Negative review Fink's book

[green]

A review i found at amazon. Any comments?


I have owned this book and the accompanying video since they were first published, and worked through all the movements he describes for myself and with students. While Prof. Fink has done admirable research into the anatomy and uses of the pianist's mechanism, the exercises and suggested movements he puts forth reveal an irresponsible, if not dangerous, lack of differentiation between efficient and inefficient motion at the keyboard. There is no commentary on what the effects are, for example, of abducting and adducting the hands at the wrist joint to the extremes of their range-of-motion. It's called tendonitis.

The array of primary movements in the opening chapters have nothing to do with actually solving musical/technical problems, and there is a disturbing contradiction in his advice on the use of isometrics. There is no analysis of which parts of our bodies are best geared for fast, effortless motion at the keyboard--indeed, nowhere does he state what a free, unfettered, coordinated technique should look and feel like. He falls back upon the old cop-out that "there are many correct ways to play," as if we are creatures built with an infinite variety of differently-working muscular and skeletal structures. We all have the same basic structures, which obey the kinetic dictates of their makeup.

What is most unsettling, though, is the explanation of hand/finger positions on pp. 36 and 37. All three positions pictured are at best fatiguing and at worst dangerous when applied to playing--especially fast passagework. Also, the use of the thumb in scale playing as explained on p. 115 "passed-under and prepared...pronate arms and abduct hands..." is very dangerous and, if one follows his direction to "ingrain" this motion, will cause injuries. There are too many other problems and inconsistencies in the book to list, but the best summary I can make is that it presents information without evaluating it, and lulls students into thinking that none of these motions will hurt them. Instead of "rest(ing) at the onset of fatigue or tension," (p.115) one must realize that fatigue and tension are signs that something is wrong. The goal of technical training should be to create comfort and freedom without compromising the music, not to force a bunch of unnatural movements into our bodies. The best book on technique isn't out yet, but it's by Dorothy Taubman. Look for it.

[bernhard]

I have owned this book and the accompanying video since they were first published, and worked through all the movements he describes for myself and with students. While Prof. Fink has done admirable research into the anatomy and uses of the pianist's mechanism, the exercises and suggested movements he puts forth reveal an irresponsible, if not dangerous, lack of differentiation between efficient and inefficient motion at the keyboard. There is no commentary on what the effects are, for example, of abducting and adducting the hands at the wrist joint to the extremes of their range-of-motion. It's called tendonitis.  

This is not true. Fink goes out of his way to point out that adduction and abduction should be restricted to specific situations and should not be used routinely. In fact he continually stresses both on the book and on the video that the third finger (or the fifth in certain cases) should be constantly aligned with the forearm bones so as to avoid pressingthe carpal tunnel/

The array of primary movements in the opening chapters have nothing to do with actually solving musical/technical problems,

The purpose of the primary movements is to prepare the body for future demands at the keyboard. They are not meant to solve musical technical problems, so this is unfair criticism. It is equivalent to watch an Olympic Gymnast warming up and criticise his warming up routine as having nothing to do with actually solving technical problems at the double bars or at the rings. It is just a warm up, for crying out loud!

and there is a disturbing contradiction in his advice on the use of isometrics.

I am not sure what he is referring to. I felt no disturbance in the Force, so I will await further clarification.

There is no analysis of which parts of our bodies are best geared for fast, effortless motion at the keyboard--indeed, nowhere does he state what a free, unfettered, coordinated technique should look and feel like.

WOW! Did we watch the same video? Did we read the same book? Fink, in the video, continuously demonstrates at the piano within a wide range of musical examples what it looks like. Now no one can demonstrate what it “feels” like since “feeling” is a private, personal experience.  The book itself is divided in sections dealing with each specific part of the playing apparatus describing at nauseum in great detail which parts of our bodies and which co-ordinations between these parts (co-ordination is a key word for Fink) will allow for most effective motion at the keyboard.

