involuntary finger movements

[roncesvalles]

For the first time in the past couple years I've had the time lately to really practice my playing and work on technique.   After only a couple of weeks of regular practicing, I already feel my technique is improving, but there are some quirks to my hands I'm hoping that I can overcome.

The main issue is my right hand's fifth finger.  There is little independence from the fourth, so, when I'm doing something like rapid scales, it involuntarily moves in the direction that my fourth finger moves, oftentimes in a dramatic fashion (my pinky finger might lift an inch and a half higher or at something near a 45 degree angle upwards compared to the 4th finger).  I feel as if this throws my hand off balance somewhat and affects the quality of tone I'm producing.  In things like the 5-finger scales one finds in Busoni the 5th finger's tone often is accented compared to the other notes due to the finger having to descend a greater distance in the same amount of time.  Are there any exercises that can reduce this 5th finger from involuntarily raising so high?  I've tried closed-hand exercises like those found in the opening pages of Liszt's technical exercises in order to isolate finger activity, and I've also tried just focusing on my hand, physically resisting against the natural inclination for the 5th finger to lift.  At slower tempi I can control it, but at higher speeds I seemingly can't.

Another quirk of my right hand is that my thumb involuntarily juts out to around a 90 degree angle to my hand when I do trills with fingers 2 and 3.  There seems to be a speed limit I get to when it just extends for no apparent reason.  I think it could be because of tension (it happens at a certain point when I practice Blanchet's first transcendental prelude at a particular part as well).  As of now, my repertoire is small and I usually don't need my thumb in a pinpoint location right after trilling, but it's another thing that makes me feel as if my hand is unbalanced and that I would like to correct, especially in pieces where the thumb needs to be in a certain place the moment a trill finishes.   I would really appreciate any tips on how to stop this.

[kevin69]

Look for Greg irwin finger fitness on YouTube.

He does a series of bends, folds, splits and taps for finger independence. Start slowly with single fingers.

I have similar issues with my right hand little finger and I have yet to find any way to improve the independence of that finger, although I've improved all the others

[j_menz]

Chopin 10/2 seems designed for your purpose. If you have similar issues in the LH, the Godowsky LH study on this will also be of benefit.

[quantum]

Likewise, I think Chopin would be horrified at the thought of evening out one's fingers.  He preferred to develop the individual qualities of each finger. 

IMO, there is a difference between uniformity of sound and uniformity of the finger mechanisms, and unfortunately the two are often mistaken to be interchangeable or reciprocal.  From your post, I gather that you wish to improve the relationship between musical intent and physical execution.  It is not necessary to make all fingers act the same in order to achieve a uniformity of sound and rhythm.  I would maintain that applications of physical technique should be made in mind to affect a musical goal, and not for the purpose of a visual aesthetic.  The hand already knows how to fall into a natural position, funny things start to happen when we mess with that. 

You say you believe your tone is affected.  What tone are you producing at the moment?  What tone do you want to be producing?

[roncesvalles]

Thanks for the suggestions and input. 

J_Menz, Op 10 no. 2 is an aspiration of mine to play, but I think I'm one or two years away from getting it to be even a mediocre, passable effort.  Right now I max out at around 112 bpm, and rather sloppy at that.  I do practice some of Blanchet's Transcendental Preludes that make similar demands on fingers 3-5 and also do scales (like the notes C, D, E, D, E, F, etc) where 3-5 play triplet scales while 1 and 2 alternate playing a third down from the lowest note of each triplet grouping, doing both legato and staccato.  I do the same with my left hand.  Godowsky's left hand op 10 no 2 is surprisingly easier for me than the right hand (I have an odd double jointed index finger on my left hand that bends backwards instead of gripping stably, so I think that has made my 3-5 fingers stronger).

Quantum, I think tone should depend on the piece, but speaking generally I aim for clarity.  A good jeu perle is what I'm after.  Right now the flow from note to note sounds uneven to me.  My partner, who went to university for music performance, claims she can't hear the inconsistency of tone, but it really bothers me.  It doesn't really affect my usual playing--shaping a melodic phrase or voicing a harmony I can get near to the sound I want for everything I've played (I don't think I'll ever to faithfully reproduce the sound I hear internally, though), but in scalework I can't achieve anything resembling what I intend--the gradations in tone feels to me like the silhouettes of distant mountaintops--one note too high, another too faint-- rather than the smooth, mostly unruffled surface of a pond I would want.  The movements of my fifth finger--rising, falling, curling, extending--give my hand a feeling of imbalance, and I associate that with what sounds to me to be an unbalanced tone in scale and run-work.

[j_menz]

J_Menz, Op 10 no. 2 is an aspiration of mine to play, but I think I'm one or two years away from getting it to be even a mediocre, passable effort.  Right now I max out at around 112 bpm, and rather sloppy at that. 

IMO, it's more useful to concentrate on getting it right in terms of balance than fast. It will be useful for your purpose even at slower speeds.

The movements of my fifth finger--rising, falling, curling, extending--give my hand a feeling of imbalance, and I associate that with what sounds to me to be an unbalanced tone in scale and run-work.

Listen to the piano, not your hands.

[quantum]

Right now I max out at around 112 bpm, and rather sloppy at that. 

The learning potential of op 10/2 does not diminish with slow practice.  I think you need to change your perspective from learning to play for a predetermined speed towards learning to play musically at any speed. 

(I don't think I'll ever to faithfully reproduce the sound I hear internally, though)

And why is that?  By making such a statement, I believe you are setting yourself up to not succeed.  No exercise or advice on technical matters will make things better if you are not willing to make steps forward.  Perhaps you are setting yourself goals that are too ambitious that they overwhelm you.  Set reasonable goals achievable in a reasonable amount of time, and be attentive to your success in conquering smaller hurdles. 

I agree with j_menz, listen to the piano. 

[roncesvalles]

Thanks for the input, guys.  I have to remember that it's a long slog to get to where I want to go with the piano.

With the statement about not being able to reproduce what is in my head, I don't intend to sound defeatist.  What I mean is that I have a sound image for everything I play or attempt to play, and no matter how well I play, I never quite match the pristine quality of the image.  I can be satisfied with what I do and feel connected with a work, but it's like copying a Caravaggio--even if the brushstrokes were somehow identical, the tones just so, there is something in the original that just can't be replicated.   In composition, I feel similarly.  The sound in my head is always so specific, so I've sort of been forced, for precision's sake, to venture into microtones.  Even then, when gradations between tones are minute, reproducing the exact inflection of a tone I hear internally is extremely difficult, if not impossible.

I mentioned to metronome speed and sloppiness earlier just to indicate where my maximum threshold for op 10 no 2 is right now--by no means do I usually practice like that.

[dima_76557]

@ roncesvalles

Would it be possible for you to show us how you play? Anything with a little passagework in it will do. From what I have seen, involuntary movements of the pinky are mostly a sign that something is not quite right with our technique ELSEWHERE.

In your case, under no circumstances would I follow the suggestion for Chopin's op. 10 no 2, not even slowly. This is a VERY dangerous etude. While it looks on the surface that it trains the "weaker" fingers, you need a perfect thumb to be able to pull it off.