Piano Fingering - Does It Really Matter?

Chopin was obsessed with fingering! His music is ready printed with his finger choices! But the more I teach the more I notice the obvious: everyone has a different size hand and a different span capability!

One of my adult pupils can easily play octaves with thumb and index finger and rarely uses the fifth finger, naturally selecting the fourth instead.

Should I intervene? Although I am not a Darwinist, I strongly support natural selection for pianists - the hand size should naturally and comfortably select the best fingers to use. I suggest fingering to all age groups but never INSIST upon it.

I begin everyone`s first piano lesson showing the neatly curled hand position as if about to pick up a biro from a flat surface - I explain the use of rolling the wrist to gain momentum and take the weight of playing, but each pupil will gradually naturally develop their own hand positioning.

Of course I teach by example! I play the scale or piece and say "Watch my hands as I play" but ultimately I can only guide.

Printed fingerings, then, pay no attention to the physical limitations of each player. Take printed suggestions as a guide only - I constantly cross out and rplace with othe numbers but the fingers you use to begin to remain in a five finger position (to minimize mistakes) will not be your choice later on once you are more familiar with the layout of the keyboard. And don`t forget, tiny hands have to stretch and jump and roll!

Playing the piano well is a combination of good patient teaching and mind over matter! If you strongly desire to learn you will master the problems: my own hands are tiny, but I play from the wrist with tremendous power and control.

I personally love scales and arpeggio practice to build control, plus playing tunes in octaves in both hands but I don`t expect this of my pupils and children only learn basic scales one hand one octave until grade 2 is approached.

So is it true that using the SAME fingers every time you play will build an automation to perfect motor memory? Darwin would probably agree but I am a POET not a MECHANIC so I love to play from emotion and expression - if I really know and love a piece I will play it well whether I use the fingers I did last time or not!

It is often commented of the greatest pianist performers that they played a piece differently every time! Mood.

In my early lessons I am very strict about finger positions but as I see the pupil develop their own style at the piano we focus instead on expression. Enjoy your playing!