I recently had a new adult student come into my studio wanting to learn Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.” I teach the piece often and suggested an effective fingering for a passage she was struggling with. She expressed horror upon seeing it because my fingering would require the use of her fourth finger. “But my fourth finger is weak!”

She had somehow managed to get all the way to late intermediate repertoire while avoiding the use of this digit. Why was she so afraid of her fourth finger? The myth of “finger independence.”

What is finger independence?

Finger independence is the belief that each of the fingers can be trained to be equally “strong” by applying calisthenic-like exercises to them. Usually vast quantities of Hanon and other etudes are prescribed.

The term is so frequently used in piano methods that when I read an article on “interdependence” a decade ago my brain immediately autocorrected it to “independence” and I was confused for half the article until I realized my mistake.

The structure of our hand is miraculous. In his book, “The Hand”  Frank R. Wilson argues that the evolutionary development of the hand is what separates us from other primates and is responsible for making us human. He profiles rock climbers who use their hands for gross motor tasks and jewelers who use them for fine motors skills. But much of his focus is on musicians as we represent the pinnacle of fine motor coordination.

‘Strong’ fingers

Our fingers have no muscles. Muscles in the forearm connect to tendons which are responsible for extension (straightening) and flexion (curling) of the fingers. The flexors run along the palm side of the arm, the extensors the top (dorsal). The intrinsic muscles of the hand also play an important role. Studies of grip strength show that the 2nd and 4th fingers are equal in their ability to grip yet we still experience a mechanical disadvantage when trying to use the fourth finger at the piano. This is because in playing we need both to lift and drop the fingers.

If you make a fist you’ll find that all the fingers flex without constraint. This is because the flexors are attached in the same way to the hand.

However, if you place the fingers on top of the fallboard and attempt to lift them independently you’ll find that the 2nd finger can lift easily enough, the 3rd and 5th less so, and the 4th finger barely at all.

This is due to the way the tendons responsible for extension are connected to the hand.

A brief (hopefully painless) anatomy lesson

The tendon most responsible for extension is the extensor digitorum. You can feel it working if you lift your fingers and touch the top of your forearm.  It passes through the wrist and then divides into three strands.

The first strand ties to the second finger.

The second strand ties to the third finger.

The third strand connects to the fourth finger.

The fifth finger does not get a branch of its own but it does get its own extensor tendon (extensor digiti minimi).

All is well until we notice that there are connections between fingers 3, 4 and 5. This greatly limits the ability of the fourth finger to lift on its own. The third and fifth fingers can lift better than the 4th but not as easily as the 2nd.

This has caused so much frustration for pianists that they have been known to take extreme measures including practicing pain-inducing etudes, wearing finger weights, and even undergoing surgery to sever these connections. Although there are other theories as to the cause of Robert Schumann’s ailments, the story is that he created a device to “strengthen” his fourth finger which injured his hand to the extent he could no longer play.

“Isolation” exercises:

Due to a lack of understanding of our physiology teachers will often assign “independence” exercises in the hope the fingers can be equalized through strenuous repetition. In these exercises the fingers are held down with one finger lifting as high as possible in an isolated manner.

Our forearm muscles were designed in pairs so that when one muscle contracts the other releases and lengthens. By using the flexors and extensors simultaneous an antagonistic pull (co-contraction) of the muscles occur causing strain. The weight of the hand is down, yet the finger must pull up against this weight. The fourth finger is particular stressed by these types of “exercises” as it must go to the extreme range of it’s motion. As a result these “exercises” are a common cause of injury amongst pianists.

The misguided belief is that a virtuosic technique is the result of many hours spent building muscles as if playing the piano were a gross motor activity like sport or rock climbing. Yet we have child prodigies who can play with the speed and power of an adult. This is because virtuosic playing is not a result of muscle building but of coordination.

If isolation and “strengthening” exercises aren’t the solution what is?

Despite these limitations many pianists have managed to play with ease and facility into their 90’s and beyond without pain or fatigue. The solution is working with, rather than against the biomechanical design of the body.

1. Playing down: The first thing to recognize is that the keyboard is below, not above the hand. The fingers need only lift so much as to cause the key to descend.

2. Lift all available fingers: When the non-playing fingers are lifted together as a unit by the hand and forearm they are able to lift the same degree and height without strain.

For instance, if I am playing legato between fingers 2 and 3 I will lift not only the 3rd finger but the 4th and 5th as well. In my studies with Dr. Teresa Dybvig she regularly asks if all the fingers are lifting and dropping at the same time. No one need stay behind.

3. The use of the forearm: When the forearm is balanced behind each of the fingers they feel equally strong. Rather than relying on the fingers to depress the key on their own, the weight and speed of the forearm can be responsible for key depression.

4. Forearm rotation: As was first discussed by Tobias Matthay and later greatly expanded by Dorthy Taubman, rotating the forearm at the elbow joint is capable of lifting the fingers well above key level without even involving the fingers.

When the fingers actively lift and drop simultaneously with the rotation of the forearm considerable height can be obtained without strain or the need to straighten the knuckles.

It is through maximizing the coordination and interdependence of our playing mechanism that we are able reach the greatest heights of virtuosity.

Please let me know if you enjoyed this post. Questions and comments welcomed!