Criticisms Of The Demo

I recently received this email and thought it would be a good thing to answer these points here on our forum. Read on... "Dear Mr. Fraser: I downloaded your video preview. A few thoughts: 1) Monkeys do have opposable thumbs and can grasp branches. 2) Your wrist is too high on the legato demo, and I've never seen anyone teach legato by telling students to hold down 2 keys simultaneously. 3) Regarding "lifting," any time that you use the flexors and extensors against each other, you will create tension. 4) The Dorothy Taubman Seminar - teaches the true physics of piano-playing according to the best method in the world. Despite this methodology, you have great facility at the keyboard. John Swarowski, Los Angeles" Now to answer John point by point: 1) Yes, SOME monkeys do have opposable thumbs, my mistake! 2) My wrist is too high for what? Any one wrist position can be too high OR too low depending on the function. As for holding down 2 keys, I said in the film title - a NEW approach to piano technique! 3) Yes, and any time you lift the fingers without exerting effort in the antagonists, it's an extremely useful movement. Furthermore, INTENTIONAL exertion of antagonist muscle groups in isometric exercises is a well-known and effective method for the development of certain abilities. 4) I acknowledge Dorothy Taubmann's great contribution to the development of piano technique, but I do have problems with the way she expresses certain principles. There is a page on my website called PIANISTIC APHORISMS in which I rebut many of her assertions, or provide counter-assertions... you might want to take a look. Finally, thanks for your compliments on my facility!

Actually, I have. My ex-teacher, who is rather famous as a Chinese piano composer (though not very famous in piano playing....), taught me in this way years ago. I wasn't sure then why my sound was more solid and even more articulated in fast passages despite the action looking less articulated. Now I know that it's due to a more secure structure and thus more efficient action. Of course, after that I reduced the overhold while maintain the same structural strength.

4) The Dorothy Taubman Seminar - teaches the true physics of piano-playing according to the best method in the world. ..statements like these are close to ridiculous!

4) The Dorothy Taubman Seminar - teaches the true physics of piano-playing according to the best method in the world. ..statements like these are close to ridiculous! I wouldn't say so. It's just religious. Unlike statements like "my mother is the best mother in the world", we ask for objective proofs of why a certain school is "the best method in piano playing".

As I developed my ideas over the past 30 years, I must admit that there were times when I thought my own approach was the best. I guess sometimes when you are 'cooking' some new idea, you have to be so obsessed, so totally in your own material and your own process that you simply don't see other points of view. However, I have gained so much by trying to learn from my 'competitors!' And I continue to do so. I recently started another website, , where I want to gather all approaches, catalogue them, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as much as I can objectively rather than according to 'party politics.' I think it is such a shame when colleagues who are devoted to the same ideals quarrel over dogma. How many pianists are there in the world? A few million at most. All the rest of us humans don't even play. ANYONE who is devoted enough to give his or her time and creative energy to our beloved instrument deserves special respect in my books. As I write my reviews of different approaches for the website, I purposefully go through the approach and try to when we disagree. AFF