Alexander Peskanov: The Russian Technical Regimen

[keynote88]

Does any pianist use the "Russian Technical Regimen" by Alexander Peskanov? Just wondering.

keynote88

[lea]

do u mean the alexandra technique?

like, as i that relaxation thingy or whatever???

[natasha]

yeah the alexander technique is about relaxing your body all over as you do everyday stuff..like music!!
natasha

[keynote88]

I'm not sure I'm following with the above replies, though I do appreciate them!   The "Alexander Peskanov: Russian Technical Regimen" is a series of books dealing with technical stuff (sort of like Hanon, Czerny, ect.) It has books on Single Note Scales, Broken Chords, Russian Broken Chords, Arpeggios and Block Chords, and Scales in Thirds, Sixths, and Octaves. It's actually a very good resource for pianists and piano students. You could check it out at: www.cvc-usa.com/

keynote88

[robert_henry]

The series is a re-compilation of basic scales and arpeggios.  There are no revolutionary ideas within his "regimen."  Absolutely nothing new.  It is ridiculous to even have produced the series.  Since when is doing scales and arpeggios a "Russian Technical Regimen?"  I could write out all the scales and arpeggios, repackage them in a series and call them the "Robert Henry School of Technique..."  Nothing against Peskanov, by the way...I understand principles of marketing and I'm glad for him they are selling well.

That said, you can't go wrong in buying and using them - everyone will need a book like this at some point.  You can use the "Cook Book" or Hanon and get the same info for cheaper though.  But..I like Peskanov's fingering better than Cook's or Hanon's.

I believe Peskanov has a video available that demonstrates proper technique for the regimen, but I haven't seen it.

Robert Henry

[Bob]

Haha... I just found a youtube on this.

[nyiregyhazi]

Haha... I just found a youtube on this.

Well, he might be able to punch out rapid staccato thirds for two minutes, but I'm not sure how much good it did him:

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It doesn't look like he learned much about flowing legato connections from all that drilling. Not that I'm opponent of using exercises for controlled tonally sensitive practise, but simply to blast through things like that for the sake of it strikes me as highly dubious. Clearly he hasn't kept up a musically polished technique. It begs the question- is the reason that he regularly defaults to a rather ropey non-legato because punching out that kind of exercise ingrained it into his reflexes?

[Bob]

I was wondering about that.  I'm still interested in that -- It sounds like the skeleton of technique -- but I was wondering if all those exercises included anything with balance, phrases, voicing, etc.    He did sound very mechanical.  Not something to listen to.  And all loud from the bit I listened to.

[apeskanov]

Please visit my website and see what my regimen has done for me and my followers…  

https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/rev_pianist.php

https://www.peskanov.com/

https://peskanov.com/blog/about-pipe

[apeskanov]

https://www.nacion.com/2011-10-02/Entretenimiento/UltimaHora/Entretenimiento2930601.aspx

[apeskanov]

&feature=related

[apeskanov]

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[apeskanov]

You can also join me on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/apeskanov

[nyiregyhazi]

&feature=related

What is the point in blasting through these things so far outside of any musical context? I could understand practising them slower and with extreme legato. I could understand accenting every four notes, say, and concentrating on non accents on every other notes. I could understand pacing a crescendo or diminuendo (which could range from a slight one, to the wild explosions of an artist like Cziffra). But what is the point is blasting through that way, with every note the same volume? It trains nothing but movement- and not a movement that has any obvious musical context. Even for Prokofiev or other twentieth composers there would be more benefit it involved the accentuation style of practise. At least it would train something other than churning notes at high speeds alone. I'm actually a big believer in the value of exercises, but why disconnect so entirely from issues of sound? I cannot see the value in ultra-even practise at such high speeds. It makes sense when done slowly as an exercise in listening. But what purpose is there in removing all music from rapid reflex actions?

[Bob]

I'd just like a list of the techniques, kind of a map of the skeleton of piano technique.  See if I'm missing anything. 

I suppose the youtube videos have that...

