I have this problem with my left pinkie. When I do scales or Hanon, it wants to shoot up (like those old Stooges Shorts when drinking tea). I have tried to concentrate and relax it, but it seems to have a mind of its own. Anyone else have this?

Yea. It's a problem of hand design. The fourth and fifth fingers share a tendon.

It can improve with work. Every day I play five finger progressions. Play LH 543211234554321 etc and keep all finger curved. I remember starting out by tightly curling the pinkie after its turn and keeping it tight until it plays again. I don't know if this is "good" or not, but it worked for me.

For some reason, my right pinkie came around first, and my left still forgets to curve sometime. Maybe because I am left handed, so my brain is used to controling the left hand...

Anyway, good luck and practice a few minutes a day and it will come around...

Mike

I have an extremely stubborn right thumb ... have to agree with gmm1, it gets better with practice.
Your idea of relaxing consciously while doing your exercises seems good to me, too. Playing Hanon very slowly while doing so might help as well.

Larry: Is that "House" as your avatar?? I think he's so sexy.

I have the same problem with my LH...the pinkie and the 4th finger seem to think they are too good for my hand and refuse to cooperate on Hanon exercises. I'm going to give gmm1's advice a try.

Kathleen

Hi LarryP

Also, when not at your piano drum your fingers on say a table top (or if thats irritating to folks around you drum on your leg)

Anytime you thnk about it, at the cinema, in bed, watching TV just keep training those fingers .

Family will think you are mad ...but, hey? we probably are!!

Back in the early days I used to do some really crazy things to get my co-ordination and hand independence working , I remember watching The Lion King in Londons West End and all the way through I was sat there doing finger excercises like starting with two hands (thumb as 1 pinky as 5) and playing 1,2,3,4,5 out with both hands then 5,4,3,2,1 back in (on my legs) then something like 1,2,3, pause 4,5,4, pause 3,2,1 pause 2,3,4 pause 5,4,3 and on and on... then I would play one hand starting on 1 and the other the opposite on 5

Yeah I know I'm weird but, these are the crazy things some of us do


regards


Lee

I had the same problem when I started lessons. My teacher pointed it out to me and that week I went home and conciously curved my finger in and it took care of the problem, butttttt

Consequently I became so proficient at keeping it in check that I created a comfort zone of keeping all my fingers confined. So after that it took me almost a year to learn to relax my fingers and hands.

If I had to do it over again I would have let pinky keep flying the flag as long as it hit the notes when I wanted it too.

All good advice. I will give them all a try. I took my wedding band off my ring finger, as my hand would swell slightly, that helped the 4th finger. On the other hand, right that is, it seems to know what to do.

Kathleen, yes that is House. I was looking for an avatar that protrayed a musical image, and found nothing I liked. Then I happened on House, who I really like, and remembered that he is a pianist also. So.......Dr.House it is.