The Primary Control
When the Primary Control is functioning as it should, it is sensed as an integrating force that preserves freedom of movement through the system so that energy can be directed to the place where it is wanted without developing strain either there or elsewhere. [1](Frank Pierce Jones)
The term Primary Control refers to the relationship between the head and the rest of the body. The head balances on the top of the spine. (This joint might be higher than you think.) Our head is rather heavy (roughly - 5 kilos) and if it is not in balance we will experience tension, pressure or heaviness. This affects our breathing, coordination and sense of wellbeing. If we tend to worry, lack confidence or suffer anxiety, these attitudes will be expressed in our Primary Control and throughout our body. If our head is in balance we feel light, easy, confident and generally less stressed. It is interesting that the primary balancing systems, i.e. the vestibular and ocular systems are in the head.
Some Alexander teachers refer to the Primary Control as the head-neck-back relationship. Other parts of the body can affect this primary balance, e.g. if there is tension in the tongue, the jaw or the eyes, there is a loss of freedom in the balance of the head. If you are tightening your feet, it will limit the freedom in your head-neck-back-relationship; if you are releasing your feet onto the floor it will help you free your Primary Control.
When Alexander found a way to avoid the displacement and tightening of his head on the top of his spine, he had discovered a key to resolving his problems. He observed he had a pattern of pulling his head back and down in relation to the spine, which put pressure on his larynx and made him gasp for air. He made a brilliant connection when he noticed this. He was noticing the ‘startle pattern’, (we all go into ‘startle’ if we get a shock). At first he thought he only had this ‘version of the startle pattern’ in performance but on closer observation he realised that he had a milder version of it all the time.
Startle pattern (fight or flight response)
If there is a very loud noise near us that we are not expecting (and sometimes even when we are expecting it), we automatically respond with the startle pattern. Frank Pierce Jones describes the pattern as remarkably regular; he goes on – It begins with an eye-blink; the head is then thrust forward; the shoulders are raised and the arms stiffened; abdominal muscles shorten; breathing stops and the knees are flexed. The pattern permits minor variations but its primary features are the same.[2]
Jones studied the ‘startle pattern’, writing a paper on the subject[3]. His observations backed up Alexander’s theories.
Three types of startle pattern
Because the startle pattern is brief and unexpected it is difficult to observe and more difficult to control. Its chief interest here lies in the fact that it is a model of other slower response patterns.[4]
1) Classic startle pattern
If we are surprised by a very loud noise we go into a sequence of reflex responses. This is called the ‘startle pattern’. We blink, suck in air and hold the breath, raise our shoulders as we push the head forward and down in space as we pull the head back in relation to the spine, tighten the abdominal muscles and flex the knees. Chemicals are released in the body that speed up our heart rate and make our restarted breathing faster and shallower. In this condition we are temporarily stronger and hyper-alert. That is good news if we have to escape from a burning building but bad news if we have to play a concert.
2) Slow onset startle pattern: When we anticipate a concert with fear of what might go wrong, we develop performance anxiety. The symptoms of performance anxiety are virtually identical to the startle pattern but they usually come on more gradually. We become too fired up with adrenalin over a period of time; the symptoms make accurate, flexible playing just about impossible. However, if we manage to notice the pattern starting, we can avoid the full development of the pattern, and even reverse it, by addressing the Primary Control with Inhibition and Direction.
3) Chronic startle pattern If we feel under pressure continuously we can develop a state of continuous startle pattern. It makes us appear to lack self-confidence. The head is often held forward in space and the back of the neck tightened. The breathing is restricted and tension is carried throughout the mind and body that restricts free movement and coordination. It is possible to start to reverse this pattern by using Inhibition and Direction.
Fear, anxiety, fatigue and pain all show postural changes from the norm, which are similar to those seen in startle. In all of them there is a shortening of neck muscles that displaces the head, and which is usually followed by some kind of flexion response, so that the body is drawn into a slightly smaller space.[5]
You can reverse the onset of startle pattern with inhibition.
