-Different fingers can be stretched and strengthened as a piece of music is played in a new key. As you become familiar with the motions and are able to remain relaxed, you can then speed up. These exercises are going to strengthen your fingers that are weak. Most importantly, start slow for every exercise, so you don’t accumulate bad habits. Do these 8 exercises before moving on to scales. While having your hands at playing level though not actually on the keys, prepare (bend) the knuckle closest to the finger … Digi-Flex Finger and Hand Exercises: This article, written by About.com’s physical therapy expert and reviewed by a board-certified physician details 6 awesome exercises for a musician’s hands and fingers that uses a Digi-Flex, an inexpensive device designed specifically for exercising the hands. Watch the video and follow along. The main purpose of doing finger strength exercises for the piano is to strengthen your weaker fingers. It’s a rather fun drill to do. Finger/hand Independence Exercises . You will go very slow in the beginning and only be focusing on hitting all of the notes. Velocity exercises 3. Make sure you visit our Introduction to First Piano Lessons before you start! BEST PIANO FINGER STRENGTHENING EXERCISES (HOW TO BUILD PIANO FINGER INDEPENDENCE) // Struggling with piano finger independence? The best approach would be to start slow, and then gradually gain speed as you go along. I’m sure other people have done this first, but I find this helpful. This is another one of those piano finger exercises that sounds easy and simple, but really takes practice to master. When you are confident with the left hand, add the right hand. In absence of any such device, you can just hold your hands with fingers spread and try to make claws by slowly and smoothly contacting finger muscles. Let me know in the comment section! That said, the hand is powered by about 30 muscles, and they can grow stronger and more flexible with a variety of exercises. Chris Senner is a passionate keyboardist, songwriter & blogger from Milwaukee, WI. I’ve been playing keyboards for over 20 years and this is the place that I love to share my knowledge. 4. As the notes go up, the wrist scoops down; as the notes go down, the wrist is in an over motion. My answer is the viewpoint of someone who has tried to reach the very top. Exercise 5. Everyone begins with low finger dexterity and won’t have the control that they desire early on. This is the purpose of drills and exercises. Afterwards, you can move on to other kinds of finger exercises. To learn to use the arms, hands, fingers, and wrists correctly, finger exercises are more effective than actual pieces, since exercises are often designed to target one technique and their simple structure is less distracting. You can incorporate some finger exercises into your warm-up routine. Exercises to Develop the Strength, Flexibility, and Agility of Each Finger. This exercise helps with keeping the proper hand shape necessary to play the piano and keeping the hand in one position without moving around too much. Practice the left hand by itself first. Place your hand on the table (or whatever surface) as though you were resting your fingers on the keys. These are my picks as they aim towards a fun curriculum that adults will enjoy. Once you have learned the Top 5 c minor piano finger exercises above you can continue tolearn how to build piano finger strength by practicing the same 5 exercises in the following ways as demonstrated in the video tutorial above:. Keep the same finger down and do 20 reps per finger. Having stronger fingers will help you greatly when it comes to playing difficult classical pieces or jazz pieces. Are you a classical music fan looking to learn some easy piano songs. And you won’t even have to purchase any music to learn them. Best Digital Pianos & Keyboards In 2020 – All Price Points, Free Sheet Music Websites That Offer Legal Music, Best Video Game Songs To Learn To Play On Piano, How To Make A Piano Cover Video: The Ultimate Guide, How To Write A Melody On Piano That Will Stick, What Is A Soundcheck & How To Properly Do One, Music Streaming Statistics 2020 – Newest Data + Infographic, Best Fake Books For Piano – All Genres Of Music, Prepared Piano – A Complete Guide To This Technique, Best Ways To Learn To Play The Piano In 2020. Instructors swear by scales as they have so many different benefits to the pianist. Simply click on the video links below for a detailed piano video tutorial on each finger exercise. Again, start slow, then gradually speed up. When playing the piano, improved dexterity in your hands and fingers can have an enormously positive effect on your ability. Once kids have mastered the correct hand position, there are a whole host of finger exercises that they can do, both to strengthen the fingers and practice the correct hand position. As well as these exercises, to ensure proper technique and guard against strain you should also make the following habit: Check your body posture is correct as you sit at the piano. In the beginning, you need to supplement learning songs with drills and scales. You will go up and down the scale while keeping your thumb down. To help you strengthen finger independence, Michelle shows you three exercises in the following video. As you start to get good at this, start to mess with different and more challenging rhythms. One thing that many people…, Right now, there are over 322 million paid subscribers to music streaming services. If you never develop your finger strength you will be dead in the water on the harder classical pieces. Again, do it slowly and familiarize yourself with the hand motions. I recommend checking out Youtube for videos and also grabbing a book that is all scales. Finger exercises are a very important part of learning to play the piano but as they need to be played regularly, they can become boring. 