how to make my left finger stronger

[daomingsi]

i find tat my left finger that no strength playing scales especially playing staccatco part ...  can anyone tell me how to improve my scale and let my left finger to be more stable

[rafant]

The Joseph Hoffman's advise for weak fingers was to use them more. In this line of view, J. S. Bach's poliphonic pieces suits well the goal of exercising left hand and maintaining it in good form.

[sznitzeln]

If you are obsessed you could exercise your fingers constantly away from the piano
Try the grip master. Push-ups on your finger tips, start on the knees... and be careful.
Squeezing things is good...
When choosing fingering dont avoid the weak finger. Trust your finger... play softly with it without tensing it... then try to play louder, or even try tensing it some time, but dont let your wrist get tense.
Baking bread and such is also very good...

[steinwayguy]

What the hell is a "left finger"?

[thierry13]

What the hell is a "left finger"?

Are you serious or are you only laughing at his lack of precision? Of course he meant the fingers of the left hand.

[Glyptodont]

I believe Franz Liszt found a machine somewhere that was supposed to make his fingers stronger. 

He didn't have very good luck with it.

[globetrotter]

I think that one was Schumann. But anyway. Try this. Sit on a chair of your desk or kitchen table (anywhere for that matter), lie your fore-arm on the surface, so to be relaxed. Keep your fingers in a relaxed, curved, as if you are about to play. Place in front of your fingers a small rubber of something like that (a match box would be great). Now exercise fingers one by one place each on the top of the rubber and then come back to its first place (facing now the table surface). Do that slowly paying attention on the muscles that take part in the motion, then play with different rythmical scemes. Whenever I find a table I came up with many variations of this. While doing this you will notice your finger's own weight.
Stelios
Greece.

[i_m_robot]

Godowsky's left hand etudes from Chopin

even it you cant manage it at the appropriate speed it will still help

or you could plate it in lead that way it will be stupid strong

[daomingsi]

Place in front of your fingers a small rubber of something like that (a match box would be great). Now exercise fingers one by one place each on the top of the rubber and then come back to its first place (facing now the table surface). Do that slowly paying attention on the muscles that take part in the motion, then play with different rythmical scemes. Stelios
Greece.

i don't get what you by this sentence. you mean that treat e rubber as the black key ? can you explain clearly

[globetrotter]

Yes, as if it were the black key. My thought would become more clear, if instead of the rubber you place a book (use the spine of it where your nails should be facing), just to use the different level (about 1-2 cm) of two surfaces (The rubber may be moving). Then you can make up three levels, so the knuckles are exersised, without strain though. Then look for something round (a taw, a cylinder shaped battery) and use it for rolling your finger. These are exercises for back and forth movement of the fingers. Use something similar for right and left movements (that would be perhaps by placing the rubber on the surface, put one finger on it, leave some space at sides of the rubber (fingers open). So you go: the finger on the rubber, then down at your left, up the rubber, down at your right (sidelong movements). Don't push your fingers on the surfaces, don't injure them. There is no need for pushing, it's like holding a key down. That requires the minimum strenght.
These are simple exercises, if you put them down they will be done by themselves, I mean that you don't have to try that hard. Then someone may use the same table, lay their fore-arm as before but letting the hand jerking out of the table, feel your carpus loose. Make circular movements, up and down... Be inventive and inspired!

I hope I gave you an idea. Make it applicable for your needs. Let me know if that helped. (After such gymnastics I have a different feel when playing scales or even trills.)

[daomingsi]

My thought would become more clear, if instead of the rubber you place a book (use the spine of it where your nails should be facing), just to use the different level (about 1-2 cm) of two surfaces (The rubber may be moving). Then you can make up three levels, so the knuckles are exersised, without strain though. Then look for something round (a taw, a cylinder shaped battery) and use it for rolling your finger. These are exercises for back and forth movement of the fingers. Use something similar for right and left movements (that would be perhaps by placing the rubber on the surface, put one finger on it, leave some space at sides of the rubber (fingers open). So you go: the finger on the rubber, then down at your left, up the rubber, down at your right (sidelong movements). Don't push your fingers on the surfaces, don't injure them. There is no need for pushing, it's like holding a key down. That requires the minimum strenght.
These are simple exercises, if you put them down they will be done by themselves, I mean that you don't have to try that hard. Then someone may use the same table, lay their fore-arm as before but letting the hand jerking out of the table, feel your carpus loose. Make circular movements, up and down... Be inventive and inspired!

some how i don't really get what you mean but i really wanna try out.  i did try but i find that e way i do i don't think is correct .. or mayb u got another simple way 

[globetrotter]

Well I took some pictures of it. I 'd like it to post it here but I don't know how. It's 661KB size. My mail is arky_ds@yahoo.gr, send me a mail there and I will forward them to you.

[sznitzeln]

What the hell is a "left finger"?

You crack me up

[daomingsi]

You crack me up

i mean of left finger is left hand is more weak than right .. while playing not stable

[sznitzeln]

Well there is only one solution, and I think you know it.
How does fingers get strong? By using them!
Play pieces that make the left hand very active.
Bach usually has that. Try invention #13.
My belief is that you should play with a curved hand to strengthen the hand... As curved as possible. But when actually playing you should use a possition that allows you to play as easily as possible, and this position is constantly changing.

[daomingsi]

Try invention #13.

what is invention #13?

[nomis]

what is invention #13?

J.S. Bach's Invention No.13. He composed 15 of them.