# What's wrong with my hands?



## Flute of Wine (Oct 25, 2016)

hi
I started learning piano again after many years but there is some problem with my hand? What's wrong? Please tell me...


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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

Maybe you could start by explaining what you think is wrong?


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## Flute of Wine (Oct 25, 2016)

mossyembankment said:


> Maybe you could start by explaining what you think is wrong?


Hi, it feels like my hands are just clumsily gliding over the notes and I have no control because my fingers are too long.


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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

I'm an intermediate piano player at best and I noticed you got some useful feedback in your other thread, but I would say:

(1) It seems like the keyboard is too high, and 
(2) If you feel the way you say, you shouldn't be playing so fast. Even if that's the tempo of the piece (it sounds fast to me but I don't know this particular piece), I don't think you can fix your technique unless you play more slowly so that you can be conscious of each thing you're doing. 

Having long fingers has pros and cons when playing piano, but I think the pros generally outweigh the cons...


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

It might be the "twisties."


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Flute of Wine said:


> Hi, it feels like my hands are just clumsily gliding over the notes and I have no control because my fingers are too long.


I don't think there's anything wrong with your hands. Maybe you just need to find the hand position that's most comfortable for you (I don't really believe in a one-size-fits-all, "always hold your hands exactly like this" approach). Also maybe the action of your keyboard there is fighting against you a little...see if you can adjust the sensitivity. But it sounds like you're doing pretty well.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Your wrists need to be higher ... or lower the keyboard ... sit higher perhaps. Your arms must ache horribly after a practice session. 

It looks like you are sitting on the edge of a bed or sofa. Get a proper bench, one that doesn't let your torso bounce.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

*What's wrong with my hands?*



MarkW said:


> It might be the "twisties."


I'm told, by some of my piano playing acquaintances, that the following "remedy" will sometimes cure the "twisties".

The Ebony & Ivory, a great dessert coctail with a nice balance of butterscotch and vanilla topped with a fresh chocolate cream, was created by the 2008 Bartender of the Year in Sweden, Fredrik Lindfors of the Cadier Bar in Stockholm.









Ingredients
1 ounce DeKuyper Butterscotch Schnapps
1 ounce Licor 43 liqueur
1/5 cup Monin Chocolate Syrup
4/5 cup fresh cream
Strawberry for garnish
1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar for garnish

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 1 Cocktail

Preparation
Stir the liqueurs with lots of ice.
Strain into a well chilled cocktail glass.
In a cocktail shaker, mix the chocolate syrup and cream for about 10 - 15 seconds, and then float the cream on top of the drink.
Garnish with a strawberry on the edge and sprinkle vanilla sugar on the cream.

Recipe Courtesy: Frederik Lindfors Courtesy of The Grand Hotel Stockholm


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

From my observation, your fingers are pointing too straight forward. They should be more curled and pointed straight down. I personally find long fingers a feature and not a bug. It's easy for me to stretch a full octave and beyond.

Also, lean forward so you're hovering over the keyboard more. That's even more important for tall guys like me than people of shorter stature.


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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

Interesting... I've always heard one should sit as far back as possible from the piano!


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

MarkW said:


> It might be the "twisties."


Golfers and baseball pitchers sometimes get their own version of the twisties, where, they can't make simple puts, or can't get the ball anywhere near the plate.

Good thing for them, their versions of the twisties may sadly end their careers, but it is highly unlikely it will lead to breaking bones or being paralyzed.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I agree with Mossyembankment & Krummhorn. You reaching up to the keyboard.  So, the keyboard is either too high, or you're sitting too low. Yes, it must feel very uncomfortable--it looks it. Right now, if you were to put a coin on the top of your hands, it would fall back onto your lap. You need to be able to rest a coin on the top of your hands without it falling off. In other words, you hands need to be more level to the keyboard, where they can rest comfortably on top of the keys, if you were to stop playing.

Hope that helps.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

Josquin13 said:


> I agree with Mossyembankment & Krummhorn. You reaching up to the keyboard. So, the keyboard is either too high, or you're sitting too low. Yes, it must feel very uncomfortable--it looks it. Right now, if you were to put a coin on the top of your hands, it would fall back onto your lap. You need to be able to rest a coin on the top of your hands without it falling off. In other words, you hands need to be more level to the keyboard, where they can rest comfortably on top of the keys, if you were to stop playing.
> 
> Hope that helps.


I dunno...Horowitz and Gould played by essentially almost pulling down on the keys. I think the OP's hands in that video look a little too tense, really. Relax.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

dissident said:


> I dunno...Horowitz and Gould played by essentially almost pulling down on the keys. I think the OP's hands in that video look a little too tense, really. Relax.


Gould famously took his chair everywhere he went. He couldn't play sitting on any other chair.


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