Where to begin....proper posture

One of the most important aspects of playing a musical instrument happens even before you have any instrument in your hands. It is making sure you have proper posture. Proper posture is the balancing of the body in order to create the most resonant environment for energy flow.

Developing an awareness of posture involves paying close attention to the position of the feet, knees, hips, shoulders, arms, hands, and head. Correct positioning of these body parts makes it easier for sound to be produced. Here are some check points:

- the chin should be about parallel to the floor.
- Shoulders should be held back and down, with chest held high, but not in a strained position.
- Hands should be relaxed and still at the sides.
- Knees should be flexibly loose, never locked.
- Feet should be slightly apart, one foot slightly in front of the other. Body weight is slightly forward.

If standing, the ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles form a line. When sitting, the knees remain behind the toes and the upper body weight is equally balanced on the hips which rest on the edge of the chair.

Practicing proper posture will always insure that you will "bring the instrument to your body, not the body to the instrument."