Suggestions Appreciated for Poor Hand Postion

[atticus]

Hi,

I wondered if anyone has any advice on how to improve the hand/finger position once a bad hand/finger position has been used for a long time.  I notice that my fingers are very curved and are nearly vertical from the middle knuckle to the finger tip when they strike the keys.  Is it possible to change this after it's been the way a person has played for several years?  Any advice on how one would go about it?

Any input is appreciated.  Thanks very much!

[Brian Healey]

It's definitely possible to change your technique. I had to do it myself at one point because of tendonitis. My biggest piece of advice would be to find a teacher to guide you.

In the meantime, try doing this:

Relax your arms and let them hang down at your sides. See the way your fingers naturally curve when they are relaxed? That's the shape you're going for. When you sit down at the piano, allow your hands to relax into that natural curve before putting them on the keys. Then practice VERY slow scales while contrating on retaining this natural hand shape. No matter what, changing your technique will require PATIENCE, as it's almost like resetting yourself and starting over from scratch. When playing your slow scales, allow your forearm to guide your hand, and let your wrist serve as a sort of pivot.

You really should have a teacher for something like this though, otherwise it's all to easy to fall back into your bad habits. Also try looking at Seymore Bernstein's book "Lessons in Keyboard Choreography". Great book.

[m1469]

Hi atticus, I am just curious as to what exactly it is that makes you think you should change what you are currently doing?   

[atticus]

Hi m1469,

With my fingers being nearly verical they are not hitting the keys at a 45 degree angle.  I also don't have dome-shaped hand position (it's more of a claw - yikes!).  Needless to say there's some improvements to be made.

Brian Healey,
Thanks for your post...you've given me hope and I will check out the book you suggested!

[Sketchee]

Hi m1469,

With my fingers being nearly verical they are not hitting the keys at a 45 degree angle.  I also don't have dome-shaped hand position (it's more of a claw - yikes!).  Needless to say there's some improvements to be made.

Brian Healey,
Thanks for your post...you've given me hope and I will check out the book you suggested!

It is possible to change technique.  I used to always use very flat fingers (which is beneficial and still like sometimes),  I learned to switch to a more curved fingers for some passages and it helped me gain a bit more control on them.  Since we can't hear or see your playing I'm wondering, how do you feel this is effecting the sound of your pieces?  Are you having difficulty striking certain chords, an overall unevenness, or ... ?  I ask because before you change your technique, it would be good to consider than and what you're goal sound change is.  If you listen closely and consider the sound carefully, then it'll be easier to prevent forming new bad habits in the process.