A cause of 'stiffness' in piano playing and a look

at the anatomy of finger independence

This article was first published in CLASSICAL PIANO Magazine -
March/April 1997, under the title 'Curved Fingers - and Tension?' and has
been slightly adapted for inclusion here.

© Richard Beauchamp 1996 — Revised 2003/2015

I have often taken

on pupils whose
fingers are so tense
that they seem
barely able to move
them. From many
years of teaching
and an interest in
anatomy has come
the firm conviction
that one of the main
causes of stiffness
in the hand and
wrist is the
insistence, by some teachers, on actively curving the fingers and "gripping" the
keys with the finger tips. I don’t disagree in principle with a curved hand
position — it serves the player well as a basic shape — but it is the attempt to
"clench" the finger tips whilst playing which results in stiffness. The reason for
this is that the muscle which flexes the finger tips, the flexor digitorum
profundus, (a big muscle lying along the underside of the forearm ending in
four tendons which attach to the tips of the index finger, middle finger, ring
and little fingers) tends to move the fingers together as a unit, because of the
way its tendons are tied together by areolar tissue and tendinous slips as far as
the palm, making it difficult to move them individually. In nine cases out of
ten, the tendon for the index finger escapes this connection, or is only partially
connected. (In the accompanying illustration the superficial muscles are peeled
back to show the tendons of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP). It can be
seen that those that go to the middle, ring and little fingers - above the metal
rod - are so joined together that they look rather like one solid tendon. The
tendon lying next to these - under the metal rod - goes to the index finger and
is normally separate throughout). It follows that, if the pianist is actively
curving his/her finger tips, at least three, and sometimes all four of the digits,
will try to move together. When this happens, the player will automatically try
to lift the ‘unwanted’ fingers out of the way to prevent them from interfering,
causing even greater stress; not only from the attempt to separate the tendons
of the FDP, but also because of the way the extensor tendons (which lift the
fingers) are connected to each other.
 The muscle which lifts the fingers, known as the
extensor digitorum, runs along the forearm on
the opposite side from the flexor digitorum
profundus and divides into four tendons which
cross the back of the hand and attach to the
relevant four digits. These tendons are joined to
each other by the tendinus interconnexus or
‘connecting tendons.’ (See picture on the left -
courtesy of Primal Pictures Ltd). The index
finger and (usually) the little finger have
additional extensor tendons of their own and
can lift independently of the middle and ring fingers (hence the index finger's
ability to point), but these latter can only be raised with difficulty if any of the
other digits are held down — depending to some extent on the amount of
‘slack’ in the connecting tendons of the individual.

Let us suppose that the pianist is holding a note with an actively curved fourth
finger. The third and fifth fingers (and possibly the second) are being pulled
downwards by the action of the flexor digitorum profundus. The player can lift
the second and fifth fingers out of the way without too much trouble, because
of their separate extensor tendons, but in trying to hold the third finger out of
the way, is actually trying to lift the fourth finger as well, due to its connection
to the other extensor tendons. To put it another way, the pianist may be trying
to play and lift all four fingers at the same time. Not only does this cause
tension in the hand, but the action of the two big opposing muscles which cross
the wrist lead to stiffness there as well.

The solution to this problem is to start with the fingers at least slightly curved
and allow them to extend a little as they play. (I prefer the word ‘lengthen’ —
borrowed from the Alexander technique — but this word is perhaps less clear
form the purely mechanical point of view). It is important that the fingers are
not consciously straightened, but rather allowed to unbend, if the appropriate
muscles are to be called into play with the least tension.

This action of the fingers — similar to writing, or (as many of the anatomy
books say) to threading a needle — uses the interosseous and lumbrical
muscles, which flex the fingers at their first knuckles (metacarpophalangeal
joints) and extend simultaneously at the second and third (proximal and distal
interphalangeal joints), because of the way they connect both to the base of
the first phalanges and, by sending extra tendons around to the backs of the
fingers, join the extensor mechanism as well. With the exception of the first
dorsal interosseous (between the thumb and index finger), none of these
muscles are attached to more than one digit each and all of them are
completely independent of each other, thereby making it possible for us to
move the fingers individually without encountering undue tension from
opposing muscle groups. They are also capable of great speed, and their rich
nerve supply makes them very sensitive to differences in key weight.

The interosseous muscles lie between the bones of the hand (inter­osseous)
and are also responsible for the lateral movements of the fingers. The
 lumbricals, because of having their origins in the tendons of the flexor
digitorum profumdus and their insertions in the extensor mechanism, have the
power to alter the balance between the flexors and extensors. (This is possibly
a contributing factor to the feeling of ‘allowing’ the fingers to lengthen rather
than actively pushing them out). A change in balance from what feels like a
flexor biased touch to one which feels more extensor biased can make all the
difference between a stiff technique and one which feels loose and free.

It can take a long time to help a pupil to acquire the new sensations necessary
for this kind of change in technique, or it may take only a few sessions —
depending on the individual.

I am not suggesting that this is the only way to use the fingers, there are many
techniques which suit individual players and various styles of music — the use
of the FDP, for example, is important in loud playing of chords and octaves. It
would also be simplistic to suggest that one could use isolated groups of
muscles exclusively — they work together in a highly coordinated way. What I
am suggesting is that this is a healthy general approach, particularly in rapid
fingerwork or double note technique, and should, of course, be used in
conjunction with other good technical principles.

Richard Beauchamp, Head of Keyboard, St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh.

December, 1996.