Lecture
The work of a professional musician is one of the
most complex kinds of human activity, requiring many years of daily labor that is often physically and mentally exhaust-
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ing. These demands are constantly growing because of the ever-increasing competition among young musicians entering the profession. Here
many are called but few are chosen. And today the winner often turns out to be the one who proved more resilient, more capable of hard work, more
focused, and physically and mentally stronger.
One can have outstanding musical abilities and excellent
teachers, one can have unbending will and persistence in achieving the goals
of high professionalism, but all these fine qualities and advantages are worth little if a musician lacks good health and a work regimen that supports it. The «1000 Movements» system developed by the well-known physician Nikolai Mikhailovich
Amosov has become widely known in our country. The system includes 10 exercises, each of which N. Amosov
recommends performing 100 times:
• Lying on your back, throw your legs over your head so that your knees touch your forehead.
• From a standing position, bend forward and touch the floor with your hands.
• Rotate your arms at the shoulder joint.
• Bend right and left, one hand – to the knee, the other to the armpit.
• Raise your arms and swing them behind your back so as to touch
the opposite shoulder blade, while simultaneously tilting your head forward.
• Rotate your torso from right to left, with your hands clasped at chest height.
• While standing, alternately pull your knees up to your stomach.
• Lying face-down on a stool with your feet secured under a cabinet, flex your spine backward – forward.
• Squat while holding on to the back of a chair.
• Run.
Performing these simple exercises, even not to the full extent that N. Amosov recommends, will significantly increase a musician's capacity for work.
Static yoga exercises, which have proven highly effective for improving
health, can also be of great benefit to musicians. For people engaged in mental work, which includes musicians,
inverted postures are recommended, in which the head ends up below
the center of gravity – the headstand, throwing the legs back over the head while lying
down, various forward bends, and the «candle» exercise (shoulder
stand). These exercises improve blood supply to the brain and strengthen
its blood vessels. That is why they have a positive effect on attention and memory.
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For musicians of all specialties, but especially for wind players and
vocalists, skills in proper breathing are of great importance for professional
growth. But while wind players and vocalists are specifically
taught these skills, instrumentalist musicians, unfortunately, are not.
As a result, many beginning musicians experience dizziness and a feeling of weakness when performing emotionally demanding pieces, caused by improper breathing rhythm and technique.
There are three main types of breathing: 1) upper, clavicular, in
which the shoulders often rise; 2) middle, thoracic, intercostal,
in which the ribs expand; 3) lower, diaphragmatic, or abdominal, in which the diaphragm drops on the inhale and the stomach protrudes
forward. Full breathing, which is the most optimal, is performed as follows: after exhaling, a long inhale is taken, during which the stomach first protrudes forward, then the ribs slowly expand
and finally the air fills the upper part of the lungs. During the exhale, air first leaves the upper part of the lungs, then the chest, and then the lower part of the abdomen, which is drawn in toward the spine. Full breathing massages the internal organs well: the liver, spleen, kidneys,
and gallbladder, thereby improving their blood supply.
While playing, one must not hold one's breath, and it is best to breathe
with the stomach. Breathing should be done only through the nose, since breathing
through the mouth quickly leads to dizziness and muscle tension.
For preventive purposes, rhythmic breathing can be recommended,
in which the inhale is done over a count of four and the exhale – over eight; or:
4 counts – inhale, 4 – hold, 4 – exhale, 4 – hold. This kind of breathing effectively
relieves nervous and psychological strain. It is also useful to breathe through one
nostril at a time, alternately inhaling through one and exhaling through
the other.
Among the means that increase capacity for work and improve well-being and outlook on life are also natural hardening methods – sunbathing and air baths, water treatments – both cold and hot. Many people, in order to achieve the desired feeling of
vigor, practice contrast showers, alternating hot water and cold from 2 to 5 times.
Our skin has the ability to
exchange gases with the environment, that is, to breathe, and helping the body do this
results in the desired health and high capacity for work.
Among the good remedies that effectively relieve fatigue and nervous
psychological tension (stress) are massage (general and acupressure), autogenic training, and meditation.
The basic rules of general self-massage are – to move along the
lymphatic pathways, that is, toward the heart. One must not massage the hollow behind the
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knee, the armpit, or the groin area, that is, the places where lymph nodes are located.
Self-massage begins with the face. Using the backs of the hands, the muscles of the forehead, cheeks, and chin are smoothed as if washing the face, then the chest and arms, which are smoothed from the fingers to the armpit.
The chest and stomach are massaged with circular clockwise movements,
and the lower back in the kidney area. The legs are massaged from the feet to the thighs. Massage is contraindicated in cases of elevated temperature or skin conditions.
In acupressure, special points possessing a particular «vital force» are massaged. This massage technique came to us from
Eastern medicine, whose approaches to treating illness have proven their
effectiveness. Below are some points that help overcome fatigue. They should be pressed lightly and rubbed for 2 – 5 minutes.
The «yong-quan» point is located on the sole of the foot. When the toes
are flexed, a small hollow forms at this point. Massage both
feet at the same time.
The «yin-bai» point is located on the big toes, about 3
mm to the outside of the corner of the big toenail bed.
The «zusanli» point is located on the shin. If, while sitting,
you place your hands on your knees, covering the kneecaps with your palms, the point
will be located under the fourth finger of each hand.
The «shaochong» and «shaoze» points are located on the little finger of the hand, on its
inner and outer sides at the base of the nail.
The «zhongchong» point is located on the middle finger of the hand, on the side facing
the index finger, 3 mm below the nail bed.
The «hegu» point is located in the hollow between the first and second fingers of the hand, where the fold of skin between them begins.
The «xuanli» point is located on a line drawn from the top of the ear
toward the eyes, 1 cm from the hairline at the temple.
The «fengfu» point is located on the back of the head, 3 cm above the
hairline, under the occipital protuberance.
When practicing in pairs or in groups, students can massage
each other's back and neck muscles, which also relieves fatigue well.
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