Dancing on your Fingerboard

Class 1

Standing up

Before our fingers can dance, they must first stand up; and as toddlers often prove, standing up is no easy feat! Balancing on one finger requires organizing the bones of our hand into a firm yet flexible arch. Within this skeletal support, even our poor pinky will stand tall and proud without muscular strain.

Class 2

Walking and Running

Once we stand up, the next step is… well, walking! In order to smoothly transfer our weight from one finger to the next, our hand must be even more flexible so that it can continuously reshape itself to uniquely buttress each finger. This flexibility comes from differentiating the movement of our fingers, which in turn frees them to run fast and light without bogging each other down.

Class 3

Leaping

When we jump from the fingerboard, where do we land? Despite the title of this workshop, it is not on our fingerboard. Indeed, surrounding that piece of wood lie several secret fingerboards made of us! When we tap into those deeper resting places, we find a buoyancy that is deliciously heavy and light at the same time.

Class 4

Crossing

Playing chords can often feel like a game of Twister; one finger curls while the other points, and soon enough we’re doing the splits! Being at multiple places at the same time requires not only a softness in our hand, but an organization in the rest of our self to carry our fingers where they need to go without straining.

Class 5

Sliding and Shaking

The key to accurate and smooth shifting lies not in our arm itself, but in the rest of our body. When we mobilize our chest, pelvis and legs to passively transport our arm, our arm becomes more sensitive to its location on the fingerboard and more free to adjust when needed. This pelvis-finger connection also propels our arm to vibrate in a variety of speeds and amplitudes without getting tight, stuck or tired.

Class 6

Freestyle

The role of our left hand is quite simple. Press down the string in the right place at the right time, yet there are endless ways to do so! This variety not only enhances our physical ease and accuracy, it gives our left hand color and life. Indeed, our left hand can be more like our bow - not just a “right or wrong” machine, but a sensual expresser in its own right - a dancer, you might say, on the fingerboard.