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#2799419 01/07/19 04:11 PM
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The last joint of my left hand fifth finger is bent when naturally held,, unlike my right hand, so I hv difficulty for playing with it, how should I cope with it?


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Do I understand it right that you can't straighten the last joint of your left fifth finger at all?

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Put your thumb on F and fifth finger on B a bit away from the key end.
Without lifting and moving your thumb, try to glide your fifth finger as slowly as possible on the key top towards yourself.

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I can straighten " all " my fingers voluntarily, but when my hand is held in it's natural way in the air by my side, which is the right posture for piano playing, the third joint or last part of my fifth finger is too curved or with an angle or bent when laid on the keyboard.


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Originally Posted by shadighaffari
I can straighten " all " my fingers voluntarily, but when my hand is held in it's natural way in the air by my side, which is the right posture for piano playing, the third joint or last part of my fifth finger is too curved or with an angle or bent when laid on the keyboard.

There will be a specialist exercise physiologist who specialises in hands and fingers - make an appointment! You'll be given exercises to fix any problems.

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And I hv this problem only in my left hand fifth finger, in my right hand the fifth finger is ok.As a result I can't play arpeggios comfortably or fast with my left hand.


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With regard to yr question, I can straighten " all " my fingers together, or even straighten the fifth finger separately, but when I hold my hand in it's natural way hanging by my side in it's relaxed way, which is the right posture for piano playing, the third joint or the last part of my fifth finger is curved, like an angle, it is bent, when laid on the keyboard, unlike my right hand fifth finger.As a result I hv trouble to play comfortably, because I land on tip behind the nails which creates tension, or I hv to make an effort to try put that finger flat, to be on the fleshy part on the keyboard, which takes time, and causes the knuckle or bridge of the fifth to be flat or collapsed.


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I am afraid a doctor or physiologist, can't help with an exercise, because an exercise won't change the form of my fifth finger third joint which is bent, and differs from my right fifth finger, and I am afraid to risk with an operation.


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Originally Posted by shadighaffari
With regard to yr question, I can straighten " all " my fingers together, or even straighten the fifth finger separately, but when I hold my hand in it's natural way hanging by my side in it's relaxed way, which is the right posture for piano playing, the third joint or the last part of my fifth finger is curved, like an angle, it is bent, when laid on the keyboard, unlike my right hand fifth finger.As a result I hv trouble to play comfortably, because I land on tip behind the nails which creates tension, or I hv to make an effort to try put that finger flat, to be on the fleshy part on the keyboard, which takes time, and causes the knuckle or bridge of the fifth to be flat or collapsed.

It may be because of shorter flexor tendon in your fifth finger, or, less likely, due to some local neurological problem. Anyway I think there isn't much that can be done about it besides daily gentle stretching and countless hours of playing the piano. Just make sure that you always depress keys with proper part of the finger. Tension will slowly diminish.

Playing the chromatic scale with fingers 345 is very good for training the fifth finger.

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I think I should try to play the fifth finger with the fleshy part of my fifth finger, and not the tip behind the nails, to avoid the angular form, which builds tension in my hand but then I can't build up the speed. Generally i can't practice too long, because it puts on the contrary more pressure on that finger. For examplel Hanon exercises aggravate it, but playing musical pieces put less pressure, depending on the pattern of the fingers used.For example arpeggios are more difficult and I can't accerlate them, I want to play Mendelssohn prelude in e minor, but I know I will never be able to accerlate the arpeggios.I think I should try to avoid stiffness in that last joint but at the same time make a conscious effort to lay it less curved on the keyboard, which is a very difficult balance to observe.


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I guess your finger has always been this way? or did you notice it only when checking for natural position because of keyboard problems? I ask because I used to think my fifth fingers were naturally odd, but it turned out that tension-filled playing, typing etc. had given them a habit that made them seem as if their default position was out of line. It took some months of technique retraining before they could relax and be normal.


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jdw #2799956 01/09/19 03:59 AM
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No, the last joint of my fifth finger is like that when naturally held in a relaxed way with my arm and hand hanging by my side, the tip of it is a little bent, so when I lay it on the keyboard it is like that, and even held in the air it is like that.


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Ok--just be aware that it's possible for induced tension to be so ingrained that it will not relax voluntarily and will appear to be natural.


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jdw #2800105 01/09/19 12:56 PM
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I don't know, but the tip of it is bent, when I hold my hand in it's natural way hanging by my side, unlike the right hand which is normal.But what kind of exercise can one do to dispell the tension even if it is so ingrained that I can't be aware of it. I don't do any typing.


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I think only a teacher experienced in ergonomic piano technique would know how to address this. If it really is the natural shape of your finger, they may be able to coach you in how to use it effectively for playing. If it's from tension, they would know how to deal with it. If it's possible for you, I'd consider getting a consultation from the Golandsky Institute via Skype.

I don't think there are exercises that can eliminate tension by themselves. In my case, it took some weeks of technique retraining before I was ready and able to do the following and have it release the tension in my hands. I doubt that it would be useful to you, since your finger is bent when you feel it to be fully relaxed. I spent a whole week doing nothing but this: play 5; stop and make sure there is no pressure or tension anywhere; play 4 (using rotation); stop and sense the 5th finger till it relaxes and feels empty; play 3 etc., doing the same at every point. After that week my hands had a totally new feeling--but again, this may not be relevant to your problem.


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Originally Posted by shadighaffari
I can straighten " all " my fingers voluntarily

One thing is for sure - you don't have a flexion deformity or contracture or mallet finger.

You need a teacher who can work with you.


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Yes, I can straighten all my fingers voluntarily, but you can't play the piano with the fingers all straightened, the hand should have the natural form when your arm is naturally hanging by your side, and unfortunately in that position the tip is bent, and I can't play with my left hand with a flat or straight fifth finger and curved fourth, third, and second finger. I sometimes think my fifth finger in the left hand is much shorter compared with the fourth and third besides it, it is not in line like a circle, it lays much more behind the fourth and third finger with its slightly bent tip.


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jdw #2800631 01/10/19 06:00 PM
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As a matter of fact I hv seen some video clips on utube by Edna Goldanski, regarding forearm rotation, and curving versus curling fingers. I never do curling, except for that finger which is like that against my will, and I try to put it flat on the key which takes time and effort, and creates somehow tension.


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shadighaffari, so you can voluntarily straighten your fifth finger, but it's more difficult for you and it requires more tension to straighten fifth finger compared to straightening of other fingers, right?

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Yes, I can straighten all my fingers toether, but as I said u don't play the piano with straightened fingers, the hand posture should be the way yr hand is held naturally hanging by your side, in that position the tip of my fifth finger is too curved, so in order not to land on the bent tip, I hv to make a conscious effort to lay it flat on the key, which makes the fourth, third and second finger to get straightened as well, and this only when I want to play a single note with the fifth finger, for chords that u use all fingers together, lets say fifth, fourth second and thumb like in e minor arpeggio, my fifth finger is bent and I can't do anything about it.My fifth finger if I want to play with its natural form becomes like a cube, which is very uncomfortable.Unfortunately most teachers think it is not a problem playing with a curled and angular shaped fifth finger, and they can't realise the problem.


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