The Feldenkrais Method for Instrumentalists
A Guide to Awareness through Movement
Samuel H Nelson author Elizabeth L Blades author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:11th Jan '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Every musician is an athlete. Athletes hone their bodies, coordinate their reflexes, and train their minds seeking to perfect a balance of strength, skills, and agility. Complicated, demanding, and repetitious movements often result in unnatural and difficult positions which put instrumentalists at risk of injury. However, when movement and task are coordinated well and freely, the athlete-instrumentalists find themselves in “the zone” or “the flow,” a magical place where art and athleticism meet.
The Feldenkrais Method is a movement-based self-discovery process that aims for performance with minimum effort and maximum efficiency, thus reducing the chance of injury and even helping speed up recovery time from an injury. Samuel H. Nelson and Elizabeth L. Blades provide a guide to the Feldenkrais Method tailored specifically for instrumentalists. The book includes many “Awareness Through Movement” lessons and activities as well as case studies and examples specific to different instrument types.
No one knows more about how musician's bodies make music with ease and comfort than Nelson and Blades. This book constitutes several lifetimes of wisdom packed into a treasure trove of movement. My performing life was so much easier and richer using these techniques. -- Anne Rardin, orchestra director, Pasadena High School, American String Teachers Association Wellness Committee
Nelson and Blades effectively describe Feldenkrais Method in simple language. Their book dives into key topics that will be of vital interest to musicians of all kinds. -- Geoffrey Burgess, Eastman School of Music, author of The Pathetick Musician: Moving an Audience in the Age of Eloquence
ISBN: 9781538182581
Dimensions: 263mm x 184mm x 19mm
Weight: 667g
220 pages