Body Mapping
Developed by William and Barbara Conable
Theory: You need an accurate idea of the location of the significant parts of your body, in particular joints, that you use for any activity otherwise your coordination will be impaired.
There has to be a ‘map’ of your body in your subconscious brain. You use that ‘map’ or ‘GPS’ every time you send a message through your nervous system to your body to organise coordinated movement, e.g. changing the shape of your body to play your instrument or sing.
Your ‘body map’ is your representation of where the various bits and pieces are, and how big they are and their relative angles. Your body-map lives in your subconscious brain and is being used continuously to send messages to your body when you move. If your map needs updating, you can use your conscious brain to start the process. The upgrade has happened when you have embodied the new, accurate knowledge.
A clear idea that is wrong is the worst possible scenario.
A clear idea that is correct is the best possible scenario.
If your conscious idea is not clear, you can clarify it by thinking and anatomical study but then that academic knowledge needs to be embodied so it becomes useful to you as a musician! You tune into your sensory nervous system to feel the truth of your academic knowledge and endeavour to practise that into your body, nervous system and subconscious brain.
Your kinaesthetic sense tells you about relative angles in your body and speed of movement of body parts, including acceleration and deceleration. The kinaesthetic sense is, in my opinion, the sense that needs most refinement for performing musicians.
Map the major joints, i.e. top of spine, hips, sterno-clavicular, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, ankle and foot.
Map the lungs and bits that move in breathing. The rib articulations on the spine and the texture of the joints at the front of the cage. The internal viscera’s movement
Map the eyes and brain.
Map the joints needed for playing your instrument.
Map your normal ‘posture’ in relation to gravity in sitting and standing.
The ‘grain’ of your bones changes in relation to gravity.
Map your hands, from the back then the front.
Map the turning over of your hands, (the bones in the lower arm).
Try moving where there is no joint.
Consider the ‘primary control’ in the context of your body map.
Consider ‘lengthening and widening’ in the context of your body map.
In an ideal world, each bone is as far away from its neighbour as possible for the activity, then there is as much freedom as possible.
What is the function of bone? What is the function of muscle? What is the function of tendon? What is the function of ligament?
Map the weight on your feet in standing.
Map the weight on your feet in walking, what happens to the shape of the foot?
The most important step in your body-mapping study is embodying this knowledge through your kinaesthetic sense, then it facilitates your coordination.