With sticky notes all over the place and now a big picture of body technique in my head, I'm starting to get organized. I'm not sure yet what the final format will be, but I'm very excited. Stay tuned for changes in the summer!

Using your breath is, I think, the fastest and most effective way to start aligning your body and developing body awareness. See the "breathing" archive for ideas. Some students who are really twisted up need the 6 Steps to Perfect Posture. Some don't. After the body is mostly aligned, though, everyone can warm up quickly just by gently reminding the body what to do. Here's the abbreviated warmup that I do with my students now that their bodies are alive and aligned:

1. sniff quickly and deeply into your chest, sending your chest up in the air (same as step 1 in 6 step warmup).
2. let your breath huff out.
3. Hairball (step 3) to force all of your air out.
4. open your mouth and let the air rush into your body without you making an effort; the vacuum just fills you up with air.
5. easy breath out.
6. get "thinner": suck your stomach back towards your spine. Your chest should not rise.
7. get "taller": breathe in as you suck your stomach up towards your chest, letting your torso stretch upward as you breathe in.
8. holding your breath, shrug your shoulders up and set your heels down into the floor, stretching your middle from both ends. Arch back a bit to stretch your stomach even more.
9. bend at the hips, continuing to set your heels down, stretching your back. Feel your head and neck getting longer, your head stretching taller away from your body.
10. let your breath out as your let your shoulders fall back down.
11. "hairball": expel all of your breath.
12. vacuum your breath back in by opening your mouth.
13. exhale, tossing your violin into position.

This whole operation usually takes a minute or less.

I either teach this during the Minuets in Book 1 or during Hunters' Chorus in Book 2, depending on the student. Both of these pieces benefit from loose right hand knuckle movement, and the ability to "catch" the bow in your hand after taking a short up bow. Here's how to practice:

1. take a handkerchief, rag, or some piece of cloth in your hand. Hold it lightly with all fingers and thumb.
2. fling the hanky from your hand, straightening all fingers and thumb.
3. pick up the hanky, curving all fingers and thumb.
4. practice the same motions (straightening and curving fingers/thumb) without the hanky.
5. practice the same motions while holding your bow in the air or while resting it on the strings of the violin.

To use in Minuets or Hunters' Chorus to catch the bow in the hand after a short up bow:

1. prepare for the up bow by making sure the elbow is relaxed and "dangly". Place the bow on the string somewhere in the lower half. Near the balance point is a good place, but experiment!


2. nudge the bow by dipping the elbow in towards your body.


3. as the bow moves, "pick up the hanky" with your fingers so that the bow ends up just barely off the string.


4. experiment: as you nudge the elbow more quickly, you can "toss" the bow up with the elbow, and "catch" it with your hanky fingers.

These are some places in Minuet 1 and Hunters' Chorus; in Minuets, you can try this any time you have 2 up bows next to each other.