Customer Reviews

The Craft of Piano Playing: A New Approach to Piano Technique

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I am a piano player from Hong Kong who was attracted to world of classical music, yet start learning piano at an old age. (15, which is normally considered too old for a good technique) Having drawn to different schools and still having no improvement for 4 years, I somehow gave up playing piano. At that time, I can hardly technically manage to play Mozart's sonata, not to say my favourite Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninov, etc. I have to say my hands are commented by many as suitable for playing piano, stretching a 11th. But they just don't work for me. From my various failed attempts, I somehow learnt to recognize what is useless for me. I read many books on techniques written by some of the greatest masters, as well as conversations with great pianists like Horowitz, but still find these completely useless, at least completely useless for improving technique which they are supposed to discuss. There is a book which discuss application of Alexander technique on piano technique which I find quite insightful, but again throughout the whole book of hundreds pages, I find very few practical advice: most of the materials is theory which sound very well but I cannot implement on my hands.

Until I saw the homepage of Alan Fraser then I know I can resume playing piano. I just keep improving after I got the book. Obstacles and problems for many years are solved one after one. I am not qualified to describe his method, just go to the homepage of the author for the philosophy behind

http://alanfraser.faithweb.com/

Just a word of warning for some potential readers: this book, while highly practical, is not an easy reading. And it is not an ABC piano playing book. The author aims to tackle technical problems on classical pieces like Lizst, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, which you will heard in a piano concert. It is for those who want to improve their technique in the long run, not for those who want to start playing piano. While the author explains everything fully, there is always a danger of underestimating the depth or do not understand at all of what the author wrote, particularly for those who are quite new to piano. But if you really understand what he means and follow completely and carefully (the exercise require your full attention and self-awareness)his exercisesm you can CERTAINLY expect a breakthrough in your technique!! (unlike other book on piano playing which ultimate rely on luck and the so-called "talent"--just as if you didn't read them)

Alan Fraser's book, which reveals the relation of good, legato-based, piano playing to Tai'Chi walking, offers an excellent insight into the art of "activating" the fingers. This technique, in which the fingers are strengthened and trained to function properly, relieves the arm of undue tension, and allows the pianist to produce a greater variety of tone and dynamics.
After purchasing this book and trying some of the exercises, which, by the way, are a little on the uncomfortable side if one's hand is not trained properly, I did notice a change in the way I played. My tone was meatier, and I had more control over articulation, dynamics, and color. Some of the exercises may have brought a little discomfort, but after practicing them for a period of time, the soreness disappeared and I could feel my hand and fingers participating correctly in my playing mechanism.
This book offers many valuable insights into playing piano and the real use of the hand and fingers. If you think you need it: buy it! If you don't: buy it! It will tell you if what you are doing is right or not. Also, the book gets an A+ in terms of understandability---Fraser will not leave you in the dark! Everything is explained fully, and the concepts overlap often. Altogether an excellent and incredibly informative book!

Many people just love music, and I do, too. While I have practiced pretty diligently since childhood, I've always been a very poor pianist. Last year, it was so bad that two guests at my house asked me very strenuously to play (seeing the pianos in the room). My playing was so abominable that they had to ask me to stop only a few measures in (I warned them). So, loving music isn't enough. My hands and arms have not been habituated to movement in the sensitive and economical way that is capable of producing acceptable tone. Although I have usually lived in a remote site, I have had a couple of good teachers (for short periods of time). They helped me only a little. I have had some extremely nasty and impatient teachers (very harsh people). They didn't help. This book gives clear and accessible instructions of how to use the hands and arms appropriately to produce tones at the piano that I had not known it could produce. It gives good clues of how an actual legato can be obtained on the piano. For those of us who are totally out of the game of music, this represents real hope that we might eventually enjoy making real music, too, and not simply torturing ourselves and our listeners with endless incompetent and ugly "practice." I know of no other book anywhere that gives sufficiently clear and anatomically oriented instructions that an anti-musician like myself might benefit, too. If the author had the goal of allowing those of us in the cheapest seats to enjoy making music, too, it's the best effort I've seen. Thanks so much. Well done. I needed it, and so did the poor unfortunates who ask me to play once too often!

I have read several books on piano technique written by extremely well-known authors in the field. However, compared with the book by Alan Fraser, these mentioned books are practically of no value. They tell you what you should do, but they do not explain (1) the mechanisms of these actions and (2) how you apply these mechanisms.

Our body consists of fingers, hands, arms, torso, etc., but one has to know how to apply these components of our body, in order play the piano. And that is what Alan Fraser accomplishes in his book: He gives you scientifically correct physical excercises to enable you to do what needs to be done. And these excercises work!!!

I am infinitely grateful to Mr. Fraser for taking the trouble to write this magnificent book. His incredibly keen, analytical, mind breaks down piano playing into its physical components.

However, I would love to see added to the book clear, simple, line drawings of the LUMBRICAL muscles, the INTEROSSEUS muscles, the thenar and hypothenar muscles, in order to enable the non-anatomically trained reader to understand how the fingers are moved.

Zuhair Bakdoud, M.D.

Having scoured the internet for piano books of all types, this is far and away the best technique book on the market. It is NOT for beginners or even lower intermediate, it is for those who know how to play well, but need to tune up their technique. Even though I have been playing for 20 years, I found within a month I was able to improve my playing by about 15% and up to 30% in some specific areas. If you get this, get both the book and video as they complement each other well, but if you need to pick just one, the book goes into much more detail.

An excellent primer on the connection between Feldenkreis and paino technique. Many exercises are included, and you have to sit at the piano while reading the book.

This book is a complement to the DVD, or rather the DVD is a complement to this book which goes in many more details.
This work is a real reference, of which I know no equivalent.

Very interesting approach to Piano Technique I highly recommend it. I am learning the things I did not know.

As a piano student of 12 years, and a young professional, I've had a fair range of teachers, and read a fair amount of books. However, nowhere have I come across such a clear, satisfying philosophy, with immediate results from exercises.
For the advanced student looking to improve tone and technique, this book gives very deep insight into familiar concepts such as legato.
For the newish student, the book will give you an incredibly strong foundation. I can't help but feel 'If only I'd had this 10 years ago!'
Afraid of dull manuals? While some of the exercises are a bit technical and tricky to work out conceptually, if you watch the companion DVD you will find it very easy to follow. What's more, you get to see the humour and passion that Fraser exudes!
Philosophically, the book entwines piano-playing with principles from Feldenkrais and martial arts. Feldenkrais is a school of movement which promotes increased efficiency of movement/body/strength through awareness. For example, learning to use the bones of the hand instead of the muscles, which gives you the unbreakable strength of an eggshell squeezed in the right spots. (that's not to say that muscles aren't used - read the book!)
All in all, it's a great book, especially with the companion DVD.

A companion for the dvd with same title. I prefer to see the dvd than read this book. Too complicated for reading. No specific explanation for specific piano injury exercises, writer's cramp, trigerred finger or focal dystonia.