Any exercises to maintain hand/ finger strength & dexterity?

[iphoenix]

Ive been meaning to ask this for some time.

Do any of you esteemed keyboard players (if you actually play at all) know of any good exercises for maintaining hand & finger dexterity/ coordination?

 

Practicing on an actual piano for hours a day would be the ideal thing, but I rarely get a chance to play my actual piano ( which lives 150 miles away at my parents' house)& I simply dont play synths the way I play a piano.

 

I usually spend most of my time designing sound/ programming & composing, on synths rather than actually playing like I would on an actual acoustic piano.

I used to play the piano for many hours a day throughout my teenage years & most of my 20s ,when I could find one to play, so my dexterity / technique was good enough for what I wanted to play, but these days I notice that when I am playing an actual piano, I am not as nimble as I used to be & miss notes especially when I am doing fast keyboard runs. Also my fingers & right hand gets tired fast.

This really pisses me off!

Is there any known technique or exercise that helps with hand strength RE: playing keyboards/ piano?

Regards to all.. P

[afmunderback]

Im hardly a seasoned player, but I know a thing or two (and my teacher whos taught me a thing or two deffinatly is seasoned) I have this book, which i dont even know if its still in print, called "The Virtuoso Pianist In sixty Exercises". Its a very good book, it requires you be able to sight read fairly well, but its GREAT for giving your fingers a good work out. My left hand is sometimes in PAI from the muscle stretches. Its kind of like some interesting scale/arpeg stuff, mixed with other various exercises at FASt tempos. You can google it (or I will mometarily) to see if its still around.

[iphoenix]

 

Im hardly a seasoned player, but I know a thing or two (and my teacher whos taught me a thing or two deffinatly is seasoned) I have this book, which i dont even know if its still in print, called "The Virtuoso Pianist In sixty Exercises". Its a very good book, it requires you be able to sight read fairly well, but its GREAT for giving your fingers a good work out. My left hand is sometimes in PAI from the muscle stretches. Its kind of like some interesting scale/arpeg stuff, mixed with other various exercises at FASt tempos. You can google it (or I will mometarily) to see if its still around.

 

 

Thanks , I will check that out. I dont do much sight reading any more though & dont actually enjoy it. I find it very un-musical!

[afmunderback]

 

Thanks , I will check that out. I dont do much sight reading any more though & dont actually enjoy it. I find it very un-musical!

 

 

I'm totaly with you on the sight reading thing. I loath it ad I'm not particularly good at it, but I do sometimes envy the players that can sit down and play anything note for note on a sheet, like my teacher. It takes a lot of practice, and involves little creativity. In the end, ot totaly worth it, but still kind of worth knowing.

 

Heres a link to the best I could find with a quick google search:

http://www.amazon.com/Hanon-Virtuoso-Pianist-Exercises-Vol/dp/B000T04AWU

|Its a different volume then the book I have, but the cover appears the same. I understand there are multiple books in the series too, along with the differet volumes, but im sure youd be fine with just book one.

[iphoenix]

 

I'm totaly with you on the sight reading thing. I loath it ad I'm not particularly good at it, but I do sometimes envy the players that can sit down and play anything note for note on a sheet, like my teacher. It takes a lot of practice, and involves little creativity. In the end, ot totaly worth it, but still kind of worth knowing. Heres a link to the best I could find with a quick google search: http://www.amazon.com/Hanon-Virtuoso-Pianist-Exercises-Vol/dp/B000T04AWU |Its a different volume then the book I have, but the cover appears the same. I understand there are multiple books in the series too, along with the differet volumes, but im sure youd be fine with just book one.

 

 

Thanks for the trouble you took afmunderback! I will certainly check that out.

 

RE: sight reading etc , it definitely has its uses, especially if you want to play in a orchestra or with other musicians in a classical context, or simply for scoring.

I did all the 'grades 'as a child & in 'high school', but I always found it boring & stifling as a musician & I preferred to play by ear & or make up/ compose my own tunes.

I think there are two types of musician in a classic sense, if you will indulge my simplistic classification.

(1) those who plug in to the score & play perfectly by sight , almost like they are part of a sequencer, which is very admirable & useful if that is the way you want to go with music;

& (2) those who play their own way, feeling the notes, listening & learning, imitating others, playing by ear. I have always played this way & found it much more stimulating thant the mechanical method of sight reading.

Im glad I did that though when I was younger & I think it was a useful albeit not essential part of my musical training.

