[Rob19]

I have recently passed my teaching diploma and started piano teaching and have found that most students seem to have a problem with weak fingers which are either flatr on the keys or collapse in at the knuckles every time they press a key. I have repeatedly made them aware of the problem, explained a good legato technique carries the weight from key to key instead of pushing heavily each individual key and have used exercises from hanon and tankard. And have run out of ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks. Rob.

[littlemisscrotchet]

What about trying to get them to get the weight of the hand 'behind' the finger they are playing.So that when you go up and down say c,d,e,f,g,f,e,d,c it produces a rocking motion of the wrist.
You could ask them to practise watching their fingers to not collapse. Show them what the right way of the hand postion is like-noting specific features such as only your finger tip is touching the keys;not the entire fleshy part and the nice curvature that the fingers make.Then show them the wrong way that they are playing it.
Ask them to practise daily putting their hand with thumb on middle c, 2nd on d etc and practising going up and down noting their exact hand shape and the part of their finger that is touching the key.
hope this helps
good luck!
Sheena
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Smile

[shafuska]

Hello,

From my experience [as a student], I think
that the Hanon exercises help a lot for legato
technique, and in general to develop strength & evenness. When I switched tutors a few months ago, my new virtuoso teacher told me (as no previous tutor
had said) that my fingers were "like macaroni".
She made me get the Hanon complete to exercise
every day -- it's a bit like going to the gym!
I feel, as a novice (I'm only doing grade 3),
that playing has a strong physical component & playing
several Hanon exercises every day constantly improves that. Maybe there is a quick recipe for the legato thing, but certainly the slow but steady grinding of the Hanon does no harm!

Michael

[Fantazmico]

I have been playing the keyboards for over 10 years now, and relying heavily on my ear, have never got round to learning how to read music. I wanted to know, if any of you could point me in the right direction to get hold of finger excercizes to improve my technique. My handicap obviously means I'd need these diagrammatic form. So far on the internet I've been unsuccesful finding anything of use!
Is there anyway I can improve my technique without being able to read music?

[JDPRobets]

Hi there, give Schmitt a try. It's a book full of finger exercises. Very dull but extremely effective.

[janetwilson]

Can't help with exercises, but as for the flat hand problem...
When my piano teacher was trying to explain hand position to children, she got them to cup their hand around their knee (...their own knee.. don't want to get you arrested here....) and then transfer hand, in same position, to the keyboard.
Perhaps you could ask them to do this at home each time they start to play, to remind themselves what their hand shape should be.
I found it helped to think of an eagle's claw (though they might just interpret that as a very stiff hand position, which I guess wouldn't help at all..)
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Janet

[frannie]

A big thank you to Gil for the advice and help with the fingering for a smooth two octaves in the C major scale with both hands. I have finally managed to do it, albeit very slowly, following her advice.