Seymour Fink: did anybody actually do this?

[xvimbi]

Seymour Fink's book always comes up when talking about technique development. I have worked on it on and off. I am interested what others thought about its effectiveness. Specifically, I was wondering if anybody worked through the book, doing all (or most) of the exercises, how long it took to see appreciable results (if any), and whether they felt that it was generally a worthwhile endeavor. I'd appreciate any other comments about the book as well. Thanks.

[will]

I have also worked with the book on and off and am again currently going through it. I certainly feel it is and was a worthy endeavour. I'll repost with some more info in the next week or so.

[asyncopated]

I've tried going through the book but can't tell if I am doing the movements correctly from the text.  It just seems a bit crazy to try and describe the movement in words.  Perhaps getting the video is a good idea?

al.

[bearzinthehood]

I looked through the book and I saw the "claw" hand position and I thought, man that looks uncomfortable, so I pretty much decided not to try it.

I'll give it a shot though if anybody tried it and thinks it's worthwhile.

[will]

   The main thing this book taught me was new ways of moving that I would not have discovered on my own.
   I practiced the examples in different ways - playing them straight away with my own technique, and also playing them how Fink advises. In certain areas I have seen immediate results. For example, at first the section on jumps (p92-93) felt slightly awkward to play in the manner prescribed. However after some 5 minutes my playing of these passages felt comfortable and so much easier than my technique of playing these passages 5 minutes earlier . I doubt that I would have ever discovered this new movement on my own.
   I like the structure of the book, starting with movement away from the piano and then once at the piano starting with large movements and progressing to smaller movements. 
   I think the main advantage Fink's book has over others is how evertyhing is explained in depth and immediately followed by examples to get a feel for the movements. The illustrations are also helpful.
   Organizing my thoughts to answer a broad question in not my strong point. So I'll
say (1) I have worked throught the book
    (2) I have seen appreciable result straight away
    (3) It is certainly a worthwhile endeavour
    (4) It is a helpful book
   
Regards, Will.

[will]

I've tried going through the book but can't tell if I am doing the movements correctly from the text.  It just seems a bit crazy to try and describe the movement in words.

   Yes, but for those who do not have teacher (like myself) it can be very helpful. Patience is required to read and re-read the explanations to try and completely understand the matter.

Perhaps getting the video is a good idea?

Yes, Good Idea. Though the video covers the material in the book it is very brief. However it cetainly helps to see Fink in action.

[will]

I looked through the book and I saw the "claw" hand position and I thought, man that looks uncomfortable, so I pretty much decided not to try it.

I think that this is a somewhat extreme position - one would not remain it for any long period of time. However adopting this position to start with allows the motions that follow to be felt more easily. Once the motions are felt they can be produced from a neutral hand position.