Maple Grove Music Productions is pleased to present a film by Canadian pianist Alan Fraser:
The Craft of 
 Piano Playing
DVD

                               Press Release
                               Detailed Menu
                               Film Acknowledgements
                               Genesis of the DVD		          Critical response: DVD reviews
         View the DVD Demo
         Buy the DVD

Based on his book of the same name, Fraser’s film uses recent
advances in biomechanics to replace both tension and over-relaxation
with effective hand activation based on optimal skeletal alignment.

"a fascinating DVD, a 'must have' for any pianist wishing to master their technique."
                                                                                                                                - La Lettre du Musicien, France

The film promises pianists from beginners to professionals
an astonishing enhancement of the colours and sonority one can draw from the instrument,
and offers teachers new, effective solutions for their students’ most common technical problems.

‘a guaranteed huge improvement to your piano sound‘
                                                                                                       - PianoNews, Germany

Fraser links musical expression to the hand’s innate structure and function to create an
“absolutely natural way of moving at the piano, both powerful and flexible” (PianoNews, Germany).

"Fraser is an engaging and informative host"
                                                                           - International Piano, Great Britian


The DVD version of The Craft of Piano Playing, in English, with subtitles in German, French and Serbian, is now available. The detailed menus with links to  all chapters and sub-chapters allow exceptionally easy navigation to any point in the film, making it a highly effective pedagogical tool. Featuring classic exercises from the original book plus several new ones, this DVD complements the book’s in-depth investigations with an immediate, tangible experience of Alan Fraser's teaching.

This video is a valuable addition to any music library. Its insights into the hand's innate capacities of movement and organization will prove valuable to pianists at all levels. And teachers can use these ideas to develop a whole new dimension in their relationship to the piano and piano teaching.

The Craft of Piano Playing: Detailed Table of Contents

 
INTRODUCTION 

1 – THE ARCHES OF THE HAND
Skeletality
The Hand’s Arches
Fingerstands (10.2)
The Moving Arch
The Dead Bird
The Floating Dome
The Geodesic Eggshell
A Student’s Arch
The Bell Hand
The Grasping Function
Grasping & the Piano

2 – LEGATO
Walking at the Piano
T’ai Chi Walking (10.1)
Legato (10.3)
Overholding (11.1)
A Practical Example (12.1)

3 - THE THUMB
Pianistic Co-Dependence
Three Point Intervention
Thumb Rolling (16.1)
Second Finger Windshield Wipers (16.1)
Thumb Pushups (13.1)
Isometric Windshield Wipers (13.1)
Thumbstands (10.2)
Reverse Opposition (Thumb Windshield Wipers) (14.2)
The Thumb & Forefinger (14.1; 27.1; 42.2)

4 – OCTAVES & CHORDS
Fifth Finger Pull-Ups (17.2)
Small Hands
Deconstructing Octaves (20.1)
The Mini Hand Flip (III.1)
The Octave Cobra Strike (19.1)
Shake the Piano (18.1)
The Hook
Tremolando Octaves (21.1)
Freedom & Brilliance in Interlocking Octaves

 5 – THE ARM

Counterproductive Uses of the Arm (29)
Stabilization (29.1)
Phrase Shape & Orientation (32; 32.1)
Pulse Generation
Arm Weight (8)
The Bird Beak (31.2)
The Arm Swing (30.2)
The Arm as a Whole Finger (30)
 

6 - ROTATION
Rotation & Swiveling (35)
Rotation & Translation (35)
Rotation Examples:
             La Campanella, m.42 (35.2)
             La Campanella, m. 7 (35.2)
             Jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este (35.1)
             Chopin, Op 10 #1
             Chopin Op 10#9
             Waltz Accompaniments
             Mephisto Waltz

7 – RHYTHM, PHRASE & ORCHESTRATION
Entasis (3)
Rhythmic Entasis (52)
The Waltz (54.1)
Micro-Pauses (51)
Melodic Entasis (54.1)
Dynamic Entasis (58)
Listening
 

8 – MAXIMUM FINGER ACTION IN SCALES
Fingertapping (24)
The Sound of One Hand Clapping (26.3)
The Structure Supported Slap (25.1)
Eliminate Swiveling in Scales (39.4)
Differentiate Fingers And Hand (26.1)
Out the Back Door (26.1)
Lift the Fingers
Conclusion
 

To purchase The Craft of Piano Playing, simply follow this link to our Online Store

 

‘astoundingly profound knowledge of body movement and structure...”
                                                                                 - EPTA Piano Journal, Great Britain

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