Pedro de Alcantara

RESOURCES FOR MUSICIANS

I've developed a significant body of work about the Alexander Technique and music-making. Here you can access excerpts from my books, original articles and essays, nswers to frequently asked questions (FAQ), links to other sites, testimonials, and information about my seminars for musicians.

Books

• Indirect Procedures
• Integrated Practice
  

Articles And Essays

For Everyone

• The un-Guitar Hero, an interview in the Guitar Hero series in which I explain the universality of my musical philosophy.
• Forward and Up, a general introduction to the Alexander Technique
• Working to Principle, an essay about the basics of daily practice, published in my book The Alexander Technique: A Skill for Life
• Old New Worlds, an essay on the program of my CD of 20th-century music for cello and piano.
• To Play or Not to Play, an interview in which I describe my relationship with the concert stage.
• The (Dis)Pleasure Principle, an article about how to maximize the benefits of practice routine, first published in the February, 2007 issue of Strings.

For String Players

• The Alexander Technique: A Practical Lesson, an original essay that describes how the Alexander Technique applies in practice
• In a Spin, an abridged version of the above, published in the August, 2003 issue of The Strad. This is a four-page pdf file that may be slow to download.
• A Couple of Swells, a history of the messa di voce (the art of swelling and diminishing a note) for string players, first published in the May, 2004 issue of The Strad (requires Word for Windows).
• Colour Coordination, the practice of the messa di voce, first published in the June, 2004 issue of the The Strad. This a three-page pdf file that may be slow to download.
• The Harmonic Series, with exercises for string players, originally published in the January, 2005 issue of The Strad (a four-page pdf file that may be slow to download).

I'm a D'Addario Artist, and I recommend Kaplan cello strings. My preference: Heavy tension. These strings have wonderful harmonics and handle very easily.

For Singers

• An Alexander Teacher Reads The Free Voice, His Mouth Agape, an essay about the Alexander Technique and singing published in The Modern Singing Master: Essays in Honor of Cornelius L. Reid.

Seminars and Lessons
Testimonials
FAQ
Links for Musicians