[Bob]

Haha... This sounds bad... So.. We can I buy a copy of those books?  Haha.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22Russian+Technical+Regimen%22+by+Alexander+Peskanov&x=0&y=0

I see a few in here for about $6-7 a book.  I'm looking for the whole set though.  I want a full listing.

[apeskanov]

What is the point in blasting through these things so far outside of any musical context? I could understand practising them slower and with extreme legato. I could understand accenting every four notes, say, and concentrating on non accents on every other notes. I could understand pacing a crescendo or diminuendo (which could range from a slight one, to the wild explosions of an artist like Cziffra). But what is the point is blasting through that way, with every note the same volume? It trains nothing but movement- and not a movement that has any obvious musical context. Even for Prokofiev or other twentieth composers there would be more benefit it involved the accentuation style of practise. At least it would train something other than churning notes at high speeds alone. I'm actually a big believer in the value of exercises, but why disconnect so entirely from issues of sound? I cannot see the value in ultra-even practise at such high speeds. It makes sense when done slowly as an exercise in listening. But what purpose is there in removing all music from rapid reflex actions?

It is very rare, when you are able to observe a concert pianist, virtuoso warming up. The Russian Technical Regimen and my Piano Olympics program present an opportunity to become a virtuoso starting at Beginner level. In my videos "In Search of Sound" I demonstrate how to practice in various tempos and instruct on how to convert weight onto sound.

I don't think you are aware of what it takes to develop a true finger dexterity, light touch, great coordination between hands, stamina etc. You sound like you have never been practicing double note exercises and achieving comparable speed.

[Bob]

I guess this must be the list.  Hmm....

https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=cvc-usa&Category_Code=APPROD

[Bob]

I don't think you are aware of what it takes to develop a true finger dexterity, light touch, great coordination between hands, stamina etc. You sound like you have never been practicing double note exercises and achieving comparable speed.

I bet Nyi's running out to buy those materials...

[Bob]

It's only six books?

https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/rtr.php

Are these at a beginning level or more like Czerny?

[apeskanov]

Haha... This sounds bad... So.. We can I buy a copy of those books?  Haha.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=%22Russian+Technical+Regimen%22+by+Alexander+Peskanov&x=0&y=0

I see a few in here for about $6-7 a book.  I'm looking for the whole set though.  I want a full listing.

If you like to purchase a complete set of The Russian Technical Regimen, go to:

https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=cvc-usa&Product_Code=APRTR&Category_Code=APBOOKS

"In Search of Sound":

https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=cvc-usa&Product_Code=ISOS-DVD&Category_Code=APVIDEO

[Bob]

Is there an ISBN on those?

[apeskanov]

It's only six books?

https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/rtr.php

Are these at a beginning level or more like Czerny?

My Piano Olympics program consists of seven levels. They are described in Piano Olympics Manual:
https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=cvc-usa&Product_Code=APPOM&Category_Code=APPO

Levels I & II are Beginner levels.

Students are using Piano Olympics Student Assignments for Level I: https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=cvc-usa&Product_Code=APPOST-I&Category_Code=APPOand Piano Olympics Student Assignments

for Level II:
https://peskanov.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=cvc-usa&Product_Code=APPOST-II&Category_Code=APPO

Starting from Level III, all the technical requirements can be found in five volumes of The Russian Technical Regimen.

[pianowolfi]

start at 2:00

 

[nyiregyhazi]

It is very rare, when you are able to observe a concert pianist, virtuoso warming up. The Russian Technical Regimen and my Piano Olympics program present an opportunity to become a virtuoso starting at Beginner level. In my videos "In Search of Sound" I demonstrate how to practice in various tempos and instruct on how to convert weight onto sound.

I don't think you are aware of what it takes to develop a true finger dexterity, light touch, great coordination between hands, stamina etc. You sound like you have never been practicing double note exercises and achieving comparable speed.

Have you ever seen the film of Cziffra warming up? I didn't hear him punching any notes out without shape or accentuation. What is the use of all of these things if it trains the reflexes to do it without any sense of music whatsoever? Aside from the Schumann toccata, how often do you really need rapid staccato double notes to be punched out coldly?

