Thumb (again)

Hi all, Alan has introduced us the idea of grasping and that's very fascinating! Basic function of the hand is opposing thumb and fingers to grasp a handkerchief for example. Now, how far does it go on a piano? Lately I've been thinking that should I involve my thumb in practising to play a single note with my little finger. Should I try to isolate this (metacarpal joint) movement of the pinky alone as much as possible or should I use opposing movement of the thumb together with the pinky? I suspect that together with some thumb movement it's more natural, right? In fact if I lay my hand on a flat surface and try to make my pinky to stand up, it's almost impossible to do it without thumb getting involved. Same goes with other fingers too. Alan has given us an idea to touch finger pads with thumb when playing scales and arpeggios and I believe this is a practical application of thumb opposing movement used together with 3rd or 4th finger... So is the idea of ultimate finger independency kind of an unnecessary illusion? Should we give thumb more active role when other fingers are playing? cheers, P P.S. I am sure this has been covered in Alan's books and many videos (I've seen many hints here and there) but still I'd like to get answer to this once more....

We have covered the thumb a lot on PianoTechnique.org but I was thinking of starting a dedicated series. Give me a few days!

All About The Thumb series is live.

Thanks Jovan for creating this series that shows just why it's true that grasping and thumb opposition is virtually always present in piano techniuqe. It empowers the hand universally. All best, AFF

Hi and thanks for new Thumb-series! I've watched it and I think I need to check it again (and again) very carefully. Still I am little confused here. Alan says (below) that "grasping and thumb opposition is virtually always present in piano techniuqe" but actually how far this goes? Elsewhere he says that it would be good to practise with "harpsichordist way", using only fingers 2,3,4 and 5. This means that we should learn to isolate thumb from those four and leave it as neutral as possible. Then there is this didactic technic of touching finger pads with thumb when practising scales and arpeggios. This latter is obviously application of grasping and thumb is actively participating to fingers play. So is there two ways to approach: thumb neutral and thumb active (when 2-4 are playing)? My original question was about little finger. When practising it should I try to isolate it from thumb (and its muscles) as much as possible? Or should I let this grasping/opposition to be present in some respect? I believe this problematic is related to general questions about thumb alignment, ulnar deviation etc. thx, P

Good point about the harpsichordist's hand. I don't really know whether harpsichordists opposed their thumb or left it truly neutral. An interesting question. As for the pinky, it has that huge hypothenar muscle that must work well to support it. This in addition to thumb opposition... AFF

Hi, A thought regarding grasping- I don't want to downplay its role outright, but consider how we PREPARE to grasp. Normally the finger and thumb lengthen out ready to begin to pinch inwards. But what if we leave it there and don't grasp? I believe that in many situations, you've already done all you need. It certainly explains how you can do motions where the thumb goes down and away from the fingers to move a key- which by nature cannot involve the grasp itself, to proceed freely. So, not that I want to argue against the more literal inclusion of grasping in countless places, but I believe there's huge value in trying to differentiate between that which literally comes from the grasp itself, compared to that which seems to have more to do with an action that could be linked to grasping, but which can also be separated out from it. When the thumb points down to open the arch well, you don't necessarily have to do the actual grasping bit.

Also, when I practise using only 2345 it usually reinforces the link to the thumb all the more. Point the thumb down (with or without grasping) and you should feel how much it contributes to the quality of movement, if you compare to when the thumb lifts up (collapsing the knuckles and destroying the stability of those fingers). What seems like isolating them, on the surface, only works with the appropriate relationship to the thumb.

I agree with this totally. I would only add that the motion of the thumb down to play a key is in fact the beginning of a large arc which eventually brings the thumb to oppose itself to the finges. present in piano technique. AFF

Ah, I think I see what you mean. It's not a really obvious grasp in the way I'd normally think of it, but the thumb and fifth do gradually start to get nearer if I continue it. I'm not consciously squeezing them inwards, but it does slowly build towards a similar integrity between the two sides of the hands as when consciously gripping.