Interosseus

Just saw that this article has been quoted on the piano technique site. Funnily enough I'd stumbled across it a few days earlier. I wasn't quite sure what to think. My first inclination was that it sounded like wildly speculative nonsense posing as fact. In fairness, I still feel pretty sure that a lot of it is. For a start- the idea that use of the forearm muscles automatically makes for a stiff wrist (if there's any sense of the arm pulling backwards) is utter nonsense. When teaching, I've repeatedly put myself in precisely this setup and shown students how easily they can lift my wrist without the finger losing it's quality of contact with the key. The wrist could scarcely be any more relaxed. Perhaps it's theoretically possible that there is some kind of an issue that is runs along these lines. However, the idea that the wrist is in any way "stiff" whenver the muscles activate is readily definable as pure nonsense. For me, that seriously reduces the credibility of the article. The whole thing about the wrist seems to be based on a very short-sighted failure to appreciate that when acting upon a key, the responses are very different to when acting in thin air. He has seemingly taken information from textbooks without realising that the different mechanical context renders it irrelevant. In fact, simply to to keep the wrist aligned in thin air, already requires those muscles to be activating or it flops down! It's when you have the balancing aid of the keys that you can release them without collapse!!! However, I did find it very interesting when they spoke of how the fingers will naturally get better at splaying out when the interosseus muscles are used well. This is something in which I have made completely unprecendented development over the past few months. Recently, the span between individual fingers and knuckles (which has always been rather poor indeed) has changed most dramatically. I think this specifically corresponds with since I started introducing extensive use of finger extensions, in addition to the purer pulling actions. It makes me wonder if there's something in this- even if a good deal of what is presented in the article does look to me like very dubious pseudo-science. Also, regarding the lumbricals- I recently read an article in which a doctor/scientist referred to them as very weak muscles that are primarily used for sensing things, rather than any productive strength. It suggested that the strongest actions at the knuckle are almost exclusively from tendons. I'm wondering whether it could be that pianists are in a position to develop these substantially more than just about any else could in every day life? I'm not really sure what to think now- although ultimately it doesn't necessarily matter, as long as there are powerful actions coming from the knuckle. Either way, the article offers no credible information as to how we are supposedly to differentiate between interosseus and lumbrical activity.

I read the article a while ago, and since I have no problem with my wrists, I was not interested in that part. However I found the part about the interossei very interesting and useful, and became aware that these muscles could function better. I have developed ATM exercises for that, based not only on Feldenkreis, but also on other methods. The emphasis here is very much on awareness, especially awareness of the curve of the hands, and very subtle modifications of the curve and the spread of the fingers. Done away from the piano. I permit myself to use the term ATM for any method that has the emphasis more on the awareness aspect than the mechanics of the movement itself. I can just mention Tai Chi and Chi Gung. Since I discovered Feldenkreis, that has become an important part of my methods. I think there is good reason to be skeptical concerning this article, but I will check closer how my wrists function. I have also found the same effects that Cziffra describes when I pay more attention to the interossei.

I read the article a while ago, and since I have no problem with my wrists, I was not interested in that part. However I found the part about the interossei very interesting and useful, and became aware that these muscles could function better. I have developed ATM exercises for that, based not only on Feldenkreis, but also on other methods. The emphasis here is very much on awareness, especially awareness of the curve of the hands, and very subtle modifications of the curve and the spread of the fingers. Done away from the piano. I permit myself to use the term ATM for any method that has the emphasis more on the awareness aspect than the mechanics of the movement itself. I can just mention Tai Chi and Chi Gung. Since I discovered Feldenkreis, that has become an important part of my methods. I think there is good reason to be skeptical concerning this article, but I will check closer how my wrists function. I have also found the same effects that Cziffra describes when I pay more attention to the interossei. Been thinking about it, and I think there's something in his point about the wrists- even if he phrases it in a hugely excessive way. I think the pure pulling actions definitely is a contributing factor in the wrist positions seen in my r.h. here, Stiffness definitely can be avoided- if the arm pulls back properly and especially if the wrist stays well below the height of the knuckles in the first place. However, I think he may well be right that using pure pulls in the wrong way can often cause a stiff wrist. It's interesting to know that there is also a physiological reason for the wrist to curl up, in addition to the reaction force that is caused by finger upon key. I find his article interesting largely in that it sounds very similar to the experience I've had from switching to finger extensions for most of my work. Recent improvements to the span between fingers make me suspect that he's describing something very similar to what I've been doing. What I'm skeptical about is how much concerning yourself with the interosseus muscles can help however- rather than with a very specific quality of movement. I don't think I could have got anywhere near as much development from following the rather generic advice on the site, compared to what I got from realising how the reaction to a particular direction of finger action contributes allowing a very easy balanced release. Any development to that muscle group has followed simply from that. Even now, I don't know what I could specifically do any differently, after reading the article. Also, one thing that baffles me is that he says not use the lumbricals, without any obvious explanation for why. And he doesn't say how to distinguish between the actions of different groups. Do you know of any exercises that help distinguish between muscles via sensation? While I'm not 100% closed-minded about this, I am very skeptical about how much benefit can come from trying to single anything out- as opposed to trying to perceive particular qualities or directions of movement around different joints/trying to perceive reactions. Personally, I'm thinking more in these respects, rather than worrying about which muscles are involved. However, it would be interesting to know if there are ways in which you could somehow feel a marked difference between use of particular muscles.

Cziffra, what you are saying in the last part of your post is very interesting, and I completely agree with you. In my experience trying to be aware of the functioning of specific muscles is at best a waste of time. But focusing with awareness on specific parts of hand and arm, and noticing how these parts function in relation to other parts, is a very good approach. When focusing on the interossei, my focus is not on the muscles, but on the palm of the hand. The main function of these muscles are the spreading of the fingers, so I will experiment with that, They are also important for the curve of the hand, so I will be aware of that. Then you go a step further, and experience the relation to the wrist. The basic emphasis is always on experience and awareness. And I for my part have found that it is best to start exploring things away from the piano, and then try it out on the piano, playing something very simple. When I play fast, with complicated patterns in both hands, I am not able to focus to anything besides timing and dynamics. And that brings me to your video. Playing difficult things is very useful, but for awareness slow and easy might be better. I noticed that when things are not too fast and complicated in the piece you are playing, your timing is good, and more important, you play with a good measure of rhythmic vitality. As Heinrich Neuhaus says: In the beginning was rhythm. Could not agree more. I am very particular about rhythm even in the simples technical exercises, and when learning a piece, I will never continue beyond the first few measures before I have got the rhythmic pulse for that particular piece up to acceptable standard. Concerning good exercises, I have found that when you have used a good exercise system, like ATM, for a long time, you will be able to find and develop new exercises when needed. It will take a lot of work, but pays off in the end.

At the first Alan Fraser Piano Institute in Smith College ( ) I worked closely with, among other people, Christine Olson, a very fine pianist and trained Alexander Technique teacher (and my wonderful course organizer and "Lady Friday" as well!) We conducted a pretty deep investigation into the whole lumbrical/interosseous/tendon question and came up with a similar but not identical solution to the ideas posted here. To wit, Michael Furstner got it backwards: he says the lumbricals are used for a strong action and the interosseous for a weak whole finger flexion action, and we have to train the interosseous to take over from the lumbricals. In our experience, when you undertake this training, the interossei end up being than the lumbricals and more capable of generating healthy whole finger flexion in the context of playing piano. The anatomy drawings of the hand's musculature she found were amazingly informative... I am looking to write an article about it but thought I would share at least this much with you here now... Thanks for an informative, if tricky, post! AFF