The thing that strikes me is that to blast an exercise like that out, you need to have acquired the technique in the first place. Otherwise it would just be causing injury and stiffness. Also, unless the technique is already there, most pianists would just play with sloppiness. Working on a few scales at a time (with quality of movement as well as issues of legato/tone etc.) would be far more valuable. Once that technique is in place well enough to be capable of that, what is the point in throwing notes around without engaging any musical thought? It turns it into 100% pointless movement- that is churned out purely for the sake of it and without any productive brain activity.

If you can already do it, why do something quite so spectacularly unchallenging as simply playing through the same notes in the same way for the 100th time- instead of considering musical issues that would actually make it more technically challenging and more applicable to music? Why value the next notch up on the metronome over the idea of adding some musical challenges?

[Bob]

Fast fingers.  Impressive.

That's the typical 4 up/down/contrary pattern though.  

Her hands fly around a lot more than I would have expected for going at that speed.

[keyboardclass]

I don't think you are aware of what it takes to develop a true finger dexterity, light touch, great coordination between hands, stamina etc. You sound like you have never been practicing double note exercises and achieving comparable speed.

[apeskanov]

Have you ever seen the film of Cziffra warming up? I didn't hear him punching any notes out without shape or accentuation. What is the use of all of these things if it trains the reflexes to do it without any sense of music whatsoever? Aside from the Schumann toccata, how often do you really need rapid staccato double notes to be punched out coldly?

The thing that strikes me is that to blast an exercise like that out, you need to have acquired the technique in the first place. Otherwise it would just be causing injury and stiffness. Also, unless the technique is already there, most pianists would just play with sloppiness. Working on a few scales at a time (with quality of movement as well as issues of legato/tone etc.) would be far more valuable. Once that technique is in place well enough to be capable of that, what is the point in throwing notes around without engaging any musical thought? It turns it into 100% pointless movement- that is churned out purely for the sake of it and without any productive brain activity.

If you can already do it, why do something quite so spectacularly unchallenging as simply playing through the same notes in the same way for the 100th time- instead of considering musical issues that would actually make it more technically challenging and more applicable to music? Why value the next notch up on the metronome over the idea of adding some musical challenges?

I believe, you are missing the point. I am practicing my regimen, to meet the challenges of the demanding piano repertoire. Two weeks ago, I performed Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 on tour in Central America and was practicing my Regimen and Czerny every day for about an hour before anything else. It felt great!

[Bob]

These situations always seem to follow the same patterns.

Anyway, is there a list of the techniques used in these books?  I'm thinking the youtubes might have that too.  I just don't want to end up with something I already know about or something geared toward a beginner.

[nyiregyhazi]

I believe, you are missing the point. I am practicing my regimen, to meet the challenges of the demanding piano repertoire. Two weeks ago, I performed Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 on tour in Central America and was practicing my Regimen and Czerny every day for about an hour before anything else. It felt great!

Why not practise musically oriented movements? I apologise for being critical- as I don't wish to suggest your playing is anything less than extremely professional. However, compared to the kind of playing I admire in op. 25 no. 12, your fingers tend to run away and lose the magic. They miss the sweeping crescendos that turn this performance into something truly remarkable:

If you spend that much time simple running them over notes, is it any surprise that they want to default to blasting out the notes, rather than to the majestic sweep that this remarkable artist achieves? Not a single note is just fired off there.

Ironically enough, I actually do a lot on exercises. However, this serves to remind me just how pointless it is to drill them for the sake of it without having a specific purpose, and how much more I should think about them. I either want to work on the basic movements in a slow tempo, or experiment with some form of shape or accentuation that presents a different challenge to the last time I played it.

What's the point in running over the same thing daily, without challenging yourself to do something new with it? What is there to learn? There are 1000 ways of bringing different challenges into even the dryest of technical exercises and keeping them fresh. Apparently Cziffra was obsessive about practising unusual patterns of accentuation. How does playing every note the same volume time after time without thinking about anything else provide either a challenge or a useful foundation for music?

[Bob]

Aren't there exercises that focus on things less "notey?"  Balance, voicing, etc. ?

