The Untiimely Death of One of the World's Great Piano Teachers

[louispodesta]

Today, I was informed that one of my two coaches (the other being Dr. Thomas Mark) Charles Aschbrenner has died.  He was fighting lung cancer, but his sudden death was un-expected.

This man, who spent most of his long teaching career focusing on the bio-mechanics of playing the piano, recently finally achieved his lifelong goal of putting together a comprehensive course of study for those who want to know what to properly do with the rest of their body when playing the piano.  He taught Dalcroze Eurhythmics at Hope College for decades.

Accordingly, I enclose a link to his website, which until recently was always available for free (for fee now, if want to take his course).  Please peruse his bio because the man had a pedigree, and then some.  He will be missed!

https://pulsepatterning.com/

[huaidongxi]

dankon, maestro podesta, for the link.  have no doubt myself, that feldenkrais would have very practical applications to piano technique.  my own lower back issues (heavy use/age in discs) require extra cushioning on the seat, which tends to limit my hip mobility until we make the big investment in a first rate adjustable bench.  what is the cost now for the 'pulse patterning' course ?  appreciate your time and instruction.  peace.

[keypeg]

I am very sorry to hear of that.  I remember looking at his site a few years ago when more sections were open, and he was addressing things that are often not mentioned at all, but seem very important.  I had even thought of contacting him recently to express my appreciation.

[louispodesta]

dankon, maestro podesta, for the link.  have no doubt myself, that feldenkrais would have very practical applications to piano technique.  my own lower back issues (heavy use/age in discs) require extra cushioning on the seat, which tends to limit my hip mobility until we make the big investment in a first rate adjustable bench.  what is the cost now for the 'pulse patterning' course ?  appreciate your time and instruction.  peace.

Thank you for your very kind words regarding Professor Aschbrenner.  Unfortunately, and I am now glad I did, I held back on offering an initial criticism of Charles' new website.  Now, knowing his illness, it would have been an undue strain on an already very sick cancer patient.

So, the way it is set up now, you have to virtually go most of the way in buying into the course before you can find out what it costs.  That is not good business by any measure.

In a month or so, I will email his new widower and relay your question.  However, make no mistake about it, this man knew more about the "sit bones" than any teacher I have ever known.

I will keep you and others posted as this new website progresses.

Thanks once again for your kind words.  Although not stated in his obituary, he played Beethoven for Robert Casadesus in master class (in France!). 

Also, he heard live in performance (on numerous occasions) most great pianists of the 20th century, which he readily shared with his students.  It is one thing to tell a student how to critically listen to a recording of a particular concert artist, and then it is one thing altogether to relate to them how it sounded live!

And, most importantly, he taught/coached far more people for free than those he charged a fee - myself, being one of them.  The man was the rarity among all piano teachers, a true student of piano pedagogy.  Alan Fraser has said so commenting on his death.
 

[anamnesis]

Thank you for your very kind words regarding Professor Aschbrenner.  Unfortunately, and I am now glad I did, I held back on offering an initial criticism of Charles' new website.  Now, knowing his illness, it would have been an undue strain on an already very sick cancer patient.

So, the way it is set up now, you have to virtually go most of the way in buying into the course before you can find out what it costs.  That is not good business by any measure.

In a month or so, I will email his new widower and relay your question.  However, make no mistake about it, this man knew more about the "sit bones" than any teacher I have ever known.

I will keep you and others posted as this new website progresses.

Thanks once again for your kind words.  Although not stated in his obituary, he played Beethoven for Robert Casadesus in master class (in France!). 

Also, he heard live in performance (on numerous occasions) most great pianists of the 20th century, which he readily shared with his students.  It is one thing to tell a student how to critically listen to a recording of a particular concert artist, and then it is one thing altogether to relate to them how it sounded live!

And, most importantly, he taught/coached far more people for free than those he charged a fee - myself, being one of them.  The man was the rarity among all piano teachers, a true student of piano pedagogy.  Alan Fraser has said so commenting on his death.
 

The material costs $80 and it comes with pdf and series of videos.  I went ahead and purchased it and plan to view the material this week. 

One of the the most unexplored realms in piano performance is a much a closer look into how the torso and hip are involved, so I look forward to viewing the material.  From what I can tell, Professor Aschbrenner has compiled his insights combining Dalcroze eurhythmics, Abby Whiteside's basic rhythm, and the Feldekenrais Clock exercise. 

I found some quotations from Whiteside's book that is relevant to the material Aschbrenner is trying to communicate: 

"Rhythm stems from the point of resistance to the application of power. It creates its magic by a follow-through activity which involves a balancing of weight of the entire body. The point of resistance when we are on our feet is the floor; when we are seated it is the chair seat."

"For the pianist the muscles under these ischial bones create activity in the torso, much as manipulation of the feet against the floor resistance creates activity in the entire body as we stand. It is easy to feel the rhythm of skating and dancing when movement is not restricted. It is less easy to feel the same rhythmic exhilaration  when the sitting posture limits movement. But it is exactly the same rhythmic response to the music which is so natural in dancing and skating that is needed for a thrilling performance at the piano-a response throughout the body."

"We sit upon a cushion of large muscles. By contracting these muscles the cushion becomes thicker and harder, and the torso is boosted slightly higher. By relaxing these same muscles the cushion becomes thinner and softer, and the torso is lowered: the bones are closer to the chair seat. This contraction and relaxation can be sudden or it may be gradual. When it is sudden, the effect is a sort of bouncing up and down of the torso; the torso dances the gigue. When the muscular action is gradual, one contraction may last for a long crescendo, and the relaxation may be sustained for the following decrescendo; the torso dances a slow waltz. This activity, dancing, is the rhythm of the music for the pianist. These movements  are an extension of the action of the top arm-a necessary part of the total mechanism for articulating tone. Besides these important lifting and lowering actions, this cushion of muscles can sway the torso in all directions, and in so doing create an outlet for the rhythmic response to the music."

[louispodesta]

"Anamnesis"

Thank you for a great post/reply with analytical insight at a very high level.  For those who do not fully understand, please read and re-read again.  You will not get this level of "free" pedagogy from your teacher or anywhere else.

Why?:  Because (revealing a very well-known secret) most young great players (contest winners) have a great deal of "natural" ability.  They can play their way around the piano which effectuates the "Oohs and Ahhs" from audiences when they are young.

However, when then crash and burn as adults, they then fall back on a teaching position for a livelihood.  As a very famous pianist/teacher at my alma mater exemplified years ago to a Graduate student:  "play it like Abbey Simon."  Or better yet, as a drawing teacher I had once remarked: "do it like me."  Sound familiar?

Then, and there, and here and now, is the difference Charles Aschbrenner made (along with my late teacher Robert Weaver).  They broke it down every single day in every single lesson, in terms of technique, style, tone, rhythm, et al.

And, as accurately pointed out in the last part of this post, (just as Thomas Mark coaches his/me students) one has to "choreograph" every single movement of ones hands/body for every section of any piece.  Break it into sections, start off slow, and then progress and bring it up to tempo from there.  That is the genius of Thomas Mark and the very dearly departed Charles Aschbrenner.

Thanks once again for a great post.