A Pianist's Secret

lies in the palm of his hand

(adapted from my Piano Course - Lesson 2)
1. Introduction
2. The Flexor Digitorium System
3. The Interossei
4. The aim of good Practice
5. Fundamental Guidelines
Piano Course on CD-ROM
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PS 1 - Introduction
Dr. Graham Williams, my former piano teacher and co-author of our Scales &
Arpeggios Book, commenced his Classical piano studies at an early age.
After 22 years of study and performances (including recitals on Australian
National radio) he obtained his PhD with a thesis on the piano music of the
famous contemporary French composer and (the late) Head of the Paris
Conservatoire Olivier Messiaen.
This thesis earned him a 3-year scholarship in Paris to study under Messiaen
and his world renown piano teacher wife Yvonne Loriod. After greeting him on
his arrival at the airport they immediately took him to the studio, placed him
on the piano stool and explained (as Graham years later with a great smile
related to me) :

"Now, Graham, the first thing you need to do

piano !"

is to learn to play the

"I almost fell of my stool!" Graham confessed to me.

"But you know what?!" he continued, "they were absolutely right!!"
For a full year Graham was confined to the small practice studio and not
allowed to make a single performance. During this period he learnt the piano
technique developed by Franz Liszt and passed on and kept alive in France
through renown teachers like Yvonne Loriod and Germaine Mounier.

The results were nothing less than spectacular : the birth of a rich and beautiful
crystal clear tone, an effortless fluidity and a rhythmic capability with which
he could master even the most demanding and complex Messiaen
compositions.
Years later I myself had the great fortune to learn this wonderful technique
from Graham , be it at a much more modest level of expectation and
competence. As a relative beginner it took me about 3 years (instead of 1) to
develop the technique, with greatly pleasing results in terms of touch, fluency
and tone.
Being a creative, research oriented thinker, I could follow and acknowledge the
various stages of development I went through and recognise the results. But
the question for me always remained : I understand what to do and how to do
it, but why is this so ?
For a full year I kept searching for the answer, questioning professionals from
the medical and physiotherapy fields and roaming through various books and
articles. The answer which I finally arrived at is as simple as it is conclusive.
I have always believed that understanding is the greatest motivator. Once you
understand why you should practice this or do that, you become deeply
motivated to follow through. This is the basis for both my Piano Technique
Course and my Saxophone Course.
For the Piano the secret to a fluent technique and strong, crystal clear tone, lies
in the palm of your hand, as I will explain to you below.
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PS 2 - The Flexor Digitorium System

Finger movements are largely controlled by two muscle systems.
The first system, the Flexor Digitorium system, is located in the upper
part of the forearm near the elbow. These muscles extend with long
tendons that run along the forearm, under the wrist all the way to the
knuckles and finger joints.
This muscle system enables us to have a firm hand grip, strong
enough to carry a suitcase, or even hold our entire body weight when
hanging from a horizontal bar (or tree branch).
This Flexor Digitorium system consists of :

the Flexors Digitorium Profundus, which run from the elbow along
the lower arm, through the 'carpal canal' under the wrist, to
the 1st finger joint (nearest the finger tip) of each finger.

the Lumbricals, branch off from the Flexors Digitorium Profundus at a

point within the hand palm and run to each knuckle joint.

the Flexors Digitorium Superficialis, also run from the elbow, along
the forearm, under the wrist, to the 2nd finger joint of each finger.
(They split near the end to let the Flexor Profundus tendon pass
through to the 1st finger joint.)

Above muscles are used to curve (and close) the fingers of the hand.
To do this however another set of muscles (the Flexor & Extensor Carpi)
must hold the wrist firm (therefore stiffen the wrist), otherwise the Flexor
Digitorium muscles would roll up the fingers, hand and wrist like a bamboo
curtain.

(The Extensors Digitorium muscles (not shown in above diagram) are

used to straighten the finger and knuckle joints, opening the hand.
These muscles and their tendons run from the elbow, over the wrist
and the back of the hand to connect with the knuckle and finger
joints via the Extensor Expansion sheet, that extends over the back of
each finger.
More about this muscle system below.)

