How to train for high fingers

[mtele]

I am practicing Tarantella by Sergei Prokofiev. I fell I need to use high fingers to make sounding better. How should I train my fingers for this piece? Thanks for your advice.

[theholygideons]

what the hell is high finger!?!?!
i'm pretty sure you mean a detached and mechanical sound...

[faulty_damper]

I think he means raising them high to increase the acceleration to strike the key faster thus producing a sharper tone.

[theholygideons]

well then just raise it higher!!

[theholygideons]

and don't tense your shoulder as you're doing it, because it will slow you down.
keep the shoulders low, use your triceps if you need extra force.

[mtele]

Thank you for your input. I am a newbie at learning piano. I read in some posts that you should never lift the fingers high when playing. I am really confused.

[indianajo]

I never lift the fingers above the keys when playing.  I'm loud enough, IMHO.  
You can get away with things in your teens and twenties, that you will regret in your fifties and sixties.  Ergonomics specialists in factories constantly have to repeat, "Don't use your hand as a hammer".  Testosterone hides a lot of errors past the age of twelve, that come back to haunt one in the later years as arthritis.  I am 63 and have a little arthritis in the hands, but not enough that I am not playing piano better than I ever have.  In my knees, however, where the Army made me run in combat boots for 18 years.  I'm much more limited by the pain.  Knee X-rays confirm, there is hardly any cartledge left for cushioning.  Hands are also full of cartledge that can be damaged by over-stress.  
If you want a sharper ping at the beginning of the note, get a different piano.  Yamaha & Wurlitzer studio models seem to be over mellow in tone with a soft attack.  Steinways  Sohmers and Hamilton by Baldwin consoles are in the middle.  Baldwin Acrosonic consoles  and old Bosendorfer grands have the sharpest ping.  With all fifties-sixties consoles except the Steinway Yamaha and Bosendorfer going for $200 these days, with a little spare room you could have a collection.

[awesom_o]

The hammers hit the strings. But we don't hit the keys.

[j_menz]

But we don't hit the keys.

I've been known to do so in frustration when they don't behave.

[awesom_o]

I've been known to do so in frustration when they don't behave.

Keys do misbehave from time to time, but 99% the misbehaviour comes from us

[ajspiano]

I've been known to do so in frustration when they don't behave.

When i was little I used to just mash as many as possible with my entire arm and walk out.

[j_menz]

When i was little I used to just mash as many as possible with my entire arm and walk out.

I know a few pieces where that's actually required in the score, so you should have practiced more than just one rep.

[theholygideons]

I know a few pieces where that's actually required in the score, so you should have practiced more than just one rep.

has anyone tried learning Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues, btw?

[rmbarbosa]

Never raise your fingers... Use arm weigt instead. Imagine the keys as they are like compact rubber balls: we must presse them gently... Dynamics are made with our body: shoulders, arms. And allways with flexible wrists.

Even some stacattos, namely in Bach, may be made "thinking down", pressing the key and only after the pressing lifting the finger and/or the wrist.

One way to achieve this is with scales: we "transfer" the weight of the arm to each finger exactly when it must press its key. And doing so we achieve a good legato sound and the piano "sings"...

Best wishes
Rui