Weakness In The Right Hand And Nyiregyhazi's Technique

Hi, I came across your book recently and have found it very helpful indeed. I was never taught any real technique and I have only recently begun to develop any genuine finger technique (even though I've been working on advanced repetoire for years). I had always been skeptical of finger-work, because when I attempted it, it caused tension in the arm. I recently came across the simple phrase 'tap' with regard to finger-work which made a massive difference. It took the notion of effort out of the equation and enabled me to relax properly and feel a release when the key lands (like knocking) rather than prolonged tension. The idea of tension in the upper body being caused by insufficient finger activity is something I then came across in the book and it made a lot of sense to me. Anyway, many thanks for the help provided in the book. It is making a big difference to many things. I found the 'lobster's claw' extremely helpful. I had noticed in the past that my 2nd finger was the mostly likely to be inaccurate in scales and I now realise how to properly fix that. Anyway, my question is this: My right hand is very weak on the fourth and fifth fingers. The bridge on that hand is very uneven, with a real 'sag' on 4 and 5. Also, when I rotate my wrist, there is a very strong grinding feeling, that makes it very difficult to properly align the hand. Even when I try to raise the outer part of the hand using my left, it seems to lock up somewhere inside and will not freely level out. I believe this was caused by turning the hand outwards for many years to voice the 5th (by playing on the side of the finger) and it takes real effort to make the hand level now. There is also very poor separation between 3 and 4. I cannot do the 'vulcan salute' with my right (with a gap between 3 and 4 but others together). My left hand is fine however. The weak fingers of the right always feel like they are operating at a slight inward angle, rather than directly down the line of the key. Do you have any tips on freeing up the wrist and working on a better separation between 3 and 4 for this hand? I feel that I'm making progress with this now (by ensuring the fingers are actually doing proper work during practise), but I'm hoping to sort this out sooner rather than later so I can finally build some true security. Also, have you come across Nyiregyhazi? He had not owned a piano in 30 or 40 years when this film was shot. I have never heard a louder player, but his movements are remarkably concise. The bridge of the knuckles (as stressed in the book) is remarkably prominent at the end of this clip, where he uses a very odd hand position (with near-vertical fingers) to achieve frighteningly large sounds from tiny movements. I'd be very grateful to hear any views from you on the above problem and on this curious technique. Andrew PS. I haven't yet picked up the DVD. Where's the best place to get hold of it in the UK?

Hi, The only place you can buy the DVD is at our website: Since you are from England, i guess that PAL version would work the best for you! Jovan

Hi, that's a tough one. Get my film! A facetious answer but also a serious one, because you need some Feldenkrais-style exercises to loosen up the whole area before attempting any specific change in position or movement, and right near the beginning of the film there are several of these. Note that early in the film, I demonstrate the hand's double arch and my ridge of knuckles clearly slopes down towards the fifth finger. This is something you describe as a liability, but I show the advantage of it. I stress that when the central part of the hand functions well (the cupola under the top 2nd finger knuckle), the "weaker" fingers shouldn't have a problem. I must say, however, that in the film I do exaggerate that slope a little, to make it an effective visual communication. I don't really let it drop far when I play... Kind regards, AFF As for Nyiraghazi, he looks pretty good. His finger position is not so unusual - not that different from Rubinstein for instance. It is clear that his whole body is involved in producing his sound, but in a good way, not stressful...