Thumb And Hand Muscles

Hi, 1-Are the intrinsic muscles of the hand more powerful than the muscles in the forearm,and why is it that those muscles which are located in the forearm are the ones responsible in playing the more precise playing than the lumbricals? 2-I find myself (when playing with the thumb) rotate the hand a bit, is it ok to do so? I have read that the thumb is connected to the forearm (via he radius),and therefore, in my logic, it is better to play so. Am i correct in my assumption? Thanks a lot

The hand muscles should work more powerfully - but when they are working well, the forearm muscles can also exert considerable force. Look at Martha Argerich's forearm - it is BIG! Rotating when you play the thumb should be ok. AFF

Hi again, In the lesson you gave on Chopin's etude op 25 no 9-about the right hand-you told the student to play with a one bone finger for more elasticity.My misunderstanding is:the one one bone finger gives a more powerful sound than a slight curled one,and for this etude I am assuming the sound should be light. So on one hand I understand the one bone finger but it is contradicting to me as far as the sound goes. Thanks

Excellent question. The one-boned finger is a preparatory stage, to integrate the sense of elasticity into his reflexes. Later on when his fingers are flying and he has the requisite sound and elasticity, he will go to the slight curl - but only when he can do so without losing vitality in his hand. AFF

Hi, Thanks for the reply. Another thought I had about the fingers position:another lesson I saw on Brahms intermezzo op 118 no 2-there was a certain point you showed the student to play with curled fingers for faster playing. Why is it that the fingers move faster when they are curled than when they are straight? Thanks

When they are curled, only the distal phalange moves the key, not all three phalanges. Smaller things can move faster. AFF