1. They are especially helpful for improving fine motor skills after a neurological event like stroke or brain injury. He's toured the country with Vinyl Theatre & now has developed a passion for writing about all things keyboards. Thus, we will discuss the Best Piano Exercises for Finger Strength in this content. Before you go for any performance or activity which involves your body, the warm up session is important. In particular, finger exercises are described as “dangerous”. This will take you months to get good at. Piano Book. Having good dynamics is what takes you to the next level. While holding that note down, pick another finger on the same hand, and start hitting a note over and over. It helps to reduce pain and discomfort. This exercise also makes the fingers supple such that they move across the keys of the piano swiftly. And while some students have more advanced finger dexterity, others struggle. Finger Gripping Exercise: Get any cheap adjustable strength gripping device for your fingers and use it on a regular basis before and after your piano practice sessions. , open the fallboard and do the same thing on the piano. Once you start to master this drill, you will notice that your finger strength has greatly improved. As you get better you will want to use both hands at once and then start using a metronome. The Piano Exercises Plan: With my beginning piano students, I use the following 8 exercises in progressive order for developing finger ability and technique from the beginning. Classical pianist and guru of piano teaching, Charles Louis Hanon, recommended that all aspiring pianists practice scales daily to improve finger strength and dexterity. For many, the left hand is often the weak hand. My teacher called these drills the Frankenstein drills because these drills really help your stiff fingers. A key element of the piano finger exercises is the focus on the daily repetitions of strengthening hands and fingers. Exercises designed to develop strength, flexibility and agility, and coordinated page-by-page with Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course. The primary idea is to instil independence and flexibility in the performing digits, allowing every pianist's internal virtuoso out onto the musical stage. You must learn to strengthen then so you can play piano better. EXERCISES AT THE PIANO. Rocket Piano Review – Is It Any Good In 2020. To be able to play fast, we need to be familiar with the correct hand motions. Here you can apply the same ideas in a piece. See Michelle’s demonstrations of these motions in this video. In short, finger exercises, like scales and arpeggios, are important building blocks of musicianship. His book, The Virtuoso Pianist has remained a major source of inspiration for piano lessons since 1873, so we can assume that there is some truth in that. Hand or finger problems can be a result of repetitive hand movements, osteoarthritis, trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, or even your hand and wrist position. If finger strength is something you need help with, run through these piano finger exercises right when you sit down to practice. This is because these fingers aren’t used in the beginning as much as your other fingers. This will make your brain think and it will help establish some chemistry with your fingers and your brain. Stretch only until you feel tightness. 2. Here is some advice that I have when it comes to playing piano scales. Having weak fingers also leads to having bad technique when it comes to being able to play songs with the proper dynamics. The main purpose of doing finger strength exercises for the piano is to strengthen your weaker fingers. Play each exercise Legato or smoothly and connecting each note. There is no drill that has helped me strengthen my fingers more than this one. Do I Need To Develop Finger Strength To Be Good? Warm up session of fingers. its stores in the country listed above). Your email address will not be published. For example, take your pointer finger and hold a note down. Learning a bunch of different songs will help develop your finger strength, but only to a certain point. So when should you practice these exercises? Mastering scales is something you will need to do in order to reach your full potential with this instrument. Scales are the holy grail for pianists. New here? As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Slowly increase your speed with your metronome and work on playing as legato or smooth as you possibly can. First of all, let’s do some warm up exercises without the piano. I, personally, have always found these drills to be quite frustrating as they really push you. These exercises isolate weak fingers like 4 and 5 in both hands and slowly build up strength over time to help with a balanced and steady sound. Once you completed this 3 times in a row on your thumb, go to your 2 finger or your pointer finger on your right hand. The final section provides traditional scales and arpeggios in a notated format with fingering. This is a good exercise for strengthening the independence of all five fingers, not just the outer ones. The fifth and final exercise is also from Philipp’s School of Technic, and it’s the most hideous-sounding. Below, we’ll take a look at some exercises for warm-up, speed, finger independence, and excerpts targeted at finger independence and many people’s weakest link, left hand. And increasing the strength and reach of your fingers … This exercise touches on how to play fast passages successfully, which is essentially exaggerating the circular and rotational motions needed to play the passage at a slow tempo, and minimize the motions to speed up. Practicing them often helps develop finger strength. Regularly check in between songs/exercises to maintain posture. Fundamentals The best place to start introducing piano fingering exercises is major and minor scales. What’s crazy about this stat…. This is a very useful exercise, for beginners as well as more