For me the real teacher or muse is nature, or pure sound.

[SpaceNorman]

 

.... it requires you be able to sight read fairly well ....

 

 

Being able to sight read ain't a bad skill to have - however, I don't read for beans and still use the Hanon exercises. The exercises are basically a collection of fingering patterns - played "in parallel" (i.e, same thing with both hands) that repeat as you move two octaves up the keyboard and then the same thing going back two octaves down the keyboard. If you can read enough to simply figure the sequence of notes in the "up pattern" and the "down pattern" of the exercise - you'll have the entire exercise.

 

If you play the Hanon exercises on a regular basis - you'll definitely notice a difference in terms of finger strength and dexterity. They're definitely an exercise - much like playing scales. It's all about working your hands - heck, I sometimes scan newspaper articles while I'm playing them.

 

Don't let the "reading" scare you off. As long as you can pick apart 2 measures of notes on a treble clef music staff (you don't even really need to count the things ... they're all equal value notes (I haven't looked at the actual book in years ... but IRC, it's all 16th notes) - you can play the Hanon exercises. Learn to play a handful of the patterns .. then learn to play them in all keys .. and at varying speeds. Your fingers will thank you for it in the long run.

[ekeys]

 

Being able to sight read ain't a bad skill to have - however, I don't read for beans and still use the Hanon exercises. The exercises are basically a collection of fingering patterns - played "in parallel" (i.e, same thing with both hands) that repeat as you move two octaves up the keyboard and then the same thing going back two octaves down the keyboard. If you can read enough to simply figure the sequence of notes in the "up pattern" and the "down pattern" of the exercise - you'll have the entire exercise. If you play the Hanon exercises on a regular basis - you'll definitely notice a difference in terms of finger strength and dexterity. They're definitely an exercise - much like playing scales. It's all about working your hands - heck, I sometimes scan newspaper articles while I'm playing them. Don't let the "reading" scare you off. As long as you can pick apart 2 measures of notes on a treble clef music staff (you don't even really need to count the things ... they're all equal value notes (I haven't looked at the actual book in years ... but IRC, it's all 16th notes) - you can play the Hanon exercises. Learn to play a handful of the patterns .. then learn to play them in all keys .. and at varying speeds. Your fingers will thank you for it in the long run.

 

 

SpaceNorman, I must say you are a good salesman....

[SpaceNorman]

 

SpaceNorman, I must say you are a good salesman....

 

 

I may have to give that sales thing a try ... I suspect my niche would really be as a "sales support" sort of guy. I'm not much of a "closer".

 

In this case those, it's really a personal experience thing - I've used the Hanon exercises on and off over the years - and have always felt that my playing has been it's most fluid after I've been running through the exercises for a while.

 

Yet in the next breath - I'll be the first to say that my reading skills are almost non-existent. I'd hate to see the OP scared off by the comment about needing to be a "sight reader" in order to use them. That hasn't been my experience at all.

[BonsoWonderDog]

Purity_Control needs to post a certain "smilie" here...

[-groovatious-]

I'm personally a fan of:

 

- The first 20 Hanon excercises

- Major, Harmonic Minor & Melodic Minor scales - Hands together, 4 octaves up and down in all 12 keys (so 36 scales total)

[CfNorENa]

 

I'm personally a fan of: - The first 20 Hanon excercises - Major, Harmonic Minor & Melodic Minor scales - Hands together, 4 octaves up and down in all 12 keys (so 36 scales total)

 

 

Me too. Perfect for what the OP wants, methinks.

[Strenge]

Try learning guitar at age 42 It's doing a number on my left hand, not sure it will help my keys playing though My stupid pinky won't go straight like my other fingers....

 

I'm mostly self-taught so I don't have much, but one I recall: place your thumb and fingers on five keys like C-D-E-F-G. Press them all down, then lift combinations of them up *while keeping the others down*. For example, play eighth notes with thumb and ring finger, then switch to middle+ pinky etc. It's pretty tough, at least for me

[ChristianRock]

I've been meaning to try the Bach Inventions for exercises:

 

http://imslp.org/wiki/15_Inventions,_BWV_772-786_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian)

 

But with a baby and a toddler at home, I don't practice much these days

 

Has anybody worked on those? Are they fun to play? (yeah it does require notation reading...)

[tremens]

fingering and stroking the bishop helps a lot too.