The Flexor Digitorium muscle system is very powerful and we use it

continuously for most of our finger movements.
However these muscles are not suitable for a good piano finger
technique, because :
1. the muscles are located largely outside the hand, too far away
from the required delicate finger action.
2. they cause a degree of stiffening of the wrist.
3. the key stroke becomes a pushing action rather than a freely
rebounding gravity stroke.
This results in a lack of tone quality, resonance, clarity and
fluency .
4. excessive use of these muscles in piano playing can easily lead
to repetitive strain injury (rsi) and inflammation of the wrist.

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PS 3 - The Interossei
The second muscle system controlling finger movement is located
entirely within the hand.
It consists of the Palmar and Dorsal Interossei muscles. These are
grafted on either side of the metacarpal bone (palm bone) for each of
the four fingers and run to the finger bone (phalange) just past each
knuckle.

Used individually the Palmar interosseus pulls the finger sideways in

one direction, the Dorsal interosseus sideways in the opposite
direction.

When used simultaneously the Palmar and Dorsal Interossei flex the
knuckle joint forward (or, when the hand is in a horizontal position,
downward).
Most importantly these muscles are located entirely within the hand
palm, and therefore can flex the knuckle joint (and achieve a proper

finger action) without stiffening the wrist.

For a good finger action in piano playing we must therefore use the
Interossei muscles and flex the fingers from the knuckle joints. This
leaves the wrists relaxed and flexible.
There is however a problem
In every day finger movement the Interossei play only a secondary
and supportive role in flexing the knuckles.
The prime movers in knuckle flexion are the Lumbricals, for two
reasons :
1. When the knuckle joint is fully extended the Interossei are parallel to,
and in line with the palm and finger bone.

In this position the Interossei cannot start to flex the knuckle joint
forward (or downward).
The Lumbricals approach the finger bone at a larger angle than the
Interossei.
This means that they can flex the knuckle joint even when the knuckle
joint is fully extended.

The Lumbricals are therefore the starter muscles for the knuckle flex
action.
2. The Lumbricals, being an offshoots of the powerful Flexors
Digitorium Profundus are much stronger than the Interossei muscles.

We therefore rely on the Lumbricals to do most of the knuckle

movements throughout our daily activities, including our finger
actions on the keyboard.
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PS 4 - The aim of good Piano Practice

It now becomes clear that in order to develop a good finger technique
on the piano it is necessary to reverse nature.
You must upgrade the Interossei from weak supporting muscles to
become the Prime movers and learn to trust and rely on them in that
dominant function.
As this starts to happen the role of the Flexors Digitorium and
Lumbricals will gradually diminish to a secondary function involved
mainly when special play techniques require this.

To develop the Interossei muscles you must :

1. Always play with a good hand position.
The knuckle joint is not straight but slightly flexed.

In this position the Interossei can function as starter muscles.

2. Develop Interossei muscle strength.
Through regular technique practice as outlined in my Piano
Technique Course.

Gradually the Interossei will become stronger. You will notice this by
a most peculiar feeling within the palms of your hands : the interossei,
as they become thicker, are pushing out the palm bones widening your
hands.
Once the interossei have become strong enough to support the hand
and arm it is time for the flexors and lumbricals to phase out their
action. This mental step of trusting your fingers was for me at the
time the most difficult process.
Sooner or later however the brain will get the message and gradually
diminish and relax the flexors and let the interossei do the work . This

then frees up the wrist, enabling the development of tone, resonance,

clarity, great evenness and fluency in your playing.
Just playing piano regularly does not necessarily strengthen the
Interossei muscles.
But sustained regular practice of the right exercises in the correct
way will.
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PS 5 - Fundamental Guidelines
Good piano technique maximises the use of two sets of muscles.
1. The Interossei, to support the weight of the hand, arm or body and to
assist when required to the gravity keystroke.

2. the Extensors Digitorium, to lift the fingers off the keyboard after they
have played each note.
(Extensor Digitorium actions do not stiffen the wrist, as the natural
weight of the hand prevents any upwards flexing or instability of the
wrist.)

For a good finger technique follow these simple guidelines :

1. Keep the hands always over the keyboard (not in front of it)
with the thumbs pointing downwards, so that the weight of
the hand is supported by the fingers (Interossei).
2. Keep the hands balanced on the fingers, with a slight
forward pressure towards the piano. (This keeps the finger
joints locked in position.)

