Strengthening Fingers...

[tadhg]

I have been playing the piano for for about 10 years or so (im 18), but up until about a year or two ago, i was playing because i had to. Now im finally enojoying (and loving) the piano and i want to up the ante. So my standard is decent but i want to get technically better (to be able to handle faster more advanced pieces obviously).

Whenever i use my 4th and 5th on anything fast i get that awkward tedious feeling of my fingers not being able to do what my brain wants. With the result being, i use to much of my wrist to accomplish the effect! Same for trying to handle any proper melodies/scale passages with my left. I want my fingers running up the piano!

So basically what can/should i do to generally make my fingers more agile and strong so i won't have so much trouble in fast scales etc.

At the moment i've started working on some czerny excercises and just doing little up and down or trill excercises for a few minutes. Should i just keep this up? It's so frustrating trying to speed up an excercise or piece and finding your fingers flapping around like unfit sticks!

[xvimbi]

Have a look:

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,3615.0.html
(weight; speed; tension; muscle action; weight vs. fingers)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5034.0.html
(speed; strength; speed vs. strength; muscles; technical exercises)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5365.0.html
(fourth finger; collapsed joints)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5489.0.html
(tension; power and strength)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,561.0.html
(collapsing joints; flat fingers; strength)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5728.0.html
(Hanon; 4th and 5th fingers)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5794.0.html
(finger strength; agility; Hanon; Bach; Scarlatti)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5931.0.html
(finger strength; grip master)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,6153.0.html
(4th and 5th finger; finger independence myth; injuries)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,6997.0.html
(muscle growth; strength; weight lifting; endurance; speed)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7931.0.html
(finger sloppiness; finger independence myth; focal dystonia)

Best wishes.
Bern...

Oops, sorry: xvimbi
 

[bernhard]

And since you are at it , (and not to be outdone by xvimbi ) have a look here too:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4145.msg38568.html#msg38568
(beginner’s muscle development – anatomy of the hand forearm – true reasons for extremely slow practice - )

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/board,4/topic,4880.3.html#msg46319
(how to acquire technique and what technique actually is)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2024.msg16583.html#msg16583
(how to aim the pinky – Bernhard explains about using the arm to move the fingers)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2033.msg16635.html#msg16635
(finger strength)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2076.msg17157.html#msg17157
(Speed – the 3 most important factors)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2230.msg20686.html#msg20686
(Octaves and fast octaves – excellent post by Robert Henry)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2502.msg21594.html#msg21594
(Independence of the 3rd and 4thfinger – it is impossible: one should work towards the illusion of independence: it is all arm work)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2507.msg21688.html#msg21688
(Round fingers – the role of fingers)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,1808.msg23879.html#msg23879
(Ultra fast arpeggios – slow practice x slow motion practice – good post by Herve – Abby whiteside is also mentioned)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2814.msg24872.html#msg24872
(How a student’s physicality affects teaching – discussion on arm x fingers – moving from the centre: tantien and taichi – Seymour Fink gets discussed as well)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2809.msg25013.html#msg25013
(Body movement – piano playing compared to the martial arts)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2948.msg25927.html#msg25927
(Czerny x Scarlatti to acquire technique – Ted gives an excellent contribution)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,3726.msg33453.html#msg33453
(playing with curved fingers – worry less with movement and more with sound)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4182.msg38775.html#msg38775
(Hanon: pros and cons – Robert Henry’s opinion)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4282.msg39831.html#msg39831
(How to increase speed: slowly using metronome x fast with chord attack – analogy against slow practice using juggling and skiping rope as examples)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4144.msg40259.html#msg40259
(improving speed of LH –  moving the whole LH not only fingers)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4385.msg41226.html#msg41226
(definition of technique – technique is personal and relative to the piece – Fosberry flop – the best books on technique)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4880.msg46339.html#msg46339
( definition of technique: quote from Fink, Sandor and Pires – Example of the A-E-A arpeggio)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4887.msg47334.html#msg47334
(more on Hanon)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5034.msg47829.html#msg47829
(The finger strength controversy –  some excellent posts by xvimbi)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5352.msg50998.html#msg50998
(Exercises x repertory –  why technique cannot be isolated from music – excellent summary with good examples)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5375.msg51272.html#msg51272
(Defending technicaexercises –  two different philosophies regarding exercises – chopstick analogy)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7226.msg72166.html#msg72166
(replies #9 and 10 – Thumb over is a misnomer: it consists of co-ordinating four separate movements).

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7887.msg79326.html#msg79326
(why the lifting of the 4th finger is a non-problem)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7682.msg77042.html#msg77042
(hand independence: how to create a cue system and what is hand memory).

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,8335.msg84684.html#msg84684
(circular movements to avoid co-contraction)

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,8322.msg84686.html#msg84686
(speed and muscle tension – 3 important components of speed playing)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[tadhg]

wow!
Thanks chaps. Im sure that will cover every question i can think of. I'll start looking through it.

<edit> Looking through a few of them,a reoccuring debate seems to be the danger of excercises, and how if done wrong with bad technique, can be dangerous. How is this? What would be the right technique?

[xvimbi]

\<edit> Looking through a few of them,a reoccuring debate seems to be the danger of excercises, and how if done wrong with bad technique, can be dangerous. How is this? What would be the right technique?

Keep on reading