[stillearning]

I've been meaning to try the Bach Inventions for exercises: http://imslp.org/wiki/15_Inventions,_BWV_772-786_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian ) But with a baby and a toddler at home, I don't practice much these days Has anybody worked on those? Are they fun to play? (yeah it does require notation reading...)

 

At one time I knew most, if not all of the two and three part inventions, and even used them as recital pieces. My personal favorite was the two part in F major. That was a long time ago, and it's likely I would need significant practice to play them as I used to. To answer your question... yes, they were fun to play, and they're great exercises to improve dexterity and coordination.

 

If anybody wants to work on them, I'd recommend playing them very slowly and deliberately at first. Then gradually build up speed as long as you can continue to play with great accuracy. Never sacrifice accuracy for speed.

[iphoenix]

Thanks for all the useful advice comrades. Not scared off! good stuff 'guys'.

 

Wow , I forgot about the 'Bach Inventions', I need to reaquaint myself with this, thanks' C.R.' & 'stilllearning' & all.

 

Tremens, I was expecting a comment like that from someone!

 

Those Hanon exercises look like just the thing.Thanks again .

 

Having a weighted master keyboard (76 or 88 note) would help too & I would actually use it to play piano samples/ romples, but I dont have one yet. I keep meaning to get a Yamaha KX88 or a Kurzweil Midiboard.

 

I find Im not actually inspired to play piano sounds ( apart from electric pianos) on a 66 note non weighted plastic keyboard, unless they are needed.

 

This is one of the results of having grown up playing actual real pianos;

- personally finding the whole action & interaction lacking big time when playing piano sounds on a rompler or sampler, (to the point where I never use those sounds, unless Im playing a real piano.)

 

This is why I find my right hand / fingers not being as strong & precise as they used to be when I do get the chance to play a real piano, which as I said is rare these days unfortunately.

 

I was wondering if there was a device out there that could be used to rehabilitate , exercise & strengthen the hands, due to eg. an injury?

I think rubber balls have been used to strengthen the grip etc. I have seen spring type hand grips as well.

( I can see why & almost expect certain people to add certain biased type humour here!).

 

Strenge said:

" Try learning guitar at age 42 It's doing a number on my left hand, not sure it will help my keys playing though My stupid pinky won't go straight like my other fingers...."

 

Same here. Though I have been a guitar player most of my life too, my little finger on my left hand is double jointed due to a childhood accident, (my finger was crushed ), which means Ive never been able to play 'barre chords' / 'bar chords'? ( the finger just 'buckles ' & wont stay straight),

- not a bad thing though imo. as it forced me to find other ways to play all those chords.

[iphoenix]

 

fingering and stroking the bishop helps a lot too.

 

 

I wish.

[stillearning]

 

I was wondering if there was a device out there that could be used to rehabilitate , exercise & strengthen the hands, due to eg. an injury? I think rubber balls have been used to strengthen the grip etc. I have seen spring type hand grips as well.

 

Any sporting goods store that carries golf equipment should have those hand strenghtening exercisers you're referring to. They work great for keeping your hands and fingers strong.

[iphoenix]

 

Any sporting goods store that carries golf equipment should have those hand strenghtening exercisers you're referring to. They work great for keeping your hands and fingers strong.

 

 

A sports shop, that is so obvious that I didnt think of it. Thanks stilllearning

[Gribs]

Sheet Music Plus has vols I and II of the Hanon books and also a "complete edition"

 

I have been working through this slowly for over a year (holy crap!). I am on G# minor right now so I don't have a really long ways to go. The book has the major and minor (including harmonic and melodic) scales, contrary motion on each scale (on the harmonic minor for the minor scales), blocked and broken (in triplets) 1 chords in all three positions, I-IV-V and I-IV-V7 cadence chords and arpeggios for the I chords in all three positions, four finger V7 chords in all four positions, and arpeggios for the V7 chords in first position. I begin my practice every day by reviewing the scales that I have worked on already and then work on the scale on which I am concentrating. For the minor scales I go back and review arpeggios, V7 chords, and cadence chords for the relative major. It is a pretty good warm-up and I hope that it is helping me build muscle memory and positioning accuracy (I think the arpeggios are really helping with this).

[pogo97]

I'll not disagree with the Hanon but will add that just playing is great exercise.

