American pianist Doug Johnson is fascinated with the phenomenon of movement in music performance. After completeing a training in Body Mapping, he developed his own approach called Kinematic Integration. Alan Fraser has applied these ideas to the piano to create Piano Kinematics, or as it is now known, Piano Somatics - the science and art of pianistic movement.
We've made a Piano Kinematics Mind Map to show how the seemingly complicated structure of Piano Somatics stems organically from a few basic principles. A physical approach to piano technique must arise from the requirements of the music, and must feed back into those requirements, enhancing and expanding the possibilities in pianistic expression. The map illustrates the main foci of Piano Kinematics and their localized branches. Eventually, links to lesson or lecture excerpts will illustrate each thread.
To view the chart, click on the "Full Screen" button to the right on the bottom chart bar. Enlarge or shrink the chart with the scroll wheel; left click and drag to move the chart around on the screen. Scroll around the entire chart at first to get a feel for the scope and focus of Piano Kinematics; then zero in on the section that intrigues you the most. Refresh the page to return to this text.
The flow chart is not responsive, so if you are using an iPhone or Android, please go to the Smartphone Kinematics version of this chart.
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