Advice on the finger positioning

[100mm]

First of all I hope this topic is in the right place, if not, I'm really really sorry.

I pulled the video from instagram so it's only 15 sec long but do you see my problem?? No matter how much I try I can not get my fingers looking even somewhat relaxed and I'm sure if you heard The Heart Asks Pleasure First before you hear that it does not sound like it should be.

Is there anyone who is having, or had the same problem? Is there a way of (maybe I'm sitting wrong or my arms are misplaced) fixing it? Or is it just how I play and maybe I should just accept it?

[pianoplunker]

First of all I hope this topic is in the right place, if not, I'm really really sorry.

I pulled the video from instagram so it's only 15 sec long but do you see my problem?? No matter how much I try I can not get my fingers looking even somewhat relaxed and I'm sure if you heard The Heart Asks Pleasure First before you hear that it does not sound like it should be.

Is there anyone who is having, or had the same problem? Is there a way of (maybe I'm sitting wrong or my arms are misplaced) fixing it? Or is it just how I play and maybe I should just accept it?

Your fingers look like they are working much harder than needed for that piece.  Your wrist is too low in relation to the keyboard which is causing you to have to raise each individual finger.
Your wrist should be slightly higher than the keys so they support your fingers resting on the keys prepared for downwards into the key. I have had tendonitus after playing in such a low wrist position after just one practice session. Now I will let the technique/anatomy experts chime in.

[schwartzer]

pianoplunker is right. Your wrists are way too low. There's a lot of tension in your fingers, you gotta relax them. You may be able to find your way through easy pieces, but once you tackle harder ones, it'll be hard to play like this.

Are you self taught?

[100mm]

pianoplunker is right. Your wrists are way too low. There's a lot of tension in your fingers, you gotta relax them. You may be able to find your way through easy pieces, but once you tackle harder ones, it'll be hard to play like this.

Are you self taught?

First, thank you for the replies.

I had lessons when I was little but I didn't play anything for a very very long time so yes, I think I am considered as self taught.

And about your advices, I can not play properly when I hold my hands like the text-book-ball-holding position. Could it be because my fingers are not strong enough?

Or could it be because I'm sitting too low in front of the keyboard, as  you can see I don't have an acoustic piano. Would it get better if I sat higher maybe?

[schwartzer]

Maybe, just maybe you're too far away from the keyboard. Something my teacher said to me when I was younger is to play like you're holding an apple in your hands. Your fingers are not weak.

And even if you can't play like this, you gotta adapt it. It's really hard to play advanced repertoire without proper hand position. You have to test different heights for your chair, and different distances from the keyboard. I'm sure you'll find something that suits you.

[pianoplunker]

First, thank you for the replies.

I had lessons when I was little but I didn't play anything for a very very long time so yes, I think I am considered as self taught.

And about your advices, I can not play properly when I hold my hands like the text-book-ball-holding position. Could it be because my fingers are not strong enough?

Or could it be because I'm sitting too low in front of the keyboard, as  you can see I don't have an acoustic piano. Would it get better if I sat higher maybe?

Text-book-ball-holding ?  You'll have to watch Michael Jackson videos for that. Probably sitting a little higher is a good place to start. In my earlier post about the wrist being higher than the keyboard , I am talking about a centimeter higher an inch at the most. Actually in your video your arms see to come at an angle that is high enough. Maybe make a conscious effort to to use your forearm to raise your wrist a bit would be all you need.

[100mm]

Text-book-ball-holding ?  You'll have to watch Michael Jackson videos for that. Probably sitting a little higher is a good place to start. In my earlier post about the wrist being higher than the keyboard , I am talking about a centimeter higher an inch at the most. Actually in your video your arms see to come at an angle that is high enough. Maybe make a conscious effort to to use your forearm to raise your wrist a bit would be all you need.

Well ok you know what I'm talking about I was trying to explain that curved way you should be holding your hands. But I never thought about the forearms. That might be usefull, thanks.