Startle pattern involves a disturbance of the Primary Control
If you address the Primary Control you can let go of the startle pattern
Indirect work
Pedro de Alcantara called his excellent book for musicians, ‘Indirect Procedures’[6], an ideal title because it describes the nature of all Alexander work. The conscious, thinking brain on its own makes a very poor job of coordination; the subconscious brain and sensory nervous systems organise it far better. Alexander work is, however, thinking work but the work is always indirect. We are not trying hard to be aware! For example, when we consider the Primary Control we are intending to facilitate the reflex, automatic rebalancing of the head on the top of the spine – not organise it directly by trying to find the right position and we will not get very far if we ‘try hard to be free’.
What are we looking for?
The ideal condition of the Primary Control is one where the head is continuously rebalancing - this is a reflex response. This condition is more likely to exist in us if we are feeling calm, confident and happy. Many times a second the head is rebalanced unless we stop the process by creating residual tension that fixes the relationship. We are not designed to be static or find the correct position and stay there. The name that Alexander chose for this relationship (Primary Control) brings our attention to its importance. It is ‘prime’ (it is of prime importance to all musicians whether they realise it or not); it is the first relationship to respond to a stimulus; it is the first element we need to think about when considering our Use. ‘Control’ in this context, is the way the head is continuously reorganised on top of the spine, facilitating other accurate responses throughout the body. The control we are looking for comes from easy and fluid movement; we are allowing something to happen not making it happen. Some people describe this fine balance of the head as ‘inner movement’.
Good Primary Control is a prerequisite of functioning well in all activities. It becomes more important when the activity requires fine motor control and good coordination. Being a musician requires coordination of exceptional refinement. If we manage to improve the Primary Control our playing will become better without any extra practice!
Posture with an open mind
Alexander noticed that we all tend to live life referring to our previous experiences. If we have been told, when young and impressionable, to think about our ‘posture’ and to try to improve it by sitting or standing up straight, those will be our terms of reference.
Alexander is a different way of looking at ‘posture’, we include movement and balance and the idea of full easy stature. We can also include our emotional state as part of our posture. The balanced, full and confident quality that we are looking for can be the indirect result of applying Alexander’s ‘principles’. The idea of getting the head on the top of the body in the right position is a common misunderstanding and an example of what Alexander called, End-gaining (trying hard to get it right). We are actually looking for reflex rebalancing of the head on the spine.
The Primary Control influences the balance of the whole body
The alignment of the whole body influences the Primary Control
If we are calm and confident our Primary Control tends to be free
If the Primary Control is free we tend to be calm and confident
Forward and Up
The head of a human is designed to release ‘forward’ and ‘up’, in relation to the spine. If the reflex systems are working well, that will be happening. We can lose that natural tendency if the going gets tough. The most common pattern is for the head to be pushed forward and down in space (see diagram p.?) and the head to be pulled back in relation to the spine to get the face perpendicular. This happens when a wind player takes their head down to their instrument rather than their instrument up to their head.
To re-establish the Forward and Up, we start by noticing the muscular tension that is fixing the head on the top of the spine. We have muscles that fine tune the balance of the head on the spine; these are called the sub-occipital muscles. We intend to stop over-tightening these subtle muscles that control the head (inhibition). That un-fixes the head and improves balancing. You can think of the top of your spine, i.e. the top of your neck, moving back and up in space as your head releases forward in relation to the spine (Direction) - this encourages your spine to lengthen.
[1] Jones, F P, Awareness Freedom and Muscular Control, Sheldrake Press 1968, p.13
[2] Jones, F P, A Technique For Musicians, Sheldrake Press 1968, p.9
[3] Jones, F P, Hanson, John and Gray, Florence, Startle as a Paradigm of Malposture – Perceptual and Motor Skills, 19. 1964, p21-22
[4] Jones, F P Organisation of awareness, Sheldrake Press, 1967
[5] Jones, F P Organisation of awareness, Sheldrake Press, 1967
[6] Alcantara, Pedro de, Indirect Procedures, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1997