[pianowolfi]

Well as for exercises, if they really help me to improve my speed and accuracy and make my fingers work properly I don't care if they have been played "unmusically" by someone or not. The music is my job after all.

[apeskanov]

While studying at Juilliard School, I realized how important is to translate some of the "secrets" of Russian Piano School. I wanted to document my knowledge and experience studying with great Russian teachers and share it with the rest of the world. This is what inspired me to write my books. It's been 20 years since my Regimen was published. The legacy of the Russian Piano School will live on. I feel very privileged to be a part of it!

[Bob]

Are all the technical things in the books 1-6? 

Is it geared toward beginner, intermediate, advanced?

[apeskanov]

Are all the technical things in the books 1-6?  

Is it geared toward beginner, intermediate, advanced?

There is an "Introduction and Guide" that contains tips on how to practice different technical requirements and develop basic technical skills. Also, this book reflects on the history of Russian Piano School and my piano heritage.

Then, there are five exercise volumes, including "Single Note Scales", "Broken Chords," "Russian Broken Chords," "Arpeggios and Block Chords" and "Scales in Double Notes". You can find more details on www.peskanov.com. Level: Intermediate to Virtuoso

[Bob]

Are the six books availlable as one bound volume, or is each one its own separate book?

[apeskanov]

Are the six books availlable as one bound volume, or is each one its own separate book?

Each one is a separate book.

[pytheamateur]

While studying at Juilliard School, I realized how important is to translate some of the "secrets" of Russian Piano School. I wanted to document my knowledge and experience studying with great Russian teachers and share it with the rest of the world. This is what inspired me to write my books. It's been 20 years since my Regimen was published. The legacy of the Russian Piano School will live on. I feel very privileged to be a part of it!

It was certainly a good thing you decided to share to the world the Russian school of piano playing 20 years ago.  However, now 20 years after the collapse of the USSR, with many prominent Russian teachers working in major conservatoires across North America and Western Europe, it seems that much if not all of the information on the Russian School should have already been incorporated into the standard training of a pianist in the West.  Don't you agree?

[apeskanov]

Russian piano teachers have been active in the West for many generations. The purpose of my books was to document my technical training as a student at Stolyarsky School of Music. I believe that the exercises found in The Russian Technical Regimen can be an effective tool for teachers and students in improving their piano skills.

[pytheamateur]

In a country where Pushkin is now being studied in translated Ukrainian, it is remarkable that they are not advocating a Ukrainian School of Piano Playing.  It seems that music has united two peoples where literature has failed.

[pytheamateur]

Hello Mr Peskanov

Hope you're still following this thread.  I actually have your Russian Technical Regimen.  I am trying to work through them and have started with single-note scales.  I refer to pages 8 and 9 of the corresponding manual, to the transition from F Major to D Minor.  I see that the last note of the transition, the E (played with the second finger on the right hand) is a seventh below the first of the D Minor, the D (played with the thumb on the right hand).  That looks rather awkward.  Are you supposed to jump from the E to the D, or are you supposed to play the D Minor scale an octave lower than written on the score?

Thanks.

[marik1]

While studying at Juilliard School, I realized how important is to translate some of the "secrets" of Russian Piano School.

I find it pretty amusing--you got your degree from Juilliard school, but then claim that you came from and know "secrets" (whatever they are) of Russian School. At the same time your actual presentation has none of that "Russian School" qualities.  

Hope your book sales go well.

Best, M

[pytheamateur]

The Russian School of piano playing is certainly something very marketable, if you think about the number of Russian pianists in competitions and on the conert stage these days.

I look forward to some interesting discussions between Russian pianists.  I suppose the system of playing scales as described in "The Russian Technical Regimen" is indeed applied in Russian conservatoires and not something made up by Mr Peskanov?  Of course one must be a bit naive to believe that is equivalent to the Russian School of training.

I wonder what would be the characteristics of the Russian School?  I read that Goldenweiser once had one of his students learn the whole Czerny Op 740 by heart to improve her technique.  I hesitate to think that playing Czerny studies can be regarded as Russian training.

