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Links and Bibliography

 

Singing Links

Apart from Ron Murdock's site I haven't found much good
advice on singing on the Net. I haven't made an exhaustive search
however.

Cursa-Ur, Ron Murdocks Site Highly accomplished singer, singing teacher and AT teacher. Excellent articles on voice function, care of the voice etc. One of the few teachers really qualified to carry on the original tradition of the AT as profoundly concerned with breath and voice. If you're a singer, go to him!
http://www.cursa-ur.com

There are many sites that deal with the anatomy of the vocal apparatus. Most of these are medical sites, but beware, that's no guarantee the information is accurate either in the descriptions or in the illustrations. Lungs and especially diaphragm are often drawn completely wrong. A really bad one is to be found at East Kentucky University's site for degrees in biology, where the outline of the diaphragm descends way into the viscera and seems to attach itself roughly to the navel or even lower (scroll down to 3rd diagram). In fact the number of anatomical sins committed on this page has to be seen to be believed.
http://www.biology.eku.edu/RITCHISO/301notes6.htm

A good example of lungs drawn wrongly is at:
http://fulton.edzone.net/cites/winkler-science/team2/chap14.html where the apex of the lung is shown at armpit height. No wonder people are surprised to be told that the apex is actually higher than the collar bones (yes, really).

These images can be multiplied ad infinitum if one has the patience to search.

 

Singing Books

From the vast store of books on singing and singing technique I'm suggesting only two. I started compiling a much longer list, but felt I was going to rival Amazon if I wasn't careful.

Singing: The Physical Nature of the Vocal Organ by Professor
Frederick Husler and Yvonne Rodd-Marling. Perhaps the most balanced account
of the singing process in print, and a refreshing understanding of mind-body
unity in the vocal act. Out of print, but you can get a copy by contacting www.singing-lessons.com, or by writing to T. Rodd, 3 Briar Walk, London SW15 6UD, England. £20 (including audio cassette and postage).

Vocal Wisdom by Giovanni Battista Lamperti. Available
from Amazon. This gem of a little book is worth a hundred technical treatises.
Many of these maxims could be Alexander statements. One breathes the entirely
different approach of the epoch, simpler, more profound and more integrated
than the modern tendencies.

The Inner Game of Tennis see under Alexander books.
Not about singing at all, but highly relevant.

Anatomy
If you're interested in the physical nature of the singing body
then you could get a good anatomical atlas (I like Grant's, but
there are many fine ones). Photographic atlases offer proof-positive of
the anatomical facts, but can be difficult to look at if you're
a bit squeamish, and much more difficult to interpret. Or get hold of
Blandine Calais-Germain's excellent book Anatomy of Movement
(original in French) from Amazon. Body mapping (see below)
is another useful tool for the singer. David Gorman's The
Body Moveable (http://www.learningmethods.com)
is highly recommended. One quote from a review should suffice to encourage
you: “For the student of motion, this volume is distinctly superior
to all the traditional anatomy textbooks. The drawings and text are models
of clarity for demonstrating the interrelationship of structure and function.
This is a book for beginner or expert alike.”

Gray's Anatomy available in an old edition online
is very reliable if not exactly user-friendly, at http://www.bartleby.com/107/

 

Alexander Technique Links

STAT : Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique
My professional association, the world's oldest and largest professional body for Alexander teachers.

Address: 1st Floor, Linton House,
39-51 Highgate Road,
London NW5 1RS.
Tel: 0845 230 5435
Website: www.stat.org.uk

L'Association Française des Professeurs de la Technique Alexander
Everything you need to know about AT in France . Good articles and links.

Address : 42 Terrasse de l'Iris
La Défense 2
Courbevoie 92400.

Tel/Fax: 01 40 90 06 23
Website: http://www.techniquealexander.info/
E-mail: techniquealexander@yahoo.fr

ATI: Alexander Technique International
Excellent informative site, with many good articles on the Technique.
www.ati-net.com

Direction Journal
Journal on the Alexander Technique, widely distributed, with articles
by AT teachers on many subjects. Check the website for online articles,
back issues etc
www.directionjournal.com

The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique
As it says, the fullest online resource available for all AT needs. Check
this site for the most comprehensive list of Teachers' Societies worldwide,
from which you can find a teacher in your area.
www.alexandertechnique.com

Cursa-Ur, Ron Murdock's site
Accomplished professional singer and AT teacher, Ron has wide experience
and wisdom in teaching singers. Fine articles on how the voice works,
vocal care etc. One of the few teachers still carrying on the original
tradition of the Alexander Technique as deeply concerned with breath and
voice. If you're a singer, go to him!
www.cursa-ur.com

Alexander Technique Centre, Belgium. My teacher, Elizabeth Langford's
training school. Read the articles, and buy her book Mind and Muscle (see
below).
http://www.alexandertechniqueschool.be/engels/index.htm

