A jazz player who has worked with Barbara Lister Sink has a first encounter with Alan and his teaching
Born in Montreal in 1955 Alan Fraser studied piano but also delved into composition, cello, classical singing and had several stints as a pop musician. Alan’s main pianistic influence was the pioneering research of Phil Cohen who studied alongside Ronald Turini, Andre Laplante and Janina Fialkowska with Yvonne Hubert, who had been Cortot‘s assistant in Paris. Alan spent several years with Cohen after an apprenticeship with two former Cohen students, Alan Belkin and Lauretta Milkman.
The skeleton manages the weight completely
The piano lever is always totally free because the skeleton carries the weight
Enrich the sensation of the palm to your own advantage
Wrists don't have to be high
Relaxation is present but action needs to happen a bit sooner
"If you use relaxation to cure tension you replace one problem with another"
Building up the arch..
Feel the thumb metacarpal
and neglect the metacarpals
The more you oppose the better all the fingers work. Get that power to your hand
A few simple tips from Alan
This series closing episode is packed with useful info