Mikes Music Room – Music Articles

Descent of Finger.

After the position and height of the seat and the position of the player have been determined, the Pose of the fingers must be attended to. They are to be placed, according to their various lengths, on the keys, that is, touching the surface of the keys

After examining the principles regulating the action of the hand and the mechanism of the piano, and knowing that if any of these are ignored or overlooked, no true application of the one mechanism to the other can be effected. It is necessary to begin on the keyboard work of such a nature as will develop, first of all, Independent Movement in each finger. This must be done before any thought is given to the acquirement of strength of finger. Previous to their being trained on the keyboard, the fingers have been accustomed to action of the most unin-dependent nature.

They have hitherto been moved generally in a body; they must now be taught to move one at a time. Their action when applied to the keyboard is, in the matter of direction, no new or unfamiliar one. The novelty consists in their action’s being, (1), in