GROUNDING ROOTS EXERCISE

In order to firmly balance, trees need their roots to be well grounded in the earth. Roots secure the tree’s growth and its healthy development. Trees with solidly grounded roots are able to support the weight and motion of their branches. Secure roots enable the tree’s branches to withstand the effect of the elements, and to move with the wind.

Deeply grounded roots provide the leverage needed to allow branches to balance themselves and to move freely with the wind. Roots keep the tree from lifting out of the ground. They physically anchor the tree and stabilize the entire tree.

When setting up your instrument position, you can view your feet as your own personal root system. String players need to set their “roots” well so as to allow the weight of the instrument to be supported.

The importance of understanding your body’s necessary physical position and its sense of tactile flexibility, anchored in your science knowledge, is what makes you a solid player, from the ground upwards!

The exercises are designed to help you to Get the Feel of It!

Here is what a stance is at a glance.

(Alright, I will stop the word play for now. However, I am glad I have your full attention!)

A Stance is the manner and position in which a person stands. A successful stance is the most import step to – Grounding Your Roots securely. You may be wondering how is this going to help you when you sit in order to play in the orchestra. Don’t worry – later on in this chapter you will learn how to transfer easily what you are learning now to the correct sitting position.

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In sports, dance, martial arts, yoga, and playing a stringed instrument, the stance is the posture that you assume when about to perform a task. Setting a solid stance is the equivalent of efficiently setting potential energy that is waiting to do work.

A basketball player sets his feet before shooting a free throw. To aid your full understanding of creating your stance, it is important to know what the word posture means as well.

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Correct physical posture is the balanced position of your body. Proper posture has the center of your weight and limbs solidly supported, firmly grounded by gravity. The result of a successful stance, grounded with good posture, brings about a comfortable instrument playing position that is full of confident poise.

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Poise is a state of balance created by the equal distribution of weight. It is the physical positioning of being set to perform in a dignified and self-confident manner with a sense of personal composure always present.

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Once you master the feeling of a stance with poised posture, you will achieve a sense of assurance in your playing. Assurance is the certainty and confidence in your own belief in your personal abilities.

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All of the terms that you have just learned carry additional meanings. Knowing these enhanced meanings will increase your comprehension of how to thoroughly – Take a Stance!

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The words stance and posture also mean to possess an intellectual attitude. In this case, the attitude of being poised and self-assured. Intellectual poise is also defined as having mental clarity and stability.