 

practise

practise

practise

 

 

Edit: also, play "La Bamba" for five minutes in each key; increase by one minute each day until you exceed the time in a day; then play the chords backward gradually reducing the number of notes until you can leave for breakfast

[iphoenix]

Thanks Gribs & Doug & everyone for all the useful advice here. If I had access to a real piano, there wouldn't be a problem. I just dont play synths in such an acrobatic way as I play an actual piano & the nearest thing I have to a full sized weighted keyboard ( at home) is a Roland JX10, which is nowhere near that. I just play synths in a much more 'gentle' & slow manner, getting more in to sounds & movement with the tones rather than like on a piano where that often comes from dynamic playing action.

[Praxisaxis]

Yes, I'll also recommend the Hanon.

 

Hanon (or something like that) adds nothing to your creativity or musicality or whatever, in fact it's no more exciting than, say, doing push ups*. Indeed the whole point of such an excersise is to be somewhat divorced from your regular style of playing, specifically in order to iron out technical defects.

 

In our regular playing it is possible to incorporate bad habits and practice them in, then later they become road blocks. Hanon (or something similar) breaks this down. If you want to get very fast & consistent fingers unfortunately you need exercises - not just playing the tunes.

 

 

 

*The people who get off on Hanon exercises were probably the same people who get off on doing push ups in a different life.

[Praxisaxis]

 

If I had access to a real piano, there wouldn't be a problem. I just dont play synths in such an acrobatic way as I play an actual piano & the nearest thing I have to a full sized weighted keyboard ( at home) is a Roland JX10, which is nowhere near that.

 

 

Synth technique is it's own thing - like playing an organ. It is very different from piano playing. A good pianist doesn't translate to being a good synth player for a number of reasons (including understanding how to incorporate expression and timbral changes in synth playing). Nonetheless, I think muscular practice can be successfully achieved by doing something like Hanon exercises, even on a synth keyboard. A number of pianists I've known have practiced on a table, when they haven't had a piano in front of them!

[iphoenix]

 

Synth technique is it's own thing - like playing an organ. It is very different from piano playing. A good pianist doesn't translate to being a good synth player for a number of reasons (including understanding how to incorporate expression and timbral changes in synth playing). Nonetheless, I think muscular practice can be successfully achieved by doing something like Hanon exercises, even on a synth keyboard. A number of pianists I've known have practiced on a table, when they haven't had a piano in front of them!

 

 

'Synth technique' personally is whatever you are going for really.

Whatever type of sound or style Im playing on the synth I adopt my playing technique to that , Eg. sometimes Im playing percussion & the keyboard is a percussion kit, & I approach that more like a drum kit, albeit the drums are black & white keys parallel to each other ( a bit awkward!)& sometimes Im playing like a bass & Im trying to go for the feeling of an actual bass guitar, etc , or a lead line, an orchestral style, or a percussive sound eg.

I would rarely think of a synthesizer's playing action as like playing an organ, unless the patch & style requires such a technique, which indeed it sometimes does.

 

I played piano from the age of 8 until in my late 20s, mostly for 3 or 4 hours a day, so I come from that background, but since then I havnt had access to an actual piano or weighted keys, though I have been playing & programming synths since the late 1980s, & Im a guitar player & play a bit of bass/ percussion etc

 

I find the playing action of an actual piano as different from an electronic keyboard as a guitar is personally. I would be inclined to play in a very different way , & in a different intuitive compositional style on the piano than on synths.

I find the acoustic guitar more similar in how I relate to the instrument musically as I do the piano, than any electronic keyboard , or even the pipe organs that I have had the fortune of playing occasionally , except for actual electro-mechanical pianos, such as Wurlitzers, Fender Rhodes & Hohners, & the Yamaha CP25 that I used to own.

Playing excellent sounding multi sampled pianos from a weighted keyboard even, in my experience, was nothing at all like the experience & interaction of an actual acoustic piano., even though it sounds excellent etc. It gets the job done , if necessary, but it doesn' t inspire like a good acoustic piano.

 

I havn't tried the latest Roland acoustic modeled piano yet & I would be very interested in playing one.

So normally not having access to my acoustic piano, & the way I play synths, my hands / fingers dont get the exercise that they would if I was playing the piano on a daily basis.

I never play synths like I play a piano, no matter what the sounds are.

The closest thing would maybe be when playing clavinette , rhodes, wurly, harpsichord type sounds, which is rare enough for me these days.

I tend to play synths in a much slower style, with more sustained washes of sound concentrating on the sound ,key & chord progressions, rather than the note progressions. ( Just to clarify!)