Thumbs Not Fully Opposable

Both of my thumbs have the congenital anomaly that they are not fully opposable. I cannot touch them to my little finger. This creates a problem for me when I have to put my thumb under my 3rd or 4th finger, for example, on an upward scale passage with my right hand. I compensate by rotating my right hand to the left. The effect, at least the way I've been doing it, is to destroy any hope of fluidity and speed. Can you suggest some other ways to compensate? Have you encountered any other pianists with a similar problem? It would really help me to know that others have overcome this kind of disability.

When you say rotate, I think you refer to horizontal swiveling. If you could replace that kind of "rotation" with rotation along the axis of your forearm, this would help. I see no reason why your unique thumbs should slow you down (of course on closer inspection I might have to change my mind); you just have to figure out how your particular configuration could work best on the keyboard. As Moshe Feldenkrais said, a flexible brain can overcome virtually any physical disability. Stretch your arm out and rotate your hand as if you were opening a door. Try to discover how this movement can get your thumb to its note - you don't physically join the keys, but you create the illusion of a smooth legato with this "rotation-flip" kind of a move. See another thread that I just answered about passing the thumb under, I forget exactly what it's called... Best wishes, AFF

Alan, thank you for the reply. I also located the thread you referenced and I must say I am tremendously renewed by what I read.

Glad to hear it! I hope these threads help you to be less "all thumbs" at the piano... AFF