UD#115 I Spy With My Little Eye: a Uke!

Posted on September 19, 2024 by guido

UD#115 I Spy With My Little Eye: a Uke!
from Ukulele in the Dark with Guido Heistek

As a music teacher who also teaches the Alexander Technique, I am often looking for simple ways that my students can gain awareness of habits that may be interfering with their best functioning while playing.

Looking down at the ukulele?

Being able to look down at our instrument without unduly disturbing the balance of the head on the neck can be invaluable! There are benefits, of course, to NOT looking at the ukulele at all, which we discussed in an earlier lesson of Ukulele in the Dark. However, when we DO look at the ukulele the WAY that we do so can have a big effect on our overall condition and state as we play music.

Where do you think your head meets your neck?

I often ask my students this question!
It can be helpful for students to explore some simple anatomical ideas like this one.They are often surprised  to discover the that the head meets the neck more or less between the ears! Which is a lot higher than most of us think.

What? My spine continues behind my mouth?

If you tuck a finger under each ear lobe, snug up against the bottom of each ear, and draw an imaginary line connecting your two fingers, the line passes (roughly) through where your head meets your neck; the atlanto occipital joint!

If you keep your fingers under your earlobes, and gently nod your head up and down, you can feel your head tilting from the atlanto occipital joint. Cool eh?

When you turn your head from side to side, the movement happens slightly lower in your neck (between C1 and C2 vertebrae). Try it with your fingers tucked under your ear lobes. Point your nose gently to the right and then to the left. Okay! What’s next?z

Eyes and Head

It can also be really useful to gain some awareness of how the eyes and head move independently.

I have a little procedure where we explore this independence. It involves following your finger with your eyes and, then, allowing the nose to follow. Some of my students hate it, and we never do it again. 🙂 Many of my students find it compelling and invaluable. Some report feeling more calm and centred, which is a win. We eventually use the same procedure to look down at the neck of the uke. The results are often shockingly different from the student’s habitual way of looking down at the uke, which is quite fun!


Here is the video:

Okay, that’s all for today’s newsletter. I hope that you found it stimulating. If you would like to do more work like this, let me know, and we can set up a lesson anytime on Zoom, or in person. 

All the best,

Guido 

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• ← UD#114 Funky Bassline on the Uke!