How I Teach: Minimizing Tension
With her students, Isbin stresses the importance of being as relaxed as possible while playing. Proper sitting position and hand position are keys to minimizing tension. “You must feel relaxed from your toes to the top of your head,” she says. “Tension in the legs, feet, back, and shoulders will always translate into the hands.”

Isbin, who honed her own technique by using a mirror and a tape recorder, helps her students find the position of their arms and hands that will work best for them. “I have them observe the natural fall of their right hand when they raise the arm,” she says. “For the left hand, it’s important to let gravity work with you. Instead of allowing your elbow to stick out, let it fall naturally with gravity and find a graceful position that permits you to play on the fingertips with the fingers well rounded and the knuckles perpendicular to the strings in the higher positions. A gentle curve of the wrist allows the best flow of energy.”

There are a variety of approaches to right-hand technique in classical guitar playing, and the advanced students Isbin teaches generally have already established a pattern. “I make sure that the position of the hand is natural and that no energy is being expended forcing it to go somewhere it shouldn’t go, producing tension. The bottom line for everyone is minimal hand motion and maximum relaxation to produce the best possible results.”