Learning woodworking and how to play the cello started early in his life. Though violinmaking began later, the skills developed in those activities continue to be directly applied in the making of violins, violas, and cellos. Training as a mechanical engineer was received at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alan worked as a mechanical engineer for over 30 years at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before taking up violinmaking as a full-time activity.

His teachers of violinmaking include master violinmakers Edward C. Campbell and Thomas Oliver Croen. Valuable learning has been gained through the Violin Society of America Oberlin Violin Making and Violin Acoustics Workshops.