Y.A.P.P. -- Yet Another Pinky Problem

February 24, 2011 at 12:16 PM ·

 Hi Charles, good on you for showing such initiative to learn violin, even before you start with your teacher. Your good attitude will help your learning a lot.  I looked at your photo of your pinky and, surprise, it looks just like mine!  Not that I ever knew I had a crooked pinky, the one on the other hand looks just the same.  I think that if you have normal flexion of all fingers, and you can, say, spread them out wide in a fan shape, that you won't have any troubles with your finger.  Learning the way to place your fingers correctly and stretching as you go takes time to achieve.  I have been learning for several years now, and sometimes my pinky becomes lazy in first position and the note is flat, particularly on the lower strings, but I found that if I move my left elbow a little further under the violin, perhaps where it should be anyway, then I can reach just fine.  In higher positions the fingers are placed closer together so that is not a problem there. If your teacher detects a problem with it, I'm sure he/she will find a way to deal with it. Trust your teacher, they all have a bag of tricks they can use.  Good luck.

February 24, 2011 at 04:17 PM ·

 Charles, your fingers look fine to me, what you report about awkward finger placement is simply because your muscles are not yet trained. I wish you much happiness in your exploration of the violin!

February 24, 2011 at 05:42 PM ·

I think my pinky is slightly even more crooked than yours, and I don't have extra long fingers, pinky level is much lower than the top join of ring finger if I line my fingers up, and just being normal guy's finger length. With patient and excercises, I can now play double harmonics in ronde des lutin, 10ths in paganini 24th caprice, awkward finger placing in paganini 1st caprice and various bachs.

I thought I wasn't going to do it, but at last I did. You just have to be patient.

February 25, 2011 at 06:13 AM ·

My pinky is pretty crooked, but it doesn't bother me or hinder me at all. I think most peoples' pinkies curve inward like that. It's more difficult to deal with a double jointed pinky, but even that can be overcome! Good luck on your journey!

February 25, 2011 at 06:07 PM ·

Thank you all for your responses.  My main reason for switching from self-teaching to seeking an instructor is the invaluable feedback, but this is also a great place to come to for that purpose. 

I went back to my violin and tried adjusting my left hand position a bit and I'm already seeing some encouraging results.  I do remember how the bow hold felt so awkward at first and I'm almost 100% comfortable with it now, so I suppose it would be a very similar situation with my left hand.  I suppose I just needed a nudge from you all -- thanks!

Millie, my sister had a friend in Canberra.  I see you are an adult beginner, too.  For how long have you been playing?  Both my pinkies are the same way, too.  I would say that overall my left hand is in better shape.  My right hand fingers can get a bit stiff at times.  I also jammed my right wrist taking a fall while skiing a long time ago and it clicks sometimes. I worried how those issues might affect my bowing, but I'm doing ok so far.

I'm at work right now, so time to get back to it! Thanks again to all.

Charles

February 26, 2011 at 10:31 AM ·

It seems to me that the human hand is designed so that all five fingers genreally radiate from a central location (i.e the wrist)?  When the fingers curl in a relaxed position, the pinky naturally angles inward more since it is located furthest from the center.  Most people I've observed have pinkies that angle inward.  It's problematic in violin technique, but can be trained out, so don't be discouraged by your pinky's natural tendancies.

February 27, 2011 at 12:32 PM ·

 Hi Charles,

To answer your question I have been playing for about 2.5 years now. I have overcome some 'older persons' aches and pains from time to time which mysteriously crop up, but I am finding violin much more fun than I did when I was 16, which I gave up for 26 years after I turned 18.  My local teacher started me again from scratch paying special attention to my posture, left hand position and grip, right hand bow hold and control.  I think she is fantastic because she now has me halfway through grade 5 and can find a way to deal with any problem whether it be musical or physical! My pinkies are not a problem, providing I practice a lot to strengthen and stretch my pinkie left hand reach, but be aware, that can take some years to perfect. Being older and stiffer than I was when 16, some things are harder to do, but you get there eventually with practice, and you'll find that your attitude which is already good, will help you be determined to find ways around problems.  If your right wrist doesn't actually hurt during playing, you shouldn't have too many difficulties, because a relaxed wrist and playing style is what we aim for, but is much easier said than done!

Cheers Millie