The 4th Finger

I am wondering what is the proper way to strengthen the 4th finger of the weak hand (left in my case). It hurts sometimes when I do a lot of octaves using it on the black keys. It also is extremely slow when trying to trill between 3 and 4. Lastly I don't know how its possibles to play an octave with the fourth finger and not raise the wrist.

The problem is not with the fourth so much as with everything around the fourth. If you resolve the anomaly of the hand failing to maintain its 'arch platform' quality and allow your thumb to free itself from co-dependence with the hand by hanging down from the hand, separating out from it and actively trying to create as much distance as possible between it and the hand, I can almost guarantee that your fourth will improve. A greater sense of skeletality in the whole hand allows all parts of it to work effectively at far lower levels of effort. Thus the fact that the fourth indeed possesses fewer of its own individual tendons and has less actual muscular power available to it becomes less of an issue. You figure out ways to "make the bones do the work." When your 5th finger octaves become more functional, you'll eventually be able to slip the 4th in there without your wrist rising. My only problem with my own answer is that I practically ALWAYS find the solution for one problem in the improvement of another function somewhere else in the system - could this be developing into a bad habit? AFF

Thank you for the advice. Maybe what I need is some help in determining whether my fifth finger knuckle joint is collapsing. When I play an octave the finger still is curved but the knuckle joint is noticeably lower than the than the the other knuckle joints. As far as trilling between 3 and 4 i may just need more practice.

There are several approaches to a delinquent 5th finger knuckle. One is to straighten the finger totally to give it the maximum sense of its "pillar" potential. STAND that finger up while the wrist, elbow and shoulder let go of their effort. Focus ALL the effort in the finger itself. Another approach would be to retain some curvature in the finger but rotate the hand towards the thumb so the 5th knuckle naturally rises. It all depends on how much stress is already in your system. Do you need to lower levels of effort in a tense, stressed-out system or perhaps wake up a dormant 5th and give it a new sense of activity? How best to increase its capability, by lowering stresses that are inhibiting movement and sensation, or by raising efforts in a limp finger that lacks tonus? AFF