Alan Fraser Masterclass At Sevenoaks School, UK

We were thoroughly impressed and inspired by your masterclass and concert at Sevenoaks School. Sophie has been working through your new Kiddiecraft exercises, and found them amazing and transformational. Everyone at school is learning a lot about piano technique, although students have also noticed that Mr Wey's instructions have become more complex! We are all huge fans of you! Tau Wey, with warm regards from Sophie Westbrooke and Sehee Lim

Hi, thanks for your kind words - I am glad my input at Sevenoaks was useful and helpful... Also please convey my apologies to your students suffering from complexity in their lessons! AFF

It is quite hilarious trying to explain a 'simply, effortless poke'. I'm sure my students think the explanations are anything but simple! Your method is still working wonders though, day in, day out, with all my pupils.

I am very glad to hear so... I am also very happy to have finally seen your Emperor Concerto from Taiwan - a very fine performance - strong and robust without losing anything in musicality. AFF

Adopting the hand arch has really helped my playing, especially in Scarlatti's F minor Sonata. I am also curious why you sat on such a low bench for your recital at Sevenoaks? In what ways does it help you to play better? Jake Parker (student of Tau Wey whom you coached!)

When I sit low I feel less like I have to depress the key and more like I am already inside it. It's easier to feel the grasping action as something that allows you to be "in" the key even before you play it, rather than "on" the key, external to it, compressing down into it. The lower you sit, the easier it is to get rich tone. Sitting higher makes fast fingerwork easier in a certain way, but you lose colour. AFF

I have just finished reading 'Honing the Pianistic Image'. It's absolutely amazing. This and the Craft of Piano Playing are the best books on piano playing by miles. I think I was fortunate that Yonty Solomon had introduced me to Feldenkrais already. For those without Feldenkrais background, it must be a lot harder to find the complete usefulness of your work. And you are quite right, it does feel like building up playing technique from scratch. I feel that I play the piano completely differently from before the summer. I hope you will find it interesting when I play for you in January. Btw, I've got a 40 minute recital programme. I would love to play to you as much of that as possible, time permitting!

very glad to hear this, Tau, it is very exciting! I will set aside as much time as we need in January... AFF