Why is my left hand better than the right. (technically)

[frank_48]

why is it that at every technical aspect of technique you can think of, for example
scales, arpeggios, chormatic scales, octaves, thirds, chords, everything, my left hand can do it better. not to say that my right hand is garbage, no, just not as good as the left. i once thought it could be that i write left handed, but i dont think that really has anything to do with it. is there anything i can do to equalise skill between both hands? the obvious answer here would be "just practice the RH more" but is that really the answer?

[pianisten1989]

Most people are less tence in the left hand. ( because of all crappy beginners-book which only concentrates on the right hand the first 50 songs.) And if you somehow get less tence in the right hand aswell, the hand will be more equal... maybe

[hyrst]

Since you are left-handed, you have an advantage of strength and control in that hand.  Every pianist has a more confident hand, and it tends to be the one we write with - its fine use doesn't feel as unfamiliar, I suppose.  Also, when we first start learning anything, we tend to focus by habit on our strongest hand - we need to choose to start with the weaker hand. 

However, I think there is more to it than that.  I have done a lot of technical work over the last few months and my teacher is now telling me to focus on the right hand because my left hand has better technique now than my right.  Now that my left is at least as strong as my right, I am noticing something that interests me.  It actually fits with left brain - right brain theories, although my psych studies said this theory was not well-founded. 

When I am focusing on my left hand, I find it very difficult to cognitively control those movements.  Yet, with greater strength in that hand now, the movements are occuring more naturally and correctly.  When I play left hand, I don't feel and analyse the movements, I hear the sound and work better by focusing on the atmosphere of the sound.  (right brain spatial and creative, not verbal). 

When I play right hand, I find the music hard to hear because my brain is so busy thinking about what every symbol means and how my hand should respond to it.  (leftt brain verbal, analytical)  I can easily analyse and identify RH movements, but find it much harder to feel them and thereby change them.  I learn more when I use right hand, but sometimes my thoughts get so much in the way that I get too tense or forget to listen.  My left hand is best when alone.  Yet, when I know a piece well enough, I am guided by left hand although I try to listen to the leading voice - works that require a fluent LH I play best of all.

These are my observations - and it is an area that has started to intrigue me of late.  If it is a viable theory, I would experiment with doing things that encourage a whole-brain response.  Yes, a focus on the RH both technically and when playing pieces will help balance the hands.  Yet, perhaps it is worth trying something like memorising more RH passages - so you engage ears rather than reading and analysing.  Then play in a darkened room to highlight your dependence on the creative senses.  Maybe try improvising solo RH.  Anything that engages RH with creativity.  It is a completely untested hypothesis, but I am curious if it would perhaps work.

[frank_48]

Well its been a good while since ive had some czerny, but i think in this case it might be good, im going to play this exercise and see if it benefits me.

https://au.youtube.com/watch?v=BOjY7qKJCEc

might just give me the accuracy and strength i need

[term]

The left hand is always the better hand, except if you have dextrocardia. I'm right handed and my left learns faster by a rate of approx. 3:1.

the obvious answer here would be "just practice the RH more" but is that really the answer?

Yes, there's no way to get around that. Practise rh only for extended periods of time. You will find that your left will catch up easily as soon as you use it again.

[guendola]

The lead hand of every pianist is automatically stronger than the other hand. You are left-handed and so it is the left hand.

But besides, it really matters what you play. The left hand should be stronger on the typical accopanying patterms while the right hand can sing better. But the stronger hand, trained on a particular ability will always be stronger, the weaker hand can only get close to that.

term: I think your left hand learns faster because the right hand already learned it and so your brain is prepared. And this is great, because one hand can teach the other!

[keypeg]

I am strongly left handed and so must also put effort into the right hand to make it as, er, "dexterous" (which ironically comes from a Latin root meaning "right (hand)".  But on top of it, the music for the left hand is often much less challenging, often consisting of repetitive brainless patterns - of course it's easier.  I think the only solution is to do a lot with the right hand in order to catch up.

[guendola]

I found some nice training for the left hand:

Alkan op 76, written for left hand only. It is considered extremely difficult but you don't need to start it at the original tempo

Scrjabins Op 9, 1st and 2nd prelude.

There is much more, many pianist composers are/were aware of the need to have specific challenges for the left hand. Unfortunately it is hard to find similar music for the right hand only - Alkan has one in his op 76 though...

[term]

term: I think your left hand learns faster because the right hand already learned it and so your brain is prepared. And this is great, because one hand can teach the other!

If you were right, why can't everybody easily write with the non-dominant hand then because of years of training? 

[bjenkins24]

The left hand is always the better hand, except if you have dextrocardia. I'm right handed and my left learns faster by a rate of approx. 3:1.
Yes, there's no way to get around that. Practise rh only for extended periods of time. You will find that your left will catch up easily as soon as you use it again.

Interesting assumption.  I think you're a little off.  For me my right hand is much better than my left.  This is one of the only threads of ever heard of as the left being better than the right.

The case for the right hand being stronger shows in most people being right handed and the fact that piano repertoire focuses much more often on the right than the left.

Just because your left hand learns faster doesn't mean everyone's does. 

[term]

Just because your left hand learns faster doesn't mean everyone's does.

I'm going to prove that it does, but it'll take some time until it's published & established. Maybe in a couple of years or something.

[frank_48]

in following the advice given in this thread, i spent 4 days with my left hand on my lap just playing scales and everything technical with the RH. and yeah, all good. can finally play fast scales without the RH struggling. cheers