Arts >> Music >> Music Basics

Piano Hand Exercises

While you're playing the piano, your fingers are repetitively striking the keys as your hands move along the keyboard. This action can make you susceptible to repetitive-motion injuries. By practicing hand exercises, you can reduce the likelihood of injury and make playing a more enjoyable experience. Piano hand exercises are intended primarily to increase the flexibility and agility of your hands. Hao Huang, Professor of Music at Scripps College and an authority on piano pedagogy and keyboard technique, warns against exercises that increase the size of your hand muscles as being counterproductive, since the extra muscle mass can actually hinder the dexterity of your fingers.
  1. Stretching

    • Stretching exercises to do before playing the piano include rolling your wrists in both directions, pressing your hands together and releasing and alternating between clenching your fists and stretching out your fingers. The stretching techniques you choose should be comfortable for you; stretch only to the point of tension and never to the point of pain.

    Finger Drop

    • Sitting at your piano, roll your shoulders forward, with your hands above the keyboard, and let one of your fingers drop onto a key; it doesn't matter which key it is. Continue this exercise for the remaining fingers and then with all your fingers at once. Use this exercise to develop a natural drop to the keyboard rather than consciously reaching for each key.

    Hand Massage

    • Massaging your hands before playing the piano can help make them more limber. Massage each hand thoroughly with the other: Individually knead the muscles along each finger and continue on to the hand muscles. Finish by massaging the muscles in your forearm; although not a part of the hand, the forearm contains the major muscle groups that control the fingers.

Music Basics

Related Categories