Progress Report: An Exploration On The 2nd/3rd Finger

My right hand 2nd finger has always been troubling me, for as long as I've played piano. It's an irony, and people don't usually believe me when I tell them that my 2nd finger is weaker than my 5th! The origin of the problem is that as I first started, I acquired a bad habits (because of bad skeletal alignment) of pushing the whole platform (my hand) tensing it in order to play with my 2nd finger. So unless it's a short passage, there's a guarantee to a break of the flow whenever my 2nd finger comes into play. The mistake that I made then is that I practiced more, using the wrong method repeatedly for thousands of time each year for many years!! Anyway, I later on more or less overcome the problem, but from time to time it still bothers me, especially when I'm not playing enough attention for a few days. Today I did some experiments (with a control to my left hand which is quite strong on this aspect), and found something new (new for me, anyway): What I used to correct my problem is to find the best skeletal alignment for the 2nd finger to attack the key, and counter my tendency to tense up by nearly collapsing my hand, but still try my best to maintain the structure. It works, but speeding up, it's just not practical to have this ultra relaxation of hand whenever I play the 2nd finger. Also, it's just not the ultimate way, as no one, nor does my left hand, do this. My left hand maintain a kind of freedom, a flowing sensation in it. (when doing this, at least) While it's relaxed, it still maintain the same fluid-like quality when it has to contract its muscles. No matter how hard I try, my right hand just couldn't do the same, and couldn't do anything itself could do with the wrist resting on a surface (and swing in) Today I found that the finger that played before an actually maintain its structure all the way until the 2nd finger plays, which I haven't been doing because I was so fixated on ultra-relaxing my hand and thus the holding finger is somehow not in its best shape anymore when the 2nd finger plays. Feeling the absence of that support, I must have tensed up somewhere to hold my hand in the air, thus disrupting the flow again..... So now I maintain a minimum effort in trying to use the other finger to hold up my hand (but more with structural alignment instead of muscles.) I'll try practicing in this new direction to see where it leads me.....

Alvin, Many people don't realize their second is weaker than their fifth: YOU figured it out! This is already great. I did write about it in my book already 6 years ago, but this is such a rich area of investigation that I am still making new discoveries about it myself. Key to an understanding of this is the comparison of the thumb-forefinger assembly to the pelvis with the two hip joints. I show it in my film: stand on one leg, and the other hip must make a strong effort if you are not to fall over. With the thumb and second it's the same. Latedly I have been focusing especially on the supportive role of the thumb. Namely, if I try constantly to make a sweeping movement of my whole thumb (focusing on the thumb metacarpal) under my hand, this movement empowers my second finger in its action. It helps the second metacarpal-phalangeal joint, the keystone of not one, but TWO key arches in the hand, to maintain its potent floating-ness. It helps prevent the inversion of parts where the second metacarpal-phalangeal becomes lower (perhaps not in actual position but in structural function) than the proximal phalange itself, for instance. This is the very OPPOSITE of the movement I call pianistic co-dependence, where the thumb lifts itself to help lift the hand's arch, and its functionality. Try now to lift your thumb, you see the second metacarpal-phalangeal automatically drops. Do the opposite, sweep the thumb under your hand, your second metacarpal-phalangeal has no choice but to rise. And your second finger works better! Also you can start to sense how this has ramifications all the way up the arm into the shoulder and neck. When this starts working properly, many things higher up start to let go big time. It is very exciting when it starts to happen! Let me know how you make out... AFF

Just tried. It works! Works even if I just keep the thumb under without the sweeping movement. I believe this actually is the reason why I subconsciously prefer fingering passages to make the thumb plays after the 2nd finger (and under it, next to it) . The problem is just, that the effect can't be reproduced with the thumb out. I even have problems transfer weight if I play my thumb after the 2nd with it out (e.g. in a downward scale for right hand, or a 1-2-1-2 trill). In fact this is one of my biggest obstacle. First it's my poor structural alignment of my hand when the 2nd plays, then when it's the thumb's turn, the platform got confused and still thinks it's playing, and it lacks the floating quality completely. I'll post my playing in a few days' time to show you. Just need to practice so I won't be too terrible......