Athanase Vettas's site. Good introductory articles, and don't
miss the 'Scientific Conference' button.
www.alexandertechnique.be

Learning Methods. David Gorman's development of AT principles
into his own recipe. A mass of thought-provoking articles. Gorman's mammoth
anatomical book is well worth the money.
www.learningmethods.com

 

Alexander Technique Books

Alexander's four books Man's Supreme Inheritance
/ Conscious, Constructive Control of the Individual /
The Use of the Self / The Universal Constant
in Living, are available through Centerline Press. STAT
(see above) have a few books not available elsewhere. Check also Robert
Rickover's page in the Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique:
http://www.alexandertechnique.com/books/

F. M. The Life of Frederick Matthias Alexander by Michael Bloch. The most extensive biographical information on F. M. I have a little doubt about this book. There is a refreshing non-partisan analysis of Alexander’s character, foibles and obsessions, which redresses the balance admirably with respect to other versions that seek to minimise these aspects of the great man. But nowhere in the book does Bloch really take the trouble to give the counterbalance: a solid acknowledgement of Alexander’s extraordinary achievement as a whole, and of the profundity of his discoveries and their meaning for today’s society. Indeed, the first page of the Prologue is so woefully off course that I am surprised that Walter Carrington who wrote the preface, did not intervene. ( But of course, that’s Carrington’s example to us all, of never interfering with another’s freedom to live life as they deem fit). The overall impression left by the book for non-Alexandrians, however, will be pretty unbalanced in my view. It is very doubtful that after reading it one would be inspired to give the Technique a try! Read it for an excellent account of the narrative of Alexander’s life.

Mouritz - Jean Fischer's quality publishing of
Alexander books. Beautiful, copiously researched and annotated editions
of The Universal Constant in Living and Man's
Supreme Inheritance as well as a complete collection of Alexander's
Articles and Letters. Also sells The Use of the
Self with Wilfred Barlow's introduction. Pity Jean Fischer
hasn't done this book yet and included John Dewey's original
preface, an important document.
http://www.mouritz.co.uk

Freedom to Change (originally Body Awareness
in Action) by Frank P. Jones. Available from STAT.
The classic analysis and interpretation of the Technique by the first
serious researcher into its mechanisms. Much biographical information,
and an examination of the four books.

Mornum Time Press
Source for several valuable AT books. Walter Carrington's
books: Thinking Aloud, The Act of Living
and A Time to Remember are priceless documents, especially
wise and limpid, although more for the advanced student or trainee teacher.
Curiosity Recaptured a series of essays written by teachers,
is also well worth having. These titles can also be found from Amazon.
http://www.mtpress.com

Explaining the Alexander Technique and Walter
Carrington on the Alexander Technique ed. by Sean Carey - Sheildrake
Press, 1987. Two more invaluable books, but once again better if you read
them when you've got a good idea of the Technique in practice. Buy
through ATI (www.ati-net.com/atibooks.php)
or amazon.co.uk.

The Alexander Technique as I See it by Patrick Macdonald.
A very valuable document from one of the pillars of the AT. Published
by Rahula books in paperback 1989. Available from ATI (see above).

Body Learning by Michael Gelb. A very good introduction
to the Technique, with truly inspired photographic research. Publisher:
Henry Holt, 1995. Available from Amazon.

Mind and Muscle: An Owner's Handbook by Elizabeth
Langford. A mine of vital and helpful information, beautifully organised,
on how our bodies really work, and the relationship between mind,
body and emotions. Extremely thorough but easy to read, she explains complex
subject matter with great clarity. Useful practical experiments. Superb
anatomical and other drawings by my wife, Enci Noro,
painter and Alexander teacher. Available from Amazon, etc. and Mornum Time Press
(see above).

The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. The classic
book originally published in 1972 that describes the mind-body relationship
of good performance. Very down to earth and easy to read. Highly illuminating
for the Alexander student. New edition, '97, available from amazon.com.

 

Alexander Technique Videos

The ATI site (see above) has a full range of available
videos. Some of my favourites are:

F. M. Alexander (video of 16mm film of Alexander
w/ commentary) - Walter Carrington. The only visual record of the great
man in action. An very amateur affair, and very short, but a crucial
document none the less.

Walter Carrington on the Alexander Technique 3 hours

Walter Carrington 1985/6 Vol I and II

The Alexander Technique Today (Carrington, Scott,
Walker, etc)

A Spring-Loaded Suspension System By Any Other Name…
David Gorman

What Happens To The Work When Our Ideas Change? –
David Gorman

Tensegrity and Biomechanics - Dr. Steven Levine

A Way of Being - Channel 4 Productions

Portrait of Marjorie Barstow

Marjorie Barstow in Australia

Patrick Macdonald on the Alexander Technique