Technique: asymmetrical-weaker left hand?

[pringles_man]

Recently I have been working on my technique and I noticed that my left hand is not only slightly weaker than my right, but in general seems to tend towards a different hand and wrist position (the hand is slightly more curved and the wrist is about a centimeter or two lower). Also when I play with fairly high fingers my left hand is prone to the "flying little finger" and the knuckles almost look concave. I'm kind of afraid of doing finger exercises and technique work because it feels like I'll only strengthen this muscle memory.
Is this problem solveable? Is it even a problem at all?

[lelle]

It is not unusual, if you are right handed, to feel like your left hand is just not as skilled at playing. Weakness and odd positions are both, in my experience, caused by there being tension somewhere. It doesn't have to be a lot of tension, it can be rather subtle and still be enough. For example, if any of my fingers, including the thumb, are slightly tense, all my fingers feel weaker because the tension makes them more difficult to move, even if you still can move them just fine. The tension steals some of their agility and power.

I could probably help you out quite quickly in person but it can be hard to diagnose and offer good solutions over text, because there is a lot of room for misunderstanding in both cirections of the communication. So yes, the problem can be improved/solved. You might need to figure out what you are doing that is causing the tension/miscoordination first though.

[ranjit]

Once you have achieved a baseline level of competence with your left hand, I have found the concept of mirror practice to be incredibly useful when it comes to technique for the weaker hand.

[pringles_man]

It is not unusual, if you are right handed, to feel like your left hand is just not as skilled at playing. Weakness and odd positions are both, in my experience, caused by there being tension somewhere. It doesn't have to be a lot of tension, it can be rather subtle and still be enough. For example, if any of my fingers, including the thumb, are slightly tense, all my fingers feel weaker because the tension makes them more difficult to move, even if you still can move them just fine. The tension steals some of their agility and power.

I could probably help you out quite quickly in person but it can be hard to diagnose and offer good solutions over text, because there is a lot of room for misunderstanding in both cirections of the communication. So yes, the problem can be improved/solved. You might need to figure out what you are doing that is causing the tension/miscoordination first though.

Thanks for the answer! I have been analysing my playing and I have found that indeed my left hand has been suffering from some tension (especially in scales or high finger work). It's mainly in the wrist and I guess somewhat evenly distributed between the fingers and thumb. Also I noticed that my left shoulder is ever so slightly more tense than my right, so I've seen to that rather quickly. At this point though my question is: Is it possible to get rid of this ingrained tension? Also I've attached an image of my hands in a resting position as to prevent any misunderstandings, as you've said before.

[lelle]

Thanks for the answer! I have been analysing my playing and I have found that indeed my left hand has been suffering from some tension (especially in scales or high finger work). It's mainly in the wrist and I guess somewhat evenly distributed between the fingers and thumb. Also I noticed that my left shoulder is ever so slightly more tense than my right, so I've seen to that rather quickly. At this point though my question is: Is it possible to get rid of this ingrained tension? Also I've attached an image of my hands in a resting position as to prevent any misunderstandings, as you've said before.

Short answer is yes. It's just a habit and habits can be broken. Sometimes it takes some patience and developing some awareness, and its much easier with some expert guidance, if you can find a good teacher. And it's a process. My technique is not perfectly tension free, nor am I in daily life for that matter, but I'm a hell of a lot more relaxed than I was two years ago, let alone ten.

If I recall correctly, the muscles that move your fingers will be more tense when your wrist is stiff because they take part in stabilizing the wrist, but don't quote me on that. My experience is that there is a limited benefit to hyper-focus on one specific finger, or one specific part of your body, and that it's better to approach it holistically. Find whatever works for you to make your body asa whole more relaxed and limber away from the piano, and then transfer that to the piano. Check what additional things you start doing to hold tension in the body once you are at the piano and figure out how to stop yourself.

And sometimes it can be as easy as realizing "oh, I'm tightening my shoulders" or "oh, I'm tensing my hands", saying stop to that, and that's all you needed.

[dogperson]

Previously, I carried tension in my right shoulder, when I played,  but did not realize it—-but my teacher did.  When I would tense that shoulder, she would prompt me to relax.  At some point. The habit of tensing that shoulder stopped.

I have personally found a good teacher to  be a huge benefit in breaking bad habits

[klavieronin]

Vincent Persichetti wrote a great book or exercises to help develop the hands equally. They are quite "modern" but very varied and cover the most useful aspects of piano technique. What's good about these is that they are all "mirror exercises". What one hand does, the other hand does the mirror opposite. So you just need to try to have your weaker hand mimic the stronger one. I'd recommend a lot of very slow, deliberate practise like this.

Definitely not for beginners though. here's the link

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/reflective-keyboard-studies-for-piano-sheet-music/1821938

[j_tour]

Vincent Persichetti wrote a great book or exercises to help develop the hands equally. They are quite "modern" but very varied and cover the most useful aspects of piano technique. What's good about these is that they are all "mirror exercises". What one hand does, the other hand does the mirror opposite. So you just need to try to have your weaker hand mimic the stronger one. I'd recommend a lot of very slow, deliberate practise like this.

Definitely not for beginners though. here's the link

https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/reflective-keyboard-studies-for-piano-sheet-music/1821938

I used the vendor's "look inside" feature.

How is this different than just using contrary motion while doing scales or whatever?

According to your link, it looks like it's very much for beginners, at least as much as any scale syllabary or set of patterns.

[klavieronin]

I used the vendor's "look inside" feature.

How is this different than just using contrary motion while doing scales or whatever?

According to your link, it looks like it's very much for beginners, at least as much as any scale syllabary or set of patterns.

Here's a few from later in the book. They are different from contrary motion scales or whatever in that the hands are mirroring each other exactly. So when the fifth finger in the left hand plays, the fifth finger in the right hand plays. When the thumb in the right hand crosses under the hand, the same happens in the left hand.







The material for these exercises is taken from Perschetti's own music. Here is an example:

[j_tour]

Here's a few from later in the book. They are different from contrary motion scales or whatever in that the hands are mirroring each other exactly.

I stand very much corrected.

And thanks, really:  it's either the Persichetti Mirror études or the Reflection exercises that is on the chopping block for me. 

May not get very far with the former, but it is exciting music to me, and worth trying to play.

The performance of some of the concert études you linked to is very good, well, it's to my taste anyway, as music.

[klavieronin]

You're welcome.