He falls back upon the old cop-out that "there are many correct ways to play," as if we are creatures built with an infinite variety of differently-working muscular and skeletal structures. We all have the same basic structures, which obey the kinetic dictates of their makeup.

Sorry, the fact remains that there are many correct ways to play. Just watch The Art of the piano Video or any collection of different pianists playing. This does not means that anything goes, because just as there are many correct ways to play, there also many more incorrect ways to play.

What is most unsettling, though, is the explanation of hand/finger positions on pp. 36 and 37. All three positions pictured are at best fatiguing and at worst dangerous when applied to playing--especially fast passagework.

What is most unsettling is to read this review and realise that the person writing it cannot be possibly ignorant (after all he claims to be utterly familiar with both the book and the video), and therefore s/he must be malicious. The movements described in pp. 36/37 cannot possibly lead to injury by any stretch of the imagination. If you see the video you will laugh at such a suggestion. These movements are used all day long in our everyday life. Fink is just calling attention to them. Moreover, these movements are described in the first part of the book they are “primary movements”, the same movements this reviewer complained above as being completely irrelevant to the solution of musical/technical problems:

The array of primary movements in the opening chapters have nothing to do with actually solving musical/technical problems,

Indeed, they do not. They are the basic blocks. So why say now that

All three positions pictured are at best fatiguing and at worst dangerous when applied to playing--especially fast passagework

Nowhere does Fink suggest that these specific movements should be used in fast passage work. In fact I cannot possibly see how they could be used in fast passage work. They are not movements to be done at that piano: they are a kind of gentle “callisthenics” to be done away from the piano. In the video Fink demonstrates these movements and urges one to do them away from the piano. In the book (p. 22) he states that all movements to follow (all the way to p. 52) “can best be taught away from the instrument”. So why is this reviewer taking a movement that is not to be practised at the piano, is not meant to be used to solve technical problems in general, and certainly not to be applied to fast passages in particular, and scaremongering  readers with the dangers of applying these movements to fast passages?

Also, the use of the thumb in scale playing as explained on p. 115 "passed-under and prepared...pronate arms and abduct hands..." is very dangerous and, if one follows his direction to "ingrain" this motion, will cause injuries.

Any movement described in writing and misunderstood can cause injuries. However all one has to do is to watch the video and check the movements as Fink demonstrates (I said before and I say it again: this book without the video looses 80% of its value; with the video is possibly the best book on technique I ever came across).

There are too many other problems and inconsistencies in the book to list, but the best summary I can make is that it presents information without evaluating it, and lulls students into thinking that none of these motions will hurt them. Instead of "rest(ing) at the onset of fatigue or tension," (p.115) one must realize that fatigue and tension are signs that something is wrong. The goal of technical training should be to create comfort and freedom without compromising the music, not to force a bunch of unnatural movements into our bodies.

This is amusing to say the least. Fink’s book is a catalogue of the most natural movements one can use in piano playing, and their consistent use cannot but create comfort and freedom. Hence no need to warn students of possible injuries resulting form these movements, simply because they should not cause injury in the first place.

The best book on technique isn't out yet, but it's by Dorothy Taubman. Look for it.

Aha! The explanation at last. So the best book is by Dorothy. But it’s not out yet. So how come this reviewer knows it is the best? Could it be because s/he had privileged information and read it while in proof stage? Could it be that s/he wrote it? Could it be that by writing this ill informed review s/he not only takes care of the competition as does some bit of propaganda?

Shame on you whoever you are.

As for you Green, stop being so tight-fisted, buy the Fink book and come to your own conclusions instead of endlessly trying to figure out if the book is good or not based on someone else’s opinions (be it pro or con).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[xvimbi]

I saw the same review a long time ago and was so shocked about the stupidity of the presented arguments that I didn't even feel it needs a response. Perhaps, one should post Bernhard's rebuttal on the Amazon website.

However, out of interest, I have been looking for the Taubman book, but have not found it yet. I find that surprising given the fact that that "Review from Hell" was submitted in March 2000!