On Jun 19, 9:21 am, Lie Ryan <lie.1...@gmail.com> wrote: > On 06/18/11 03:53, Xah Lee wrote: > > > > > On Jun 15, 5:43 am, rusi <rustompm...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> On Jun 15, 5:32 pm, Dotan Cohen <dotanco...@gmail.com> wrote: > > >>> Thanks. From testing small movements with my fingers I see that the > >>> fourth finger is in fact a bit weaker than the last finger, but more > >>> importantly, it is much less dexterous. Good to know! > > >> Most of the piano technique-icians emphasis, especially those of the > >> last century like Hanon, was to cultivate 'independence' of the > >> fingers. The main target of these attacks being the 4th finger. > > >> The number of potential-pianists who ruined their hands and lives > >> chasing this holy grail is unknown > > > Hi rusi, am afaid going to contradict what u say here. > > > i pretty much mastered Hanon 60. All of it, but it was now 8 years > > ago. The idea that pinky is stronger than 4th is silly. I can't fathom > > any logic or science to support that. Perhaps what u meant is that in > > many situations the use of pinky can be worked around because it in at > > the edge of your hand so you can apply chopping motion or similar. > > (which, is BAD if you want to develope piano finger skill) However, > > that's entirely different than saying pinky being stronger than 4th. > > > there's many ways we can cookup tests right away to see. e.g. try to > > squeeze a rubber ball with 4th and thumb. Repeat with pink + thumb. > > Or, reverse exercise by stretching a rubber band wrapped on the 2 > > fingers of interest. You can easy see that pinky isn't stronger. > > Except that the actual finger strength themselves are not very relevant; > the dexterity of the fingers turned out to matter more because pressing > the keys in a keyboard does not actually take a lot of power.
Actually there are 3 factors: strength, dexterity and independence. Speaking somewhat simplistically, strength corresponds to how hard one can hit a note, dexterity to how fast one can play, independence to.. well independence :-) eg fugal/multi-voice music needs more independence -- both physical and intellectual -- than harmony/chord based music In Bach's introduction to his 2 and 3 part inventions he indicates his intention: An honest guide, wherewith lovers of the clavier, and especially those anxious to learn, are shown a clear method not only how to learn to play neatly in two parts, but further to play correctly and well in three obbligato parts; and at the same time not only to acquire good inventiones (ideas) but to work them out well; but above all to get a cantabile style of playing and in addition to get a strong taste for composition. Likewise in Donald F Tovey's commentary on the fugue in Beethoven's Hammerklavier he cautions: "It is three voices, not two fists that unite..." -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
