I’ve been doing this little exercise for the piano and am noticing good things about how much more comfortable it is to hold my flute lately and how much quicker my ring finger cuts are so I thought I’d share.
It’s called “the Crawl”. At a piano or keyboard, with the left hand, you play a note with the left ring finger (you can start anywhere), then the key to the left with the pinky, then cross the ring finger over the pinky to play the next key to the left, then the pinky, then cross over (4 5 4 5 4 5 down the keyboard). Repeat with the right hand going up the keyboard.
Try to go the length of the keyboard with each note as clear and strong as the previous one, then work on speed.
I noticed great improvement in just a couple of tries.
A very good collection of excercises for complete finger independence is that of Count (really!) Ernst von Dohnanyi. They are both a muscular and neurological workout, forcing you away from easy finger habits.
Not just for pianists, but it does require that you can read music and place your fingers in the appropriate place on the keyboard.
It’s like Yoga for your fingers. Really, really hard Yoga.
On the Left Coast, try Sheet Music Service in Portland:
I tried “the crawl” on my organ (I don’t have a piano), and it very slightly hurt my ring finger. The keys on this organ are a little wider than those on a piano, so that’s probably why.
I do a really easy excercise that my concert flute teacher taught me. When your sitting at a desk, table, or other flat surface, lay your hands down flat. Pick up one finger at a time, slow and fast. You can come up with little patterns. I like to do that one during my boring classes at school. Does anyone know any others, preferrably ones that do not require any special equipment?