Creative Health for Pianists Concepts, Exercises & Compositions

Creative Health for Pianists: Concepts, Exercises & Compositions is a practical method book for musicians of all abilities. It provides a new way of thinking about the piano, emphasizing the pianist-reader's innate capacity to respond creatively to a musical and technical stimulus. Author and veteran educator Pedro de Alcantara suggests that every pianist, from a complete beginner to a concert artist, may approach the instrument with the frame of mind of an improviser and composer, in which curiosity, inventiveness, and technical skills are inseparable.

Throughout the book, original music snippets that encapsulate one or more aspects of piano playing are presented and explained, then developed through tweaks, variations, and compositions of increasing complexity. Every chapter contains variations suited to a complete beginner, as well as musical challenges that will capture the imagination of advanced players. Most chapters contain improvisational prompts and games with step-by-step rules, leading to the development of new creative skills combining musical depth and technical intelligence. Creative Health for Pianists is supported by a dedicated companion website with 48 pedagogical video clips.

Pedro de Alcantara is a musician, writer, and teacher. He is the author of The Integrated String Player: Embodied Vibration; Integrated Practice: Coordination, Rhythm & Sound; and Indirect Procedures: A Musician's Guide to the Alexander Technique, all published by Oxford University Press. He is Visiting Professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, and travels the world leading workshops intertwining creativity and health.

Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction

1. Dialogue
2. Heartbreak
3. Seesaw
4. Celeste
5. The Circle
6. Gesture
7. Advanced Seesaw
8. Sonic Play
9. Horn Call
10. Mudra

Conclusion
Appendix: Practicing the Circle of Fifths
Resources