Moving while playing

Dear Flutists,

The question comes up often; how do you know when you MOVE TOO MUCH when you're performing on flute?

The answer of course, is to video-tape yourself.

Have a look at this young flutist on youtube and decide what it is that you're seeing, and then come back and read on.

See this youtube video Franck Sonata.

Now to some quick points on the topic of how much is too much?

1. Personal story: When I was in 3rd year University performance, my adjudicator scribbled the slanty hand-writing across the bottom of my judgement: You make the audience Sea-Sick!

Well, ha ha....er...this might be the kind of thing that hurts ones feelings, and pushes you over the edge into video-taping yourself when you perform.

Seeing the film will most likely instantly create a solution; you will see the tension in your own body, and you'll make a huge point of releasing it whenever you perceive that your flute circles are becoming too large. :>) Try this and send feedback.

Just knowing about it seems to dissolve the problem very quickly.

2. Back to our youtube sample at the link above; Why is the flutist moving so much?

I believe that there are two factors to giant flute helicopter circles:

a) The neck, arms and shoulders are too static and too uncomfortable over long hours of practise. Making circles or dipping and diving allows these muscles some more comfort, and blood-fow. Violinists, also in the uncomfortable "hold this across your body" position, are allowed to move their arms, neck, shoulders and torso. Not so much with flute-players.

b) The blowing muscles are connected to the tops of legs in the pelvis/hip region. The muscles that connect to the bottom of the diagphragm are called the PSOAS muscles. Have a look at an anatomy diagram of the PSOAS.
The psoas run diagonally from the top of each thigh-bone, buried deeply within the pelvis, where you spend your life being unaware of them, and if you 'push down against the floor' (such as when you go from sitting to standing or vis versa) they give added "ooomph" to the breathing aparatus. (Singers are taught about this anatomy also. See article here on singing and body work.)
I believe that this is why flutists often pump up and down with their bent knees, and bob and weave from foot to foot; this is a lopsided attempt, I believe, to engage the psoas muscles.
Take another look at the above youtube video to see this erraticly applied mechanism in action.

Of interest this past week, were the sound files offered by one of the Galway Weggis masterclass attendees of the Singing Classes offered for the flutists at Weggis. The singing instructor (Patrick) led a fanatastic class that utilized vocal warmup techniques and standing and sitting while singing. On these mp3s of the singing class you can clearly hear the strength of the voices when the flutist-singers are using the Psoas muscles to stand and sing, and then sit and sing. It's really quite an amazing class to hear. Hopefully all the Galway FluteChat members grabbed copies of those mp3s to listen to. Patrick is a very gifted vocal teacher. Quite amazing.

3. The third reason for excessive movement of a poor flutist who's trying to co-ordinate holding a tiring cross-body instrument, breathing hugely on demand, creating a sound large enough to fill a hall, and possibly suffering some 'flight or fight' stage dancing symptoms is the attempt to create a level of emotional communication of the music.
I believe that the soulful outpourings of the young performer in the youtube video are actually being "acted out" by the body. Yes, it would be far more enchanting to hear the soulful outpourings rather than watch them...but I can definitely understand the desire on the part of the performer to fully communicate their feelings about the music. You see this in the facial expressions of singers, pianists, violinists, and other brass and woodwind players. They are trying to have the audience SEE their musical communication.
Very commendable, but also, as we see, a very little of this goes a very long way. You could likely tone the visual motion and expressive body dancing down to 4% and still be assured of musical communication.

So, since I'm typing quickly, and definitely looking for input, I'll finish off with two points of view:

a) For those flutists who move too much on stage while performing, look for releasing tension all the time using small gestures, until the body is co-ordinated and no longer building up static tension.

b) For those flutists who stand rock still while performing, and perhaps don't free themselves enough to play musically, do the same; release tension all the time using small (un-noticeably small) gestures. The body should feel springy and active; not rock-like.

c) And finally, for those, who, like me, practically dance right off the stage---have a wee look at yourself on video. Often simply seeing yourself do it is enough to bring it to consciousness when you're practising so you can choose how much motion you truly want.

Hope this helps open up discussion,
Best,
Jen