F.M. AlexandertechnikStudio fŸr F.M. Alexandertechnik Gabriele Breuninger
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Freeing the Caged Bird

Subtitle:   Developing Well-Coordinated, Injury-Preventive Piano Technique
Author:   Lister-Sink, Barbara
ISBN:   FCB-D
Publisher:   WINGSOUND
status:   in stock, new
Price:   37,50 Euro  = 51,43 USD = 26,63 GBP
= 62,9 CHF = 68,09 AUD
Cover missing
Pianists of all ages and levels are often frustrated and even tragically hindered by discomfort, pain, and injury related to piano playing. Widely misperceived as unavoidable occupational hazards, these problems often result from accumulated muscle tension, structural imbalance, skeletal misalignment, and misunderstanding of basic biomechanics. Rather than soaring freely, the pianist´s musicality is often a songbird caged inside the body.
Barbara Lister-Sink, internationally recognized pioneer in teaching injury-preventive technique, draws inspiration from the superb technical example of such giants as Arthur Rubinstein, and offers a new look into the heart of piano technique, using a scientifically and pedagogically sound approach.
Lister-Sink clearly defines piano technique as the most efficient, natural coordination of the whole body at the piano. With noted anatomist and movement educator Glenna Batson, internationally recognized Alexander Technique instructor, she shows how the body is designed to work best with the piano. Lister-Sink then demonstrates, explains, and corrects potentially obstructive habits by using her own concise step-by-step-approach for teaching technique, from the most basic movements and sensations to the most complex technical challenges. Using in-depth, slow-motion analysis of playing on all levels, she demonstrates how well-coordinated piano technique frees the pianist's artistry from the cage of physical obstacles.

CONTENTS

PART I
- Overview of myths and mysteries of piano technique
- Exploration of body and piano mechanisms

PART II
FIVE-STEP TRAINING PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPING GOOD COORDINATION AT THE PIANO:
Step 1 Increase general body awareness and control
Step 2 Develop awareness and control at the piano
Step 3 Train the "basic stroke" or basic form of playing
Step 4 Reinforce basic form through graduated exercises
Step 5 Apply good coordination to sequenced studies

PART III
POTENTIALLY HARMFUL TECHNICAL HABITS
- Raised, tightened shoulders
- Jutting, frozen elbows
- High, flat fingers
- High, stiff, curved fingers
- Artificially formed hand arch
- Holding finger off of keys
- Excessive key pressure and motion
- Supporting weight on lowered wrists
- Heavy, "relaxed" arms

PART IV
APPLYING GOOD COORDINATION TO MUSICAL REPERTORY
- Beginning, intermediate and advanced levels
- Slow-motion analysis of coordination in Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau
and Rachmaninoff's E flat Minor Etude
- Training for virtuoso repertory/in-depth analysis and preparation of
Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Readers Comments  
This extremely well-produced video provides a wealth of teaching material for pianists covering a wide range of repertoire beautifully played by Lister-Sink and her students...Lister-Sink is superb both as a player and [in] her ability to demonstrate the common technical faults of pianists...This video provides an impressive study guide for any pianist...I do not know the price but, considering the wealth of material and excellent performances from Lister-Sink and her students, it is sure to be ... 
Weight: 110 gr
Pages: 160 min
Edition: DVD
Published: 01.01.2005
Height: 195 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
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Additional Sources of Supply:
DE-60599, US-NC-27108,
MetaWorks GbR · Peter Brunner
Dielmannstr. 1 · 60599 Frankfurt/Main

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