Another powerful contribution made by Chopin, is his discovery that each finger has a distinct personality when playing at the piano. He would go as far as writing his own music based on the ideal note-finger match that the message required. One would imagine that, while playing Chopin's music one is also following his own acrobatics over the keyboard. In our journey through Chopin's technical ideas we will often find that the best pianists get to know each finger intimately. Perhaps to the point of cherishing their individuality, like Chopin did. He wrote: "People are working against Nature when they try to make each finger sound the same. On the contrary, people should develop their finger individuality". Indeed, to Chopin it did matter musically that a note be played by a particular finger, to the point that for each note, there are as many sounds as fingers in the hand. Upon placing the hand in its natural position over the keyboard, Chopin recommended to let the fingers fall over the keys, which is a complete departure from the typical "play" or "press" the keys. Several of his students remembered this advice as a major landmark in their advancement. Let us begin which the 2nd finger and leave the thumb to the end for reasons of simplicity. And let's imagine a discussion between Chopin and one his most talented students, Carl Filtsch. The talk begins with Chopin saying: "remember, Carl. The third finger is the king of singers". Then Carl would reply: "Yes, Monsieur Chopin, but the 2nd finger is the young prince with many surprises to show. Being the 'entry arch of the vault', the 2nd finger has a responsibility. It is a strong finger, indeed, but also a leader. Such a leader that it is not easy to work its sensitivity. Of course, the phalangeal metatarsal articulation is also a main point of support. At the wrist, however, the support for second finger can be associated with the inner part of the wrist, as we saw in the video about the piano hand. The relationship between the 2nd and thumb can be better understood when considering their articulation proximity at the carpal support. This concept is of tremendous help when, for example, playing the beginning of étude in c minor, Op. 10 N12, also known as The Revolutionary. According to Chopin, the third finger is the strongest, and is also the middle of the hand and the one with a more complex personality. Again, he [Chopin] was right because, as we saw in the the piano hand video, the 3rd finger has its own independent column at the centre of the wrist, which in turn articulates with the centre of the radius bone in the forearm. Because of all these features, it is good to remember that the 3rd finger is also a main support of the hand! All other fingers have their particular technical challenge, but the 3rd finger has little reason to worry about strength and independence. Being at the centre of gravity of the hand, it does have certain seniority and certain weight one that shows command but also extreme sensitivity when needed. For Chopin, the forth finger had an unfair reputation. He called it the weakest siamese of the 3rd finger, on account of being linked to it by a ligament. This comment is particularly interesting, because now we know that even if belonging to a different carpal column, the 4th finger is certainly attached to the 3rd by an obliques intertendon fibre. Chopin warned against pursuing a total independence from the 3rd finger. in fact, he called the marriage between the 3rd-4th finger a gift from God. Another particularity of the 4th finger is that it shares carpal support with the 5th finger. In a letter to his friend Jules Fontana, dated August 1848, near the very end of [Chopin's] life, Chopin mentioned, somewhat homorously, that the only things left of him were a large nose and an untrained 4th finger. Finger five, at least in classical and romantic music, not only has its own technical features, but usually it has a leading musical role as well. In the left hand, finger five functions as the voice for the bass, while in the right hand it usually represents the soprano voice. In Chopin's hand it looks nearly vertical from the proximal interphalangeal articulation, and it matches with the thumb line of contact. Often neglected, however, finger five barely performs its minimum. At the wrist, finger 5 support is shared with finger 4, at the external column. This is relevant, because it may account for the wrist arrangement seen on virtuosos, where the movement of the carpal system seems to wave. The thumb is exceptional among all fingers. Its main articulation begins in the wrist itself, thanks to a wonderful little bone called the trapezium. This articulation allows the thumb