placeNovi Sad, Serbia
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.
Aptm given during Oxford 2024 workshop
A bit of ATM at the piano
The right hand only
Fingeres should have a great deal of sensitivity to the keys but should also be supported by a moving breathing body
The thumb gives the arm a function, it builds it up while we play
We need to see through the musical though, not just press keys at the piano
We are looking into the opening sequence of this nocturne and basically we don't want to push the buttons so to way only. We want to be continually orientated on the keyboard instead
Alan shows how a standing hand at the piano leads to all sorts of improvement in sound quality and musicianship
Alan explains the contents of the five volume set of Pianimals books
Alan's introduces his third book, all about the thumb's crucial role in empowering the entire hand at the piano
Alan discusses just what it takes for your piano technique to evolve past the hobby stage
Alan shows how to use hand structure and function to create a truly Impressionistic soundscape appropriate to the delicate emotions of Claire de lune
Alan shows how a hand that is better organized in its physical structure and function will make the piano sing more beautifully
Alan shows us some of the underlying skill sets one needs to develop in order to play really fast passages
