Bird Beak Needs Tweak

I'm tremendously excited about all the uses I've been finding for the bird beak - from Albeniz's Leyenda to groovy funk rhythms. I especially like repeating one note continuously alternating Left and Right hands and shifting accents like a drummer. BUT..... I have not been able to sustain this for long without getting sore fingers. I am fairly certain that my arms are nicely relaxed, and I suspect the problem is with my - but I am not sure how to correct this. - Since this is essentially a . - I have wondered if the problem is caused by approach. However, that approach involves loose fingers, not the rigid structure of a bird beak's clenched fingers... Any ideas? Don't worry, your replies can be longer than a tweet!

Where to your fingers get sore? If it's at the tips, you are whacking the piano too hard. If it is closer to the top knuckle, you are overdoing the actual effort of holding the bird beak. It should be possible to keep it really firm without the expenditure of that much muscular energy. The third possibility is that you have been so underusing the muscles that make the bird beak that they are getting a real workout for the first time. In that case you should just continue, carefully of course, and slowly build up your strength... AFF

The pain is closer to the top knuckle - and yes, I misunderstood the exercise - I thought that in order to keep the beak firm, the thumb and fingers needed to be squeezed together very strongly. To clarify, are you saying that you can just hold the fingers and thumb against each other, lightly, but with the correct skeletal alignment - i.e. without squeezing - and that will be firm?

Indeed I started off squeezing very tightly but obviously this is a case of overkill for you. Each person must find their individual version of an exercise. I would start with a light bunching and slowly increase the pressure as much as you can . Fine tune it and get to know yourself a little better in the process... AFF