Alan Fraser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLg3XqQi3No

This segment is about 1/9th of the entire DVD. If you like it, and think it could help you, get it. Its worth the money unlike alot of the other stuff you can buy online. You know those bargains where you get a booklet, 10DVDs, another booklet, 3CDs and a napkin for only $350 including a bonus napkinholder. Ive also found that it goes well with a lot of Andrews videos aswell.

I agree with you thomas, 07dwarves, really does have an amazing way of writing! I agree with (her?/his?) point about nothing being 100% good or bad, there are so many grey area's and I think one method that works amazing for one person, won't work at all for another person. I know it's true because in my earlier years of teaching I quickly learned you can't teach the same thing the same way to any student. You have to teach each lesson customly to the student to bring the best out of them. We are all a music community of course We just have to realize that we all learn differently!

I try my best to appeal to the majority of learners in my piano lessons, but I know I can't reach every single audience/ personality type out there. ^_^ Bottom line no one can make the perfect piano lesson, we can just teach it differently.

^_^ So like Thomas found that video didn't do much for him, probably because it wasn't made for his type of learning/personality. Christian obviously was made for it So neither teacher is wrong. I'm sure we're all doing our best!

Its good to have someone who can give such an opinion, good to have someone who can make us think. Well obviously no need for my opinion here but i must agree that despite that Thomas doesnt exactly see this useful, doesnt mean it isnt useful, not all human beings are the same so you cannot put yourself as an example since not everyone is the same as you. Bless be the diversity of the human species, without it humanity would be boring. Anyways i ,myself, am in the situation of Thomas.

I reviewed the video again now. I even more convinced that its for educating the student sitting there, and so much educating the viewer of the video.
(The first time I watched it and posted was at 5 in the morning pre sleep. Good job me!)

I have thought about it and reflected over it, and it does not actually give me anything new, but thats because I have better material of him teaching that exercise. In other words: I understand what hes talking about. I guess it shows poorly in my first post, because I know this stuff helps, and thats why I could not understand why people would dismiss it at first glance. Because it is my honest opinion, if you have that good technique after less then one year of playing, I can't imagine what you could do with ten. (Yes I can, concert pianist incomming! )

I want to ask is this:
Alot of you may not posess the knowlege I had before watching the video the first time. What did you get out of it? And for you who say you understood it after one or two minutes. What is it that you understand?

Tricky questions, but it should be doable.

Fryderyk wrote:Its good to have someone who can give such an opinion, good to have someone who can make us think. Well obviously no need for my opinion here but i must agree that despite that Thomas doesnt exactly see this useful, doesnt mean it isnt useful, not all human beings are the same so you cannot put yourself as an example since not everyone is the same as you. Bless be the diversity of the human species, without it humanity would be boring. Anyways i ,myself, am in the situation of Thomas.

Hm... I still cant understand... I have never said this to not be useful
Its of course Exremly useful information....!

I never put my self as a general example either... I didnt exactly start with a relaxed way of playing..

My ONLY statement was that he used long time to explane it


*Getting a little frutsrated*

Christian wrote:
I want to ask is this:
Alot of you may not posess the knowlege I had before watching the video the first time. What did you get out of it? And for you who say you understood it after one or two minutes. What is it that you understand?

Well, for me: I already had that information learned. I struggled in the beginning with my turkish march, and decided that something had to be done to release some tension. So I worked on playing the fast part just as relaxed as I play slower pieces... If I didnt have that revelation during that piece, I to would have had great use of theory like In that video. But I felt I sat with exactly the same knowledge after the 2 first minutes as I had after 10 minutes.

But I feel that its Great information, that is Very usefull - Of course to those who dosnt sit with that knowledge already.
So I think it was a very good post, and that this video of course are very helpefull to beginners and intermediates that struggle with tension and stressed playing

The guy has a blog and I seriously spent a few hours reading over what he had to say. Just focusing on his blog I was taken aback when he mentioned that a professional pianist whom he visited, had remarked that Alan does not do anything with his hands that he recommends in his book.

This is only to say that I was shocked to read that. Nevertheless, my perception is that he is attempting to bridge the gap between the finger school and the arm school.

I can only surmise as to a general guess, but I would say that he is breaking the mold by suggesting that traditional piano technique has over emphasized maintaining an arch.

By recommending his grasping motion, it is obvious that sometimes he allows for the hand to be flattened in order to ramp up speed.

I could easily be wrong. But just to zoom in on the general theory as you wanted to talk about Christian, then that is my feeling.

Also Thomans i dont want to go off-topic here but i dont want you to get insulted nor nothing by my comment there i was talking generally and i was talking of an hypotetical situation (if you do this and that blah blah) so by no means i was talking to you directly, nor trying to make you mad or insult so i ask for your calmness and i apologize if i made you a little frustrated.

On topic: Well i have read several times the blog but if i really am going to give an honest critique of its usefulness ill have to see the DVD to see grasp all what he is talking about