Book Summary
Hands, Wrists, Fingers invites musicians to explore a new way of thinking about good health. The physical dimensions of hands—coordination, relaxation, dexterity, speed, accuracy, and freedom from pain—are important and merit close study. While acknowledging these dimensions, Hands, Wrists, Fingers focuses on a broader perspective that includes cultural dimensions both conscious and unconscious, encompassing language, symbol, ritual, curiosity, playfulness, and mindfulness. Through a wealth of original insights, anecdotes, exercises, and games, musicians will be able to transform their hands into sensitive and intelligent agents of joyful creativity, in which the linguistic and symbolic dimensions of hands become inseparable from their physical and material existence.
About the Author
Pedro de Alcantara is a musician, writer, and artist with a deep interest in the relationship between creativity and health. His books include five volumes of musical pedagogy published by Oxford University Press, as well as novels, poems, and essays. As a musician, Pedro explores improvising, composing, singing, and playing multiple instruments in a style with classical, folk, and shamanic influences. Pedro was a Visiting Professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, from 2015 to 2022. He lives in Paris and travels the world giving workshops, seminars, and performances.