music, it will play what you have transcribed back at you.. anyway) so the phrasing is kind of wierd sometimes.. and is difficult thus I need to relax more to allow myself to float through these passages...how do you guys do it?

thank-you Xperience

[StoneDragon]

It's not easy.... I think that's why most people just stick with the mangle-it-strangle-it approach.

Since you have already developed the "tension habit", it may take a lot of dedicated work to break that habit. What it really comes down to is being "conscious" of the tension in your hands as you play... and then intentionally sending the command to your muscles to relax. At first, you will probably find that this is like an on/off switch.... you are either full off tension or you can't play at all. You've got to slowely and consistently re-train your nervous system to accept that the muscles don't have to be tense in order for them to operate at high capacity.... in fact, the tension is actually inhibiting the muscles from reaching their operational peak.

What I would recommend is to devote some serious time to discovering relaxation away from the guitar before trying to apply this to the guitar itself. You could spend a half hour per day sitting quitely with your eyes closed, breathing deeply and evenly as you relax each part of your body from your head down to your toes. Or you could enroll in a Tai Chi/Yoga type class that accentuates relaxation. (some do.... some don't)

The most important thing to keep in mind is you can't fight tension.... that only creates more tension. You have to let go of the tension. Also.... if your mind is tense... that tension will be reflected by your body. If your mind is calm... that calm will be reflected by our body.

[Xperience]

Thank, you know I had thought the yoga class thing... I am glad you mentioned that that might be a good idea.

I believe tention is causeing me some problems I am currently working through Bahc's Prelude in D and although I don't feel tense by the time a am 1/2 way through the peice my hands hurt badly and begin to cramp....even when playing in a strict classical position....
thank-you, Xperience

[StoneDragon]

That tension manifests over time. When you really start to notice it is about the time you start developing tendonitis or the latest rage CTS.

[Xperience]

Hmmm, sounds like fun...http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/dead.gif

[Xperience]

If anyone else happens to read through this with the same question, here are some books to check out. (I did a little research)

"You Are Your Instrument" by Julie Lieberman

"Take a Deep Breath" by Dr. James Loehr and Dr. Jeffery Migdow

"Awareness Through Movement" by Moshe Feldenkrais

"Stress and the Art of Biofeedback" by Barbra Brown

"The Body Has it's Reasons" by Carol Bernstein and Therese Bertherat

"Listen To Your Pain" by Dr. Ben Benjamin

,Xperience