Hello everybody, hope you all had a good Christmas. I was suprised by mine. Not expecting much it actually turned out great

Anyways,
I was wondering if there are any informaiton on required strength of fingers for playing. My piano teacher seems to think that strength or flexibility exercises aren't important, practice is all that is required. Though I'm thinking that sometimes a fair amount of control is required for softer notes and having more control through strength would be better?

Am I talking rubbish? Am I just looking for an excuse to buy a stress ball to squeeze all day?

Ideas and thoughts most welcome!

This is a good question. I feel it depends on personal circumstances. I was 38 when, after a long absence of many years from the piano I finally decided it was time to do grade eight and this was always an ambition of mine. I found that because I was so rusty, exercises were vital. I used a combination of Hanon, Beringer and Tankard. Also, it is important to make up your own exercises from the pieces that you are playing especially when you encounter specific difficulties in that piece. Personally, I really enjoy exercises but I would say that with regard Hanon, play them in all the keys. They are published in C major only! Also, practise all scales with C major fingering. This is an idea from the Beringer exercises which I found really helpful because it wasn't easy! It did help an awful lot though.

Good luck!

I agree with your teacher that it is about practise and you have to practise in a correct way.

I once believed that I can acquire finger strength by doing some other excercise, when I was young, I bought ..a guitar accessories (I dont know how to call it) to squeeze and my fingers were so powerful..but they were too stress when playing piano and my hands looked so ugly even the fingers made a nice sound. (like a construction worker stressful hands on piano key..) So..please dont ruin your hands and fingers like I did.

My new piano teacher works hard to correct my hands gesture from a long time habit caused by a wrong belief and wrong practise. For finger strength, she made me practise scales and arpeggios in many different tempo especially very slow tempo and this way I can pay attention to my hand gestures as well.
Now when I play,the fingers are much better, no fatique, no pain, no stress, relax, natural, and more strengthful.

Hello,

I am nearly 30 and am having lessons again after 10 years. My piano teacher watched me play in my first lesson and immediately set me a programme of finger exercises and I can't believe I never did any before. They really help. She believes that flexibility and finger independence/strength are highly important for improving technique and control and I think she's right! She likens not doing finger exercises daily to someone playing sport without having warmed up. I am using Tankard, plus am now doing five finger exercises by someone Polish, whose name I can't spell, beginning with L! Letcheszchy or something like that!!

I hope that helps!

Jeanne