experienced players. Instead of tapping my fingers, I do this exercise. These exercises help you relax the parts that you will be using to play the piano (fingers, hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders) and settle your mind into the practice mode. Here are my favorite classical beginner piano songs that you can learn for free. 3. If you’re struggling to play certain chords in your left hand, this is because your fingers aren’t as strong as they need to be. It can be done anywhere. Do not lift your thumb up. I want to start this article by saying, I am a musician has played in major label touring…, Today I am going to be breaking down the best video game songs that you can learn on…, Piano Cover Videos are a rabbit hole that we have all climbed into at one point of our…, One of my favorite topics to talk about in music is the art of writing melodies. Regardless of their abilities, young piano students benefit greatly from exercises designed to zero in on fine motor skill development. When you go faster, minimize the rocking motion and propel forward quickly. Your right hand is in circular motions as you play up and down the scale. Hanon & Czerny Piano Exercise Books. I call these finger hammer drills because your fingers are acting as mini hammers slamming into the keys. Again, feel free to play this one hand at a time. For beginning students, pentascales are 5-note scales that can be introduced early-on. Furthermore, hand strengthening exercises like these can also help prevent conditions like arthritis from getting worse. To learn the fundamentals of learning the piano, such as finger techniques, reading piano scores, basic theory, chords and harmony, check out Michelle's course on Learn Classical Piano - Beginners. Now the fingers that are typically the weakest will be your ring and pinky fingers. Introduction to Guitar for Complete Beginners, Making the Most of Your Practice: The Metronome (Part 1), Strange Fruit: Black Lives in American Music, How to Help Musicians During Times of Quarantine, An Introduction to Latin Music: Cumbia History. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This exercise helps with keeping the proper hand shape necessary to play the piano and keeping the hand in one position without moving around too much. This motion is used throughout the exercise. Many pieces, such as works by Johannes Brahms, require one hand playing two voices, with one voice held down while the other voice continues. Make a Fist. You will notice that some are easier than others. If you do this while you’re doing your other material, you will see huge jumps in finger dexterity. Like athletes, musicians need good control of their muscles, and strong muscles can prevent injury. The exercise trains hand independence, which is also seen in actual pieces, where one hand plays legato melodies and the other plays staccato accompaniment. This is something that you don’t need to spend a ton of time on, but it will definitely take you to the next level. These Top 5 Piano Exercises to Build Strength are very short, easy and fun to learn. Piano teachers have been using Hanon & Czerny piano exercises for well over 100 years for a reason. Hanon & Czerny piano finger exercises have been meticulously crafted to provide the perfect level of practice for piano players of all levels of skill. #1. You might ask, why should I do finger exercises? Scales are the step-by-step sequencing of the notes found in … Remember to switch hands so both hand get to play staccato and legato. Pianists are constantly drawing circles. Your email address will not be published. This is a great exercise for beginner to advanced students. Practice finger strength! Building strength and dexterity in young piano students can be a really enjoyable part of their lesson! Once you are able to do this in your right hand, start to do this with your left hand. Again, go slowly at first and make sure your hand does not tense up. KeyboardKraze.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon (i.e. Effective piano fingering exercises deliver not only strength and flexibility to a player, but also a greater understanding of how music works in general. The exercises are fun to do on the piano and provide a visual treat, yet they can be tricky and challenge your hand independence. With the sound as feedback, you can hear if each of your fingers is hitting the key with the same force. Finger Power exercises, like pentascales and hand-over-hand chords, build strength… Everyone begins with low finger dexterity and won’t have the control that they desire early on. Hand and finger exercises can help strengthen your hands and fingers, increase your range of motion, and give you pain relief. Warm up exercises 2. If your finger you’re trying to hold down keeps lifting up, decrease your speed and just focus on getting through the exercise. Do you have any experience when it comes to playing the piano? Having strong fingers will make everyday tasks easier. 1. In this article we talk about the importance of finger exercises, when to do them, a warm-up routine, three finger/hand independence exercises, and three excerpts targeted to train speed, accuracy, and the left hand. This is why so many instructors will go back and master the classic songs that they learned when they were younger. This is one that I actually made up. … Hand therapy exercises can help improve strength and dexterity in the hands and fingers. With repetition, you can train your muscles, just … The first exercise is done on the fallboard.. This is completely normal and shouldn’t be something that discourages you. You should use all five fingers, and use both hands, so that the pattern stays the same. The first exercise is so good because it can be done anywhere. This will be extremely hard for new pianists. In recent times, an almost paranoid aversion to injuries has given rise to varous technical methods which are geared more towards