Study actual piano lessons given by expert teachers

A brief intro to Alan's method and the site as a learning tool

One of the biggest problems in modern piano pedagogy, often not taught the right way

Something so simple but not taught well

All this talk about technique, what about musicianship

This concept once properly understood will make a huge difference in your playing

A special technique for not only more articulate playing but really healthy sound as well

Body and the musical content

A bit about injury from Alan's personal experience

A word on proper practicing/techniques or what should we really practice.

The one and only way to approach scales and arpeggios

This is what it's all really about

What are the mechanisms that translate our musical thought to the keyboard?

Alan talks about musical tension, singing line of live musical thought

and focal dystonia might just go away

Cramped shoulders and how Tai Chi helps with that

vs. mechanical sense and all that applied to piano

The MRI shows 4 herniated discs in Alan's neck. His self-healing strategy: feed new info into the sensory-motor system

Don't follow the finger down into the key

We not only need to radiate the stand up motion throughout the body but also look into hand body relationship

Scriabin Op.9 No.1

The hand has this amazing capacity to individuate parts of itself from within

Creates a moving entity

Where the kinematic chain goes from finger tip through the neck into the core

Alan is talking about specific type of tonus on the fingers complementary to the tonus of the thumb

Alan says he can "sense through" the keyboard better if his palm is down, touching the keys. Notice that he still maintains the hand structure even though his palm is flat

There is a way of not dis-empowering the MCP and really making it work

In other words, really dissect the score and learn it in a way that cultivates healing of Alan's injury

Alan is attempting to not only avoid the injury but actually heal his shoulder by approaching this segment properly

Latest update from Alan on his injury (April 2019)

Left hand!

Etude in a minor

Etude in e major

Etude in c sharp minor

Etude in g flat major

Etude in e flat minor

Etude in C major

Etude in f major

Etude in f minor

Etude in a flat major

Etude in e flat major

Etude in c minor - Revolutionary etude

Etude in A flat major

Etude in f minor

Etude in F major

Etude in a minor

Etude in e minor

Etude in g sharp minor

Etude in c sharp minor

Etude in d flat major

Etude in g flat major

Etude in b minor

Etude in a minor

Etude in c minor

The idea is for our skeleton to take over the work of the muscles. Also, a bit of background on Alan and his journey.

Spine isn't just a stack of bricks. Alan also explains how tensegrity ideas relate to our bodies

So what we are looking for is good kind of muscular tonus not plain old bad kind of tension

Arm weight isn't bad really. What's important is the way it's explained

Alan shows videos of people walking from the beginning of the last century and draws parallels on how we move today

Hammer and a key are elements in a kinematic chain

The hand as a mini body concept

Empowered structure = the piano's voice

Alan is demonstrating a few important concepts

In other words, no clenching, just pure power/function

to make your conception actually sound

And we don't really think about it in our day to day activities

Thumb can move in three different ways but we don't want to flex it really

Like the Tai Chi empty step

In independence, there is always inter dependence

Everybody wants to over secure but tense up. Arm needs to be in motion all the time

Forget holding an apple, supination does not let your hand fall down

We need to be well balanced when playing the piano, no other way.

You hands might be small but you can still stretch them

Introduction to Pianimals

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Exercise 6

Exercise 7

Exercise 9

Exercise 10

Exercise 11

Exercise 12

Pianimals teachers exercise 1

Pianimals teachers exercise 2

Pianimals teachers exercise 3

Pianimals teachers exercise 4

Pianimals teachers exercise 5

Pianimals teachers exercise 6

Pianimals teachers exercise 7

Pianimals teachers exercise 8a

Pianimals teachers exercise 9

Pianimals teachers exercise 10

Pianimals teachers exercise 11

Pianimals teachers exercise 12

Pianimals teachers exercise 13a

Pianimals teachers exercise 14

Pianimals teachers exercise 15

Pianimals teachers exercise 16

Pianimals teachers exercise 17

Pianimals teachers exercise 18

Pianimals teachers exercise 19

Pianimals teachers exercise 20

Pianimals teachers exercise 21

Pianimals teachers exercise 22

Pianimals teachers exercise 23

Pianimals teachers exercise 24

Pianimals teachers exercise 25

Pianimals teachers exercise 26

Pianimals teachers exercise 27

Pianimals teachers exercise 28