I am just a beginner piano player and whenever I play for a while, I start feeling uncomfortable in the 5th finger of my Left Hand only. So I started to observe it closely as I played and I discovered the problem.
As I depress the key using the 5th finger, the 2nd knuckle (middle knuckle) collapses and the first knuckle (nail knuckle) over curls to compensate for it. (see picture below)
Could you please suggest what I should do to rectify this. Thank you
A
A pianist
I think you have a very wide range of motion in your joints. I, for example, cannot make this shape with any of my fingers even if I wanted to. Since my fingers are different I am not sure my advice will be good for you.
In general you can try static alignment work to discover your bone structure and then move on to explore how the structure can move. I think this is easier to do on a table at first rather than on piano keys.
Place your left hand on the table and "press" it in - let your fingers maintain an arch and resist the push. Discover the alignments that give you the best stability. Try to lift some fingers leaving the remaining fingers to bear the pressing force - try various combinations of fingers. At some point your pinky will collapse. Try to shift weight and align the hand differently - use your right hand to lift the collapsing knuckle and help it find the correct alignment.
Practise this very often (5 times a day or so) and for short periods of time (2 minutes or less), as this excercise can put a lot of strain on your hands. After a week of practise you should see a noticeable improvement in your stabiity as the hand "learns" the alignment in which it feel the strongest.
You can also do some mobile structure excercises - place an arched hand on a table (don't press this time, just rest it on the table). Lift the 5th finger and gently drop it back to the table. Keep all other fingers touching the table at all times, but without pressing too hard against the table. This is very hard to do at first so go slowly and gently. Gradually you will learn what muscles need to move so that the 5th finger can have independent movebility without losing its structure.
I hope this helps.
Zack
A
A pianist
Thank you for the advice, Zack. I'll definitely give it a try.
A
Alanfraserpiano
Another thing to do would be to watch my Linz master class on YouTube where I work with Stephanie, a young woman with hypercollapsed joints. Listen to the whole lesson and try to apply what I'm doing with her to your own situation...
All best,
AFF
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