protecting the fingers than towards achieving a convincing musical performance. These exercises can be a workout! These exercises make a great warm-up and conditioner for the hands This is basically the Frankenstein drills, only you do reps with each finger. So make sure to rest and relax your fingers after each one. That’s why it’s crucial to build the strength of your fingers. The easy answer is, yes. You will notice three 5-finger patterns: G, C, and D. As you play, listen closely to ensure each finger is going into the keys with equal amount of weight from the arm. Two Piano Exercises for One Hand on Top. When you first start playing the piano you will notice that your fingers are incredibly weak. Finger Stretches: This need to be done before you even start playing the piano instrument so that the muscles of the fingers are adequately warmed up before the actual playing starts. Your left hand moves a rotational motion; Rock the wrist and hand back and forth. To do this, you will want to take your 1 finger on your right hand, which is your thumb and place it on middle C. Once you do this you hold middle C down and play D, E, F, G with rest of your fingers completing a five note scale. This can be dancing, aerobics, football playing or cricket match. Utilize both isometric and dynamic strength-training activities. Climbers, bodybuilders, and others who use their hands and fingers for strenuous physical activity may also want to exercise fingers to increase strength. Here are the best ways to strengthen your fingers for the piano. The fourth and fifth fingers are often the weakest fingers when playing piano. I think…, Everyone has gone to see their favorite musicians perform at a musical venue. To help you strengthen finger independence, Michelle shows you three exercises in the following video. These help you play to faster tempos and they also build your finger strength up at the same time. Finger/hand independence exercises. If you are looking for adult piano books, here are my favorites. Your left hand may be weaker if it’s not your dominant hand, so don’t be discouraged. You will see something like this in a piece, where the left hand plays fast passages full of 16th notes. The key here is to keep your hand relax when it’s holding the half notes while playing the top repeated notes. This is a good drill because it builds finger strength in fingers that are typically weaker. She is currently a PhD candidate in Historical Musicology at the University of Iowa. Putting the Power in Your Piano Playing. Playing the piano well has many levels of competence and achievement which are perfectly enjoyable and worthwhile. An exercise that I was taught, have seen many times, and also have used with others. Doing drills and exercises may not be as fun as actually playing, but if you do them, playing is going to be a lot more fun! She then went to the United States and has been trained in several fields at the graduate level; she has received her Master of Music in Musicology from the Florida State University, Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Master of Arts in Comparative Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shih-Ni (Sidney) Prim enjoys researching, playing, and listening to music. To help you with finger exercises, this article explains the importance of finger exercises, provides you with several warm-up and finger/hand independence exercises (with or without the piano), and leaves you with three useful excerpts. Disclaimer: There may be affiliate links on this page and others. Practice away from the piano to build strength. Growing up in Taiwan, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages and Literatures from National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. By Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, and Amanda Vick Lethco. This is where it gets hard. This exercise also improves the extension between the ring finger and the pinky finger. This exercise can strengthen the left hand. Try these two piano exercises, which give you some practice with top/bottom hand positions. Play this excerpt slowly to familiarize yourself with the motions and then gradually speed up. Remember the exercise we did on the fallboard? Play with firm finger position. When you play all the excerpts, try to remember the motions in each hand. , you will play a simple C 5-finger pattern with two hands playing different articulations—legato or staccato. Your Source for MIDI Controllers, Digital Pianos, and Keyboards. Learning a bunch of different songs will help develop your finger strength, but only to a certain point. This helps in bringing your blood circulation in perfect order. 1. Here is a catchy little finger strengthening exercise perfect for first piano lessons, that is excellent for developing and increasing finger … A solid program will introduce technique exercises early on that will help improve finger dexterity and independence. Required fields are marked *. 11 Piano Exercises for Beginners Covering The Pentascales. It is my opinion that strengthening your fingers as a beginner is one of the more important things that you can do. Moreover, finger exercises, similar to strength training for athletes, can improve finger strength, flexibility, dexterity, and coordination; these things can then improve speed, musicality, and overall performance when you are playing musical works. Got a few minutes spare at work? How to Build Piano Finger Strength. The exercises in the book help build not only virtuosity, but also extreme steadiness of the fingers. Do this until you hit every finger. Two key components for exercising fingers include a balance of isometric and dynamic training activities. Basically, you raise one or two fingers at a time with the rest of the fingers on the board. In order to improve flexibility and strength in this area, use stretches and exercises both while you are at the piano, and while you are away from it.