Difficulty in playing finger 5 on chords
Found in: Accompaniment, Musicality, Pedaling, Technique
Sydney S., Missouri
I have a student struggling to play all three notes of the triad evenly. She is playing fingers 1 and 3, but neglecting to push down finger 5 consistently. Any tips on how to work with her on this?
Robin T., China
See if she can rotate the forearm towards the little finger to assist.
Marcia V., North Carolina
I have a young student who had a similar issue. I encouraged her to work for several weeks on building the chords one finger at a time (1, then 3, then 5) and that ended up proving an effective way to strengthen her fingers and train her brain to command them equally.
Deb K., South Dakota
Tell the student about the butterfly feet that land on the flower together.
Leeanne I., Australia
It’s much more effective to start with the two outside fingers, 1 & 5, as a 2-note chord, then add the third finger when ready. Most of the time it is a weakness issue, and it takes time for the muscles to build up in that little finger. You could even try doing improvs just using the little finger, or finger push-ups. The Jackson Blues LH is a good one. It makes you feel like you have done a workout!
Kerry V., Australia
I would just have her do 1 and 5 for a while and then have her add 3 when she is ready.
Marcia V., North Carolina
Another way to strengthen the 4 and 5 fingers: ask your student to tell you about their favorite stuffed animal (most kids under the age of 10 have one they snuggle with) and let’s say you learn about “Bunny”. Tell them it’s part of their weekly assignment to squeeze “Bunny” 10 to 15 times every night but only using fingers 4 and 5. Repeat for several weeks. I’ve found this actually works to fortify those fingers and their responses to the brain’s command.
Ian B., California
This is actually a pretty common issue (and not just for children). I’ve seen it happen even after I’ve had children start with outside notes. What seems to be the most help is having them spend more time on the practice pad. Just make sure they actually place the pad on a flat surface.
