A weak left hand - a little help?

[Tempestua]

Are there any exercises I can do to strengthen the ring and little finger on my left hand? I recently began to learn the piano and I'm having real difficulty with these fingers. I imagined that I'd be ok because I've played violin since I was 6 and you'd think my left hand would be really strengthened but for some reason I'm having real problems.

Any tips?

[voodoo_barbie]

I have the same problems. In my recent piano exam the examiner guessed I was a violinist because apparently we usually have incredibly stiff left hands. If anyone actually has any exercises that would help, please post something

[Random_Anibas]

I also play violin along with piano. Fortunately I've learned to strengthen my left hand with lots of horribly tedious and muscularly tiring exercises

Usually it isn't your hand that's the problem, although stiff fingers can suck, it's usually your wrist you need to losen up. Although there's also the problem that if you loosen up -too- much your wrist starts to bounce - low, but relaxed wrists are the key. Good technique is when you can do a scale, have low wrists but still be able to tell the time on your watch.

There's some great excercises I use for both hands and coordination, especially for my little finger and that general side of my hand since it's where I have a big weakness. I use a book of exercises by Tankard, great stuff in there for getting hands into shape

Also any excercises by Schumann are good, the ones he wrote for his wife, Clara.

--- Amber

[Tempestua]

Thanx everyone, you've been real helpful.

[steel_crusader]

lol I learnt piano first and then the violin... both quit =/ (wish I hadn't but parents aren't willing to pay when I don't practice )

I guess I'm pretty lucky learning the piano first, but anyway for practicing, my favourite technique is just to play really hard... like to smash the keys (one finger at a time). Play it slowly and get faster. Also, do some scales and arppegios. People tell me I gotta learn them for a reason...

anyhoo, all instruments kick ***

[derek_alcoholic]

Originally Posted by Random_Anibas

I also play violin along with piano. Fortunately I've learned to strengthen my left hand with lots of horribly tedious and muscularly tiring exercises

Usually it isn't your hand that's the problem, although stiff fingers can suck, it's usually your wrist you need to losen up. Although there's also the problem that if you loosen up -too- much your wrist starts to bounce - low, but relaxed wrists are the key. Good technique is when you can do a scale, have low wrists but still be able to tell the time on your watch.

There's some great excercises I use for both hands and coordination, especially for my little finger and that general side of my hand since it's where I have a big weakness. I use a book of exercises by Tankard, great stuff in there for getting hands into shape

Also any excercises by Schumann are good, the ones he wrote for his wife, Clara.

--- Amber

uhu but schumann wasnt that nice to himself...
i have heard..
he tried to stretch or strenghten his ring/little finger (forgotten which) with some weird machine and he completely screwed it up...

[xenoeous]

practice practice practice. there is no exercise better than just playing the piano, or whatever u are trying to do.

[Ned]

My sister likes to say that the violin is a left-handed instrument, and the reason she has trouble with it is that she's right-handed. The testimony from the violinist-pianists above just goes to show who wrong she is: So there, sister.

Someone above advises us to keep our piano wrists low. I'd like to caution everyone that when you're playing with the fingers (using the fingers as levers) the wrist should be EVEN with the rest of the hand; don't bend the wrist either way--but don't hold it rigidly either. Remember also that the ring finger will always be restricted in its movement, and that the little finger is fairly fragile. Don't get over-zealous (like Robert Schumann) and injure yourself. If you feel pain, please stop practicing immediately. Thank you.

[Aman]

If you have one hand weaker than the other, then a good way to strengthen the weak hand is to play a passage with the strong hand and then immediately repeat it with the other hand. Kinda like one hand is actually teaching the other, and it works! You could even play a simple melody with both hands in unison, and then switch over to only the weaker hand.

Also, I guess it would be good to play scales and arpeggios with your weaker hand regularly.

[cockbain]

A good way to strengthen your hands (especially the V between the ring finger and pinky) is as follows:
Start with the pinky of your left hand on C then stretch your ring finger to E and play F with your middle finger G with your index and A with your thumb then go back down, with the same fingering but end with your pinky on D and repeat the same pattern (ring finger stretches over one key to F) go up a couple octaves with this pattern and on the way down instead of skipping a key in between the pinky and ring skip between thumb and index, and the same pattern applies to the right hand except skip between the thumb and index on the way up and pinky and ring on the way down.

[classicalpianist]

I learnt piano and then violin, so I've gone the opposite way - huge lack of flexibility in my bowing shoulder, elbow and wrist! Can anyone help me out there?

A great exercise to strengthen all your fingers is to hold your hand out as if you were holding an apple, with your fingers outstretched and curved. Then with your fingers in this position, place your fingertips up against a wall and lean towards it, supporting your body weight with your fingers. Also, if you are that way inclined, you can buy small machines with spring tension designed to strengthen your fingers - but I found that the cheap way works just as good! Also, it does help to play some pieces with a lot of left hand movement - like Bach's two and three part inventions, or preludes and fugues if you are more advanced. Just get used to playing more than chords in your left hand.

[PianoSlave]

left hand is the scourge of this 16 year self taught vet. I'd tell you what works for me but because im self taught I have been told I have terrible habbits(they are right been doing it to long to try changing. However, The one thing that I find works great is to cross my right over my left hand play the part in the left hand with my more dominate right to insure I have the timing and sound down then I just grind it out with the left. However, As a disclaimer this ends up making music you write yourself stink of your hands.

Try Hanon the viruoso pianist, it has looooooaads of exersises to help various aspects of piano playing, the best for 4th and 5th fingers is playing in thirds.

[ace of spades]

A method I use is to first warm my fingers up with a repeated 5-note rhytm with like 16th notes, say you were in c major it would be c, d, e, f, g, f, e etc...... anyways then go back in forth like c,d c,e, c,f etc... then you could go the oppoiste like g,f g,e etc... and of course doing your scales and arpeggios in different keys also helps alot

[noobdrummer]

hello there, i am grade 5 on the piano, basically play lots of arpegios over an over agen agen agen and agen. also, scales are good too. oh ye, and also put ur 5 left hand fingers/thumb on the keyboard anywhere. then just go 1(thumb) 2(index, u get the drift) 3,4,5,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 .etc, then try and get all the notesat an even tempo especially ur weaker fingers that you mentioned. you could always try doing it to a metronome.

[TheInfamousFlatline]

one word: HANON.

(he wrote very very good exercises for pianists to improve strength and speed)