A full ten years after the publication of All Thumbs, Alan Fraser presents his most far-reaching exploration of Piano Somatics to date. Growing out of his final years' work with the late Phil Cohen, his ongoing collaboration with Kemal Gekic, and new research into the nature of human movement, this book is a masterpiece of new pianistic learning strategies presented in appealing, easy-to-digest form.
This fourth volume of Natural, Artistic Piano Playing takes the hand further than ever into organic, kinesthetic self-knowledge. Fraser's latest series of Feldenkrais-style Awareness Through Piano Movement lessons enhance not only your physical prowess but also the artistry and musicianship you bring to your instrument.
From the back cover:
"Playing the piano is first and foremost an artistic act, a musical process – yet we cannot avoid the physical element. This book dovetails the two. Every physical strategy improves how you shape phrases, highlight contrapuntal strands, create bold orchestrations, and inflect crisp, varied articulations – leading to a higher and richer musical expressivity. Playing the piano with your whole self, you feel better and the music sounds better. There is more of you connected to your instrument, and more sound emanating from the instrument. There is more communication. This isEmbodied Piano Performance, your innate musicianship finding its fullest possible expression."
"Play the Piano with Your Whole Self is the fourth volume of Natural, Artistic Piano Playing, a group of books exploring the Feldenkrais Method as applied to piano technique. These books develop organically – first examining the structure and function of the pianist’s hand, then bringing it to a state of unstable equilibrium, then paying special attention to that structural conundrum, the thumb, and now exploring the inner workings of the hand on a deeper, more sensorial level to foster an ever-increasing prowess both musical and physical. With this series, Canadian pianist and pedagogue Alan Fraser has made a major contribution to the field of Piano Somatics, the art of conscious movement for enhanced piano artistry. "
“Over several decades, a number of dedicated pianists have been seriously researching healthy, effortless technique and exploring how this information can further enhance the quality of their musicianship and interpretive decision-making. Alan Fraser’s newest contribution for piano teachers is an important and comprehensive book containing incredibly valuable information from which every pianist around the world can benefit. Alan’s years of study and extensive research, combined with his excellent musicianship, has resulted in an outstanding resource that belongs in every pianist’s library.” - Gail Berenson, USA (Past President, MTNA)
- Gail Berenson, USA (Past President, MTNA)
This book uses Feldenkrais-style strategies not only to have you feel more comfortable in your body, but also to have you move with new ease and command at the piano. Passages that had seemed insurmountably difficult become possible, and passages that were naggingly problematic become a breeze when you are "in yourself" in the best physical sense. You already have this potential in you, it only needs the ingenious strategies of Play the Piano with Your Whole Self to unlock it and make it completely yours.
"The Awareness Through Piano Movement lessons of Play the Piano with Your Whole Self expand the physical possibilities needed to rebalance the body, improving how the pianist transitions from a vivid inner imagination to refined musical ideas. The resulting increase in agility, coordination and security at the piano transforms technical challenges into an ease-filled relationship with the instrument. For all pianists seeking continued musical growth, this extraordinary resource will bring refreshing conversations to lessons, curiosity to the practice room, and a new level of delight to performance." - Dr. Grace Asquith, NCTM, USA
- Dr. Grace Asquith, NCTM, USA
But just how does this happen? How do we overcome habits that prevent us from fulfilling our pianistic potential?
Nobody learned to walk by walking. We all rolled around on the ground for a year before coming to stand. We needed that time to learn the hundreds of movement patterns inherent in standing, walking and running. Parts of Play the Piano with Your Whole Self do the same for the pianist's hand, laying it down on the keys or on a table and exploring the myriad ways it can move while supported from below, free from the stresses of normal piano playing. In this secure state the hand is free to differentiate its parts: muscle tonus lowers, the different digits become more independent – not through mechanical exercise but through sensorial learning, leading to a new blossoming of ability and agility when one returns to playing music.
"Alan Fraser’s previous books are an inspiring and thought-provoking read, but his latest book, Play the Piano with Your Whole Self, is his Magnum Opus indeed – an important landmark in the field of instructive music literature. It offers a unique insight into the interaction between player and instrument from a neurological point of view, expressed with a new concept, biotensegrity, and showcases such a wealth of revelatory ideas expressed in an engaging and lucid manner that one may return to it many times over and still find new illuminations and an abundance of food for thought. As an added bonus, the instructive parts are interspersed with autobiographical writing both edifying and entertaining. Enthusiastically recommended!" - Kemal Gekic, Miami
- Kemal Gekic, Miami
Dr. Steven Levin coined the term biotensegrity to describe the wonderfully elastic quality of human movement - it's not about relaxation; it's not about building up strength; it's about developing a keen muscular vitality that moves the skeleton effectively and easily because the bones are well-aligned and the muscles are primed just right. The degree of tonus required for biotensegrity to function well is quite precise, and Play the Piano with Your Whole Self offers numerous Awareness Through Piano Movement lessons that bring the hand to this optimal state. It's worth going back to a 'primordial state' when the result is not only more agile, potent movement but a fuller expression of Phil Cohen's "expressively directed micro-timing:" a deeper, more capable and expressive musicianship.
“Alan Fraser’s methods are a unique amalgam of principles of Tai Chi and Feldenkrais, of the wisdom of his mentors, and of his intense study of Horowitz’s technique. My own experience has led me to believe wholeheartedly that his approach opens the door to complete technical mastery, heightened musical sensitivity and artistic freedom. This book is the culmination of Alan’s life work to date, in which every serious pianist and teacher can find inspiration to take their playing and teaching to the next level and beyond!” - Jackie Sharp, BSc, AMusA,LMusA,LTCL, Australia
- Jackie Sharp, BSc, AMusA,LMusA,LTCL, Australia
The book leads off with biotensegrity because it has the potential to unify all the previous schools of piano technique. The conceptual framework of biotensegrity allows significant updates to the work of Matthay, Breithaupt, Ortmann, Schultz, Neuhaus, and the more recent work of Bernstein, Fink, Taubman, Lister-Sink, Johnson, and Karpoff. Neuromotor development in the pianist’s hand follows, and then Phil Cohen’s mature work on the ‘bio-physico-musical’ aspects of piano performance, before we delve into injury rehabilitation, the antecedents of piano technique in harpsichord technique, and a new look at that old conundrum, the thumb. In my discussiion of my work with Kemal Gekić, we address integration as well as the music – which is, in the end, what it’s all about.
"Alan Fraser’s detailed tables of contents, exacting photographs, exhaustive index and wonderfully illuminating text are all helping lead this reader-musician along a pathway, from fingertip to sitz bones, that illuminates new possibilities for producing beautiful and transcendent sounds at one’s piano. Only now, after over forty years of keyboard abandonment, with Alan’s latest crowning achievement nearby, have I the means to return joyfully and capably to the piano." - Kathleen Carels, MLS, USA
- Kathleen Carels, MLS, USA
Purchase here: Play the Piano with Your Whole Self: Biotensegrity, the Inner Conductor, & Expressively Directed Micro-Timing at the Piano
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