Karen Tuttle (March 28, 1920 – December 16, 2010)
Fifty years after Karen Tuttle formulated her theory and practice of coordination (the overriding concept that unified her approach to stance, physical balance, resonance of body and instrument, musical and emotional impulses) Karen Tuttle’s revolutionary proposition that musical health is defined equally through body mechanics and spirit and that both elements are reflected in sonority, remains a potent message to all musicians. She had the courage to feel musical impulse fully, and the courage to insist that her students aim for the same goal — integrating the instrument and the body into one elemental wave.Tuttle’s initial attempts to sensitize her students to “body resonance” were extreme: we removed our chinrests and cut holes in the left shoulder of our shirts in order to better feel the vibration of the instrument! Through her presence and artistry, she taught us the essential — that to perform is to tell the news, and to tell it well requires aesthetic transparency, a generous spirit, and the courage to remain vulnerable.
- Karen Tuttle, Notes to Kim When She Began as Tuttle’s Assistant
I. Right or left handed students (often depends on whether one feels better with the left or right foot slightly forward…) read more - Karen Tuttle, Physical Checklist One
1 – plant feet so that knees can spring
2 – loose neck – cuddle instrument
read more - Karen Tuttle, Notes #1
1 – feet shoulder width apart (rht.foot a little forward for Rht. handed)
2 – knees flexible (bent)
read more - Karen Tuttle, The Five Basic Emotions and Their Sub-Characters
read more - Karen Tuttle, Physical Checklist Two
– Body –
– feet planted so knees can spring
– hips – lean back, let stomach out
read more - Carol Rodland, In Honor of Karen Tuttle As She Retires, Juilliard Journal 2004
I will never forget the day I met Karen Tuttle. It was the beginning of my sophomore year at Juilliard and her very first day of teaching there…read more - Carol Rodland, Speech at Memorial Service, September 18, 2011
I am thinking it is safe to assume that with the possible exceptions of Robin, Dillon, and Zoey, no one in this room will ever forget the first time they met Karen Tuttle…read more
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