[pytheamateur]

Here are links to some videos of Mr Peskanov when he is playing music, as opposed to doing exercises:

No meaningful discussion as to whether his playing lacks qualities of the Russian School or not could ever take place without actual reference to any samples of his playing.

[Bob]

We should make a list of his technical ones too.

[apeskanov]

Hello Mr Peskanov

Hope you're still following this thread.  I actually have your Russian Technical Regimen.  I am trying to work through them and have started with single-note scales.  I refer to pages 8 and 9 of the corresponding manual, to the transition from F Major to D Minor.  I see that the last note of the transition, the E (played with the second finger on the right hand) is a seventh below the first of the D Minor, the D (played with the thumb on the right hand).  That looks rather awkward.  Are you supposed to jump from the E to the D, or are you supposed to play the D Minor scale an octave lower than written on the score?

Thanks.

Yes, I am using the above fingering for the transition from F Major to D Minor. I find it more comfortable jumping from second finger to the thumb a seventh above, rather than using the same thumb for both, E and D.

[apeskanov]

I find it pretty amusing--you got your degree from Juilliard school, but then claim that you came from and know "secrets" (whatever they are) of Russian School. At the same time your actual playing has none of that "Russian School" qualities.  

Hope your book sales go well--indeed, the hardships of our times makes everyone to conduct the business to the best of the owner's abilities.

Best, M

It is not that amusing as you think. I came to United States in 1973. I was 20 years old and have graduated from Stoliarsky School of Music in Odessa, Ukraine. Also, I completed two years at Odessa State Nezhdanova Musical Academy, formerly known as Odessa Conservatory. At 15 I debuted with Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra as a winner of Ukraine Republic Competition in the performance of Prokofiev's Concerto No. 1.

Just a few years after entering Juilliard School, I made my debut with the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center with Yo Yo Ma and my brother, Mark under baton of Mstislav Rostropovich. I believe my life circumstances are unique and I feel privileged to share the best of Russian Piano School traditions. Perhaps the quote below well supports my statement.


   "He is a romantic pianist in the best sense. A Liszt Concerto under his steely fingers is no mere recreation of a quaint 19th Century chestnut: it is an event. Peskanov has one of the biggest sounds since Emil Gilels. "

-- The Baltimore Sun

[keyboardclass]

.

[pytheamateur]

I'm sure we'll soon see a detailed response from Marik.

I assume when he said Peskanov's playing lacks qualities of the Russian School, he based his opinion on Peskanov's playing of the double thirds scales with both hands.  If it is at all possible to tell whether one is from the Russian School simply by his scale playing, then perhaps Marik could enlighten us with a comparison of Peskanov's scale playing with that of Lola Astanova and tell us what precisely are the distinguishing qualities of her scale playing that qualify for the Russian School?

To those who do not already know, Astanova was a student of Naumov, who in turn was a student of Heinrich Neuhaus.  I assume this would be enough to qualify Astanova as being from the Russian School.  Do correct me if I am wrong.

[marik1]

I'm sure we'll soon see a detailed response from Marik.

This is a vast topic, so I won't be able to write detailed response at the moment. To put it in short and concise form, in my view the "Russian Piano School" is not even about geographical location, but more about certain qualities and values, such as a deep and singing tone, legato, special lyricism, intonatsia, etc.  
In this respect I believe Rachmaninov, Horowitz, Igumnov, Flier, Goldenweiser, Boshniakowitch, are much more "Russian" than say Neuhaus, or Richter.

Moreover, in Russia itself there were many different schools and approaches to pianism. For example, Saint Petersburg was completely different from Moscow, and Odessa was very well known for an excellent technical preparation and many great pianists (of course along with great violinists, which came from Stolyarski School). Yakov Zak, Maria Grinberg, Emil Gilels, came from Odessa (but again, all of them were polishing they art in Moscow).

I have difficulties to call Mr. Peskanov's regimen "Russian" (even formally it comes from Ukraine, from the place with very specific training). Even bigger question would be: how it is different from, let's say, "French regimen" as presented by Mr. Duchable:

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Best, M