TIMANI

ALIGNING YOUR BODY WITH YOUR MUSICAL INTENTION

“Timani provides a whole new awareness when it comes to the requirements for musicians. I have worked with many good therapists but I am happy that I found something as specialized as this. I feel that Timani is unique.” 

- Leif Ove Andsnes, international piano soloist

WOULD YOU LIKE TO..

-Improve your sound, increase your stamina and tap into more of your musical potential?

-Acquire a tool-kit tailored for encountering and managing the specific physical and emotional challenges of a life-long career as a musician?

- To find out if stage fright and nerves are all "in your head" or if they might be a result of the ways you use your body when playing?

- Learn anatomically precisely how your playing-related strain injuries occur and how to prevent them and how to re-train the body after such problems? 

- Learn how to access a full and natural breath without compromising other parts of your technique?

- Learn how to analyse and evaluate the way your students move when playing in order to better understand how to help them develop their technique in the best way?

Playing an instrument is a physical activity and getting the body to fully support our musical intention is a fundamental part of being a musician.

Timani is the method for musicians, professional and amateur alike, who wishes to take their musicianship to the next level. It is a practical, hands-on technique to make you optimize your playing or singing through tools like musician-relevant anatomy and physiology, movement analysis and physical exercises which all are based on a scientific understanding of the particular needs of musicians.
Even though every musician needs both muscular strength, agility and stamina in order to play music, just going to the gym regularly or having your own daily yoga practice, however valuable as an additional support, is not detailed enough to adress the specific requirements of the body of a musician. A pianist has other physical challenges than a flutist or a cellist when it comes to using their body in the best way possible during playing. But often we are given surprisingly unspecific messages when it comes to what exactly our body needs to do in order to acheive a particular sound, expression or technical mastery.

Have you ever heard things like "have a heavy arm", "breathe into the pit of the stomach" or "relax your shoulders"? Did you know that there are more than 20 different muscles which affect your shoulders? Some of these actually play an active role in stabilizing your shoulder blade and by doing so supports the movement of your arm making it possible for you to increase the speed and accuracy of your fingers, hand and arm. Wouldn´t it be good to know exactly which of these 20 muscles we should be "relaxing" and which we definitely shouldn´t relax?

And wouldn´t it be great to learn an exercise which makes that specific coordination happen by itself?

What we need is not simplified messages or over-complicated anatomical charts but exercises which helps you develop the perfect coordination for what you want to achieve on your instrument, - be that a more full sound, more rapid finger movements, more stamina, speed, better airflow and so on. 

Timani is developed by the Norwegian pianist Tina Margareta Nilssen, founder of the Musicians Health and Movement Institute in Oslo, Norway, the only institute which offers a 3-year certification in the Timani method. I work as a teacher at this institute and have experience with helping musicians worldwide discover how specific anatomical knowledge coupled with detailed insights into instrumental requirements can be used to enhance mastery, prevent or alleviate pain or injuries and support technical development for all types of instruments.

WHAT HAPPENS IN A TIMANI LESSON?

1. After an initial talk you play your instrument/sing while I observe and make a video recording of you playing/singing

2. We look at the recording to analyze your movement patterns and coordination 

3. You get a clear anatomical explanation of what we want to change or optimize and why

4. You learn an exercise which specifically targets the areas we have found in the analysis

5. You learn how to integrate the new coordination into your playing

6. You play your instrument/sing with the new coordination, exploring the difference

Bodywork and deep-tissue massage for musicians

Want to go (literally) deeper? The physical demands which you as a musician face is different from that of a regular person, and the strain on the body can sometimes result in aches, pains or even injuries. If you experience pain og discomfort during or after playing, or if you are going through a period or restoration after an injury, it can be a good idea to support your body through bodywork. I offer treatments in Myofascial Energetic Release which is a deep-tissue massage technique specifically designed to deal with pain related to movement. Coupled with my knowledge from Timani I offer bodywork based on insight into the requirements your body is facing when playing your instrument. Read more about Myofascial Energetic Release (MER) here

"This was THE most amazing massage I have ever had! Miriam is so sensitive and really listened and sensed how my body would respond the best! My ribcage has never felt so flexible and open! Revelating!"

-Mikkel Fjeld, opera singer

THE SEVEN PILLARS OF TIMANI

SOME TESTIMONIALS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE ATTENDED TIMANI COURSES WORLDWIDE..

"During the course I had the chance to play for Miriam. She helped me find a posture that gave me a freedom in my hands that I have never experienced before. The sound was also full and warm without a lot of effort. I realized that maybe playing the viola is not so hard after all."

- Marina Stelina Siani, Viola student. Royal Danish Academy of Music

 

Find muscles and connections through your body that you didn´t know existed.

- Lars Harboe, singer, songwriter, artist, guitarist

 

Life changing and mind opening! Would absolutely recommend to friends and family, musicians or not!

- Maria Gïlicel, violin student at the Royal College of Music

 

Eye-opening! I’m even more curious now and I am looking forward to learn more.

- Jonna Järvitalo, flute student at the Royal College of Music

 

Timani is just what you need to bring your musicianship to the next level: It allows you to gain full control of that perfect machine that we use to express ourselves: our body.

- Pierpaolo Casamassima, violin student at Royal College of Music

 

Unmissable for musicians who want to learn more about themselves for their career.

- Christopher Quaid, violin student at the Royal College of Music

 

This method is the answer to enjoying music and discovering your potential as a musician and person.

- Sarah Daramy-Williams, violin student at the Royal College of Music

 

This course is extremely useful no matter what your instruments are or wherter you are a musician or not. It is knowledge that comes in handy in every area and I would not have missed it for anything. Highly recomended!

- Ingrid Halvorsen

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