Never pull the hand backwards, for this either causes the
fingers to collapse, or, in an attempt to prevent this, will bring
the Flexor Digitorium muscles into action causing stiffening of
the wrist.
3. Use the knuckle joints for all finger action.
4. Use gravity, viz. the natural drop of the finger, hand or arm, as
the main source of energy.

http://www.jazclass.aust.com/piano/pianist.htm

Movement retraining is an exacting process. It requires consistent, careful

attention as the injured pianist develops awareness of the coordinate use of the
entire body to play every note. Describing this in detail requires a book (such as
my book "What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body," GIA
Publications). Individual instruction from an appropriate teacher is immensely
helpful, especially in the beginning stages. The time required for recovery varies
a lot, but some injured pianists who were unable to play at all have progressed
in six months to full, unrestricted playing with no pain. Others may take a
longer or shorter time. Much depends on the length and severity of the injury
and the dedication of the pianist.
I shall not describe movement retraining in further detail here, but
conclude conclude with three practical suggestions. The three principles I shall
offer are aimed more at prevention than cure, but if teachers inculcated these
habits in their students, we would see fewer injuries.
The first principle is to sit at the correct height and insist to students (or
their parents) that the bench at home be at the correct height. Some piano
methods do say things like "the forearm should be level when the student sits
erect without hunching the shoulders," which is correct; much the same advice
is found in any ergonomics text. If a person is not at the correct height, the body
is likely to compensate somewhere. A person sitting too low may hunch the
shoulders or lift the elbows, a person sitting too high may drop the wrist or pull
the shoulders down. All of these compensations involve static muscular activity
that limits freedom and can in time lead to injury.
Since the correct bench height is the one that puts the forearm level, it is
not the same for everyone, and it may not be the same even for people of the
same stature. The correct bench height is determined by the relation between
the length of the upper arm and the length of the torso, and this proportion
varies from one person to another. A handy way to find the correct height is to
sit upright with the arms hanging freely and the fingertips resting on the keys.
Then adjust the height of the bench so as to place the tip of the elbow even with
the top of the white keys. To many pianists, the correct height will feel high at
first, since most benches are too low for most people. Even adjustable benches
do not go high enough for many people.

The second principle is to avoid dropping the wrist. The wrist should be
roughly straight with the forearm, neither arching way up nor falling
appreciably below the level of the main knuckles. The reason is that any other
position puts stress on the tendons as they pass through the carpal tunnel.
Forcefully flexing the wrist (as in "wrist octaves") is an important cause of carpal
tunnel syndrome. The mid-range position of the wrist is the one in which the
fingers move most easily and have the greatest strength, with least stress on the
tendons.
The third principle is to avoid ulnar and radial deviation (which many
pianists call "twisting"). That is, the hand should not be turned to either side,
but should be straight with the forearm sideways as well as up and down. Again,
the reason is anatomical: sideways bending of the wrist inhibits free motions of
the fingers and puts extra stress on the tendons that pass from the arm to the
hand. Common situations in which people twist are in bringing the thumb to the
keyboard, or in playing black keys with the thumb. Twisting is one of the most
common causes of injuries in pianists. (In terms of the four causes of injury
given earlier, dropping the wrist and twisting both count as awkward positions.)
The three principles are not equally easily adopted. The first, correcting the
bench height, is easy. A person soon gets used to the new height, and most
people find that their playing improves immediately when the bench height is
corrected. The other two principles are harder to assimilate, since they may
involve changing long-established habits. If I habitually drop my wrist in
playing chords, or twist when passing the thumb in a scale, I will need to learn a
new way to accomplish those tasks.
Throughout this paper I have advocated movement retraining as the way to
avoid or cure injury. But there is another point that is equally compelling: we
play better if we move efficiently. Many pianists have retrained after injury
because it was the only way they could play at all, and then discovered that they
could play better than before. Others have retrained without being injured and
discovered the same thing: they could play better, with greater ease, play more
difficult pieces, and overcome problems that formerly seemed hopeless. These
facts are profoundly important, and every pianist or teacher should reflect on
them. What they imply, I believe, is that all of us, students, pianists and
especially teachers, should make the effort to learn the principles of efficient
movement at the piano and apply those principles first in our own playing (since
we can't teach what we can't do) and then in our teaching. An efficient technique

is not only the way to cure or avoid injury, it is the best way to further our
artistic goals.

http://www.pianomap.com/injuries/conclusion.html