How do i 'soften' my fingers

[beginner1011]

i can play chords but when i encounter notes..i can't...

[sirpazhan]

How do i 'soften' my fingers...

The same way to get to Carnegie Hall  ,,,,, "Practice, practice, practice."

[perfect_pitch]

i can play chords but when i encounter notes..i can't...

Moisturiser???   

[gyzzzmo]

Let the average American woman stand on your fingers?

[Lim Jueee]

i can play chords but when i encounter notes..i can't...

Ram the pedal

[go12_3]

I never heard this one before!   "soften my fingers"   lol
I mean, how does one soften fingers by the way???   

[royandrew]

I never heard this one before!   "soften my fingers"   lol
I mean, how does one soften fingers by the way???   

Using these. https://www.homewerkssa.com/hw/images/rosle-meat-hammer.jpg

lol

[go12_3]

Using these. https://www.homewerkssa.com/hw/images/rosle-meat-hammer.jpg

lol

Indeed!  lol   but wouldn't that make those sensitive fingers go into PAIN???
Ouchey,  ouch!!!   

[rmbarbosa]

Put your five fingers on the keys (c-d-e-f-g-a-b) and press them together. Keep the wrist soft and avoid tension in your arms. Then, while four fingers hold the whole notes, the other finger plays its key in quarter-notes, piano or pp. Do this with each finger, fast if possible. When the finger rises, after holding, keep it allways in touch with its key. Repeat this procedure several times but avoid tension and/or muscular pain. Keep your hand quiet and your wrist loose. First, with one hand. When you feel tired, with the other hand.
In this kind of exercise, the 4º finger is the weaker. So, play 1-4...2-4...3-4...4-5 several times.
Pay attention to play evenly (equal strengh of tone) with all the fingers. And play only with a light touch. Another exercise: allways with the five keys down, play 1-2-3-4-5-4--3-2-1... hearing whether the tones sound equal in force.
Best wishes.
Rui

[beginner1011]

thanks to barbosa..that helped a lot!

[rmbarbosa]

By the way,  if you are a goldmember, download "fundamental principles of the Leschetizky Method", by Marie Prentner. If you arent, look and download "The groundwork of the Leschetizky method" by Malwine Bree in the Net. See also "Fundamentals of piano practice" by Chuan C. Chang, you can download free (www.pianopractice.org/). If you are a beginner, Prentner or Malwine may be very useful. Later, Chang is amazing. Also pay attention, in piano forum, to Bernhard advices in this forum, that you may search puting his name on the right top of this page. He is enormous, a Teacher with a great "T", the best of all us, I think...
Best wishes
Rui

[iamsuperleroy]

i can play chords but when i encounter notes..i can't...

hm, do Hanon exercises. i know they sound so lame, but it really SOFTENS your fingers and  would make your GRIP with the keys better. try playing the exercises in different keys. it's fun and it even makes you more proficient and familiar with different keys. try doing it with a metronome, practice it in LARGO or GRAVE  and then in STACCATO.

[rmbarbosa]

I`m not so sure about Hanon exercises... During 5 years I did Hanon, I can play it at a speed <>200, but I couldnt play well a musical piece... So, I decided to say a great goodby to Hanon, I saw all Bernhard posts, I made a mix with Leschetizky method and Chang and in only a few months I could play a lot of good things ( grade 7 and . Only with 3-4 hours/day. I dont wish to restart the old discussion about Hanon, here in this forum, but...This is only my own and humble experience. Nevertheless, I do respect other opinions about Hanon, Czerny (Leschetizky was of Czerny "School"), Beringer and so on.
Best regards
Rui