The Hand

Hello, I have two questions -What is the reason that sometimes when I play scales my hand isnt steady,it bounces up and down from the wrist,and Im trying to stop it and there are times I dont succeed? -Is there any diference when it comes to the curling of the fingers when playing Bach or Beethoven or Mozart? i heard that some teachers suggest to curl the fingers more when playing Bach and Mozart and on top of that to use the tips of the fingers in a motion that resembles a scratching type of an action, is this correct? Thanks A LOT

Hi and welcome to The Craft of Piano Playing forum! I would need to see what you described in action but moving the wrist up and down while playing scales is not a bad thing imo. Is there any way you could post a short video for us to see? Curling your fingers will produce more balanced sound in theory. Opposed to flat fingers or poking motion. People think that they will play more if they curl their fingers while playing that particular classical repertoire. This is not necessarily true even tho it could be argued to the certain degree. Take Glenn Could and his hands for example. I think it's a good advice given to beginners but not more then that, just imo. Best, Jovan

If your wrist is going up and down on every note of a scale, your fingers aren't working and your arm is trying to take up the slack. It is a result of your training. As for curling the fingers, the degree to which they curve or curl depends on the sound you want. Some people feel the older composers warrant more of a curling action while the more modern composers, with their bigger, fuller sound, require a flatter finger. This is to a certain extent true but it's a gross generalization - there are many exceptions. Welcome to the Forum! AFF