Part of being able to play freely is developing your "inner suspension system." This happens when muscles are activated and balancing each other, giving you a sensation of floating inside your suspended body instead of laboring to hold yourself in a position. Over the next few posts, I'm going to write about how I help violinists, violists, and dancers train their bodies to be suspended so that more energy is available for tiny motor movements (such as in fingers!)

Abdominal muscles (also often referred to as your "core") are the place to start. But don't lie down on the floor yet to do 100 crunches. The most important thing is to do the abdominal exercises efficiently, using only the muscles you need while leaving the others relaxed.

To tune into your abdominals before starting to work on them, here is a simple, effective exercise.

1. lie on your back, with knees bent.
2. expel all air from yourself in a big exhalation.
3. suck your stomach towards the floor, carving a hollow into your stomach.
4. keep sucking in, and now also try sucking your stomach towards your ribs, continuing to create that concavity.
5. when you need to breathe, let the air in and release your muscles.

Playing the violin (and to an even greater extent, the viola) is so much easier when your abdominals are in charge of holding you up. You can train your abs in a ridiculously short time if you build the habit of doing it every day. Here is my strategy for doing this:

Begin by tuning into your abs. Then:

1. remain on the floor, knees bent.
2. lace your hands behind your neck/head for support.
3. suck your abs towards the floor. Picture yourself as a hinge...as your abs contract, they cause your upper body to come off of the floor. Do not try to touch your knees, sit all the way up, etc. Only let your upper body lift if you feel that the abs are doing all of the work.
4. leave your legs as loose as you can. Concentrate all of your mental energy on your abs.
5. leave your arms as loose as you can.
6. leave everything else as loose as you can!

To build the habit of doing these every day, do this exercise until it feels like you're working at it. This is your current limit. Now make the number of repetitions something less than that. The idea is to do a number of repetitions that doesn't feel like work, so that you will be more likely to do it the next day.

I've stabilized at about 60 reps every morning, which is plenty for me to maintain the tone that I need. Some mornings I'm just too tired, so I'll do 30, do something else, then do another 30. You will find the routine that works for you, but always do less than your limit.

One more post on core strength before continuing with upper body tuning. Learning to move this way will allow you to relax your neck more and relax your lower back. (Incidentally, it's also crucial to know how to do this if you're a tango dancer who wants to do amazing boleos).

Lie on the floor, knees bent, and find your abs. Then:

1. Leave one leg bent and straighten the other so it is resting completely on the floor.
2. Slightly suck your lower abs (just above your pelvis) down towards the floor, feeling your pelvis tip slightly down into the floor.
3. As your abs contract, your leg is lifted up in the air.
4. Slowly release your abs and let your leg return to the floor.
5. Remind yourself to relax the rest of your body.
6. Do this as many times as you can, but a few times less than your limit, so it doesn't feel like "work". You want to be interested in doing it again tomorrow.
7. Switch legs and repeat.

Refinements of this:

1. Stretch the straight leg as far away from you as you can


2. Make sure your neck is relaxed (easier to do if your butt is also relaxed).
   
3. Use a leg weight (don't do this at first. Concentrate on relaxed, smooth motion without a weight. You may never want to use a leg weight.)

If you feel like you are using your quadriceps a lot, refocus on contracting your abs, letting your pelvis tilt, and using that motion to "magically" lift your leg into the air.

The secret to effortless vibrato, shifting, high position work, and a lot of other things is using your back to lift your arms. If you're playing the viola, and especially if you are slight of build, please do this exercise to avoid injury.

As usual, do fewer repetitions than your limit. You want it to not feel like work, so that you'll be likely to do it the next day. However, you have to do at least 1! :-)

I'll post a video of this as soon as I get a chance.

1. Stand without holding your instrument or bow, in good posture. Arms at your sides.
2. Let your shoulders rotate back and let your shoulder blades sink down in back, causing your arms to lift in front of you, sticking straight out in front.
3. Feel your shoulder blades slightly move towards each other as you swing your arms out to the sides, palms down.
4. Flip palms up
5. Stretch your hands away from you as much as possible and feel the muscles under your arms and around your shoulder blades as you press your arms upwards, ending with them straight up in the air over your head, palms facing towards each other.
6. Again, stretch your hands as high as you can as you "dive" back, returning your arms to the side, palms up. As your arms get closer to horizontal, feel your shoulder blades sinking down into their "slots".
7. Flip palms down
8. Slowly swing arms to front
9. Return arms to your sides.

Try doing this while continuously moving your knees, to keep your neck relaxed.

The most important parts of this exercise are using your back and underarms to raise your arms above your head, and letting the shoulder blades sink as your arms come back down.