A pinky that won't obey.

[peikwilhelm]

Hi,

I am 21 years old and have been playing the piano more or less actively for quite some time now (since I was about 10). Only recently, though, have I started to notice the importance of keeping your fingers "in check", so to speak and knowing what your fingers, hands and body are doing. So I started playing more scales and finger exercises, and now I'm starting to notice my pinky, especially in the left hand, is almost constantly tightened. Even when playing exercises where only fingers 1-4 are active and the pinky doesn't participate, it is strained and bent.

Would anyone have tips on how to try to relax my pinkies? I'm guessing it can't be good having that tension there 

Help much appreciated!

[stevebob]

The subject of "unruly" pinky fingers comes up regularly; some people find that their pinkies fly outward, while for others the issue is pinkies that curl under—in both cases involuntarily.  (If you do a search on the term pinky and other appropriate keywords, you're sure to find many past discussions.)

My own feeling is that it's not a problem at all unless one it's truly an impairment, i.e., you can't properly coordinate and control the fingers in question when required.  It seems that for many people the pinky fingers simply curl (or stick out) naturally when at rest, and it would be a mistake to think this necessarily implies tension.  You certainly could, however, acquire harmful tension by attempting to "correct" something that in truth doesn't need fixing.

[jimbo320]

Think of this problem logically. You play with 1, 2, and 3 finger just fine. That's because you not only tickle the ivories with them but you use them on a regular bases. It's not that 5th finger is not obeying. It's just not used enough to be as limber as the rest.
Now realizing this if you start using the 5th finger more in everyday tasks like pushing buttons or pointing or stuff like that, you'll gain more control and relaxation. Trust me. This might sound goofy
but it works....

Musically, Jimbo

[perfect_pitch]

Hey Peikwilhelm...

Have you had a look at Chopins Etude Op 10 No. 2? Maybe an interesting etude to help work the pinky finger (on the right hand).

As for the left, I'm not so sure off the top of my head right now... but practice it slowly and look at your hand when you play the right hand separately.

[peikwilhelm]

You all make good points, thanks so much for the tips!

And I haven't played that Chopin etude, I'll definitely have a look at it though.