[m1469]

Looks like you're trying pretty hard to make your arms, wrists, hands, and fingers act that way in the video.  

[m1469]

 

[nyiregyhazi]

First of all I hope this topic is in the right place, if not, I'm really really sorry.

I pulled the video from instagram so it's only 15 sec long but do you see my problem?? No matter how much I try I can not get my fingers looking even somewhat relaxed and I'm sure if you heard The Heart Asks Pleasure First before you hear that it does not sound like it should be.

Is there anyone who is having, or had the same problem? Is there a way of (maybe I'm sitting wrong or my arms are misplaced) fixing it? Or is it just how I play and maybe I should just accept it?

Trying to "relax" your fingers will only make things worse. You're not settling into comfortable sustainable positions and you're collapsing onto floppy fingers which then have to seize up. You need sustainable comfortable positions, not relaxation as an end in itself.

Compare it to walking. If you relax your knees into a squatting position, that relaxation actually creates a need for greater tension and demands huge efforts to maintain the posture. Lengthening out the knees reduces need for effort- not relaxing them into nothingness. Your fingers need to stand the knuckles up properly and stop letting them fall down. Concentrate less on the start of sound and more on how the finger stands the knuckles up AFTER the note has sounded. The moment of sound is the mere beginning of a healthy action, not the end. Continue to open your arch until comfortable, don't relax and fall down.

[faulty_damper]

The comments about low wrist is accurate. If you have your wrists low, your fingers will curve. If you raise your wrist (by sitting higher) then the fingers will extend.

[nyiregyhazi]

The comments about low wrist is accurate. If you have your wrists low, your fingers will curve. If you raise your wrist (by sitting higher) then the fingers will extend.

Horowitz proves otherwise. These things may happen but they may not. Wrist height simply isn't the main issue. The sense of alignment and balance is. Knuckles are far more revealing. The problems in the clip are out of falling knuckles. I would advise him to align the wrist straighter, but it's very much a secondary issue to the knuckle problem and won't necessarily do anything to resolve this issue, in itself.

[100mm]

Horowitz proves otherwise. These things may happen but they may not. Wrist height simply isn't the main issue. The sense of alignment and balance is. Knuckles are far more revealing. The problems in the clip are out of falling knuckles. I would advise him to align the wrist straighter, but it's very much a secondary issue to the knuckle problem and won't necessarily do anything to resolve this issue, in itself.

I'd appreciate it if you don't address me as "him", since I'm a girl...  Ok, anyway.

Can you explain the "falling knuckles" a little bit? My first language is not English and I didn't quite get which action you meant. Is there any way you can think of that I can fix it.

Also, could it be because of this: When I first staeted learning the piece, my nails were quite long and I didn't cut them for some time and I needed to press the keys more horizontally than vertically. Also no matter how short I cut them, they always make contact with the keys before the tip of my finger because of their shape. (They are quite forward on my fingers.)

[nyiregyhazi]

I'd appreciate it if you don't address me as "him", since I'm a girl...  Ok, anyway.

Can you explain the "falling knuckles" a little bit? My first language is not English and I didn't quite get which action you meant. Is there any way you can think of that I can fix it.

Also, could it be because of this: When I first staeted learning the piece, my nails were quite long and I didn't cut them for some time and I needed to press the keys more horizontally than vertically. Also no matter how short I cut them, they always make contact with the keys before the tip of my finger because of their shape. (They are quite forward on my fingers.)

Sorry about that. The knuckle is the join between finger and palm. If that falls down with the key, you have big problems. Don't try to move anything down. Try to push the knuckle up by "standing" away from the key. The key will still go down, but the knuckle will stop falling down with it.

[outin]

 Also no matter how short I cut them, they always make contact with the keys before the tip of my finger because of their shape. (They are quite forward on my fingers.)

You probably should keep them very short. My fingertips are like that as well, and if I don't cut the nails extremely short my playing suffers.

[hardy_practice]

Looks like it's a problem that could take years to fix.  Can you hang your hand relaxed from your wrist?  Like when your arm is hanging at your side?