Using Sideways Motion To Produce Tone From A Slanting 5th

Just made a rather interesting discovery, while practising opus 10 no 1. As far as the 5th goes, I've been experimenting with either pure knuckle pulls or actions that combine the action of extending the finger mildly forwards. With a pure pull, the finger aims slightly at an angle to plane of the key, which helps drag the thumb across. With the action of extending out it tends to me a rather more direct movement into the line of the key (especially in slow practise, where I try to get the fifth outstretched almost vertically on top of the key) However, I noticed tonight that I've naturally been slipping into something a little different. Since then making it entirely deliberate has provided some interestingly effective results. Basically, it's quite similar to the act of extending the finger out, but I'm allowing the hand to slant towards the fifth- and then using the action that separates out space between the 4th and 5th fingers. Has anyone consciously tried or noticed doing this? I don't think I've ever heard it spoken of. It works as a kind of "correction" to the path of action from the knuckle, during a slant. I'm not sure if I'd recommend this to anyone very early on. Recently, the muscles that open out my fingers have been greatly improving in general and I'm not sure I could have done this productively a few months ago. It only just struck me at all that this style of movement can be effective for directly moving the key. However, it strikes me as an excellent way to combine rotation with an active finger- rather than couple rotation with dead fingers. I think this could be one of the big secrets for small hands. When I cover the unpleasant C-F with 4-5, a severe slant of the hand no longer feels like any issue at all- as the sideways action has become strong enough to both move the key and support raised knuckles, with comfort. It also serves to throw the thumb across extremely well, just like the pure knuckle pull. Alan said not long ago that he's coming back to the idea of the slight hand slant and I think this might be one of the keys to doing it without the danger of compromising the fifth or allowing knuckle droop. It the fifth is able to activate sideways, being angled indirectly to the key is no longer a disadvantage. I like the idea of being able to alternate between extreme fifth finger alignment (with both the 2nd and 5th knuckles at identical height) and extreme slanting.

I was playing something yesterday (can't remember what) and I noticed that I was doing exactly the same thing. Like you, I don't think I'd have found it a useful method of moving the key a few months a go, and I do still find it fairly crude, due to lack of refinement of the motion, but I imagine in a couple of months time it will be entirely functional and as versatile as the pulling or extending motions. It does get me out of my usual conception of moving the key, which is useful too.

I was playing something yesterday (can't remember what) and I noticed that I was doing exactly the same thing. Like you, I don't think I'd have found it a useful method of moving the key a few months a go, and I do still find it fairly crude, due to lack of refinement of the motion, but I imagine in a couple of months time it will be entirely functional and as versatile as the pulling or extending motions. It does get me out of my usual conception of moving the key, which is useful too. Yeah, I haven't specifically advised this to any students yet, but I think I might start encouraging them to just notice the principle slightly, in situations where stretch issues might make it necessary to play at a slight angle. Even just noticing that this action can be slightly involved whenever the finger is anything less than 100% in the line of the key strikes me as being useful. I'd start from there and perhaps sometimes experiment with something more active and willful. Eventually, I think it even pays to lean your hand on its side karate chop style and practise lightly using the opening movement to push the other fingers away from the fifth. This might seem ridiculously extreme at first, but I've sometimes been going almost as far as this in some real-life playing. I noticed a problem with my fifth finger in a particular spot early today, and found that this action solved the problem quickly. It had just been a slight collapse, when going from 1 to 5 in a slow melodic passage- but leaning onto the side and using this action to open the space between 4 and 5 made for a much better connection to the keys, with no sagging. I'm ending up somewhere between horizontal and vertical, with the line of the knuckles- but closer to vertical than horizontal. It makes for a surprisingly melodic sound. I've even been starting to notice that my fourth (and even third) can also benefit from this kind of thinking- although not at quite so much of an angle as the 5th can go. Increasingly, I'm feeling that this specific activity is the missing link that rotation methods typically leave you to figure out for yourself.

Eventually you guys will get to the point of listening to your sound, getting the phrasing and colour you want, and noticing afterwards, by the way, what your hand did to achieve it. It's gotta happen some day! AFF

Eventually you guys will get to the point of listening to your sound, getting the phrasing and colour you want, and noticing afterwards, by the way, what your hand did to achieve it. It's gotta happen some day! AFF I find that my lack of experience and current psycho-physical organisation limits me in this respect, though. So I do a lot of work from the opposite direction - I use a particular movement and see what sound I get. I also feel that I'm unaware of what a piano is truly capable of. I guess to develop this awareness, one has to listen a lot - to the best, and to oneself. As you say though, it has got to happen at some point. It may not be today or tomorrow, but it will be.

Keep the faith! AFF

Keep the faith! AFF So, today I decided to break the habit of having the technique come first and the sound second. I was pleasantly surprised by the results - I was going for a whisper of a sound but at a moderately fast tempo and my arch grew larger and larger until I had the sound. It wasn't a case of envisaging the sound and seeing what happened afterwards though - I was very much observing in the moment, but ensuring that I did not interfere. Also, on an unrelated note, I'm beginning to appreciate your description of bones floating in liquid muscles. Over the past week I've found it very easy to bring myself to stillness, and particularly allow the upper bones of my spine to float around in my neck muscles.

This is a great description and a great experience for you. I think this is the direction we should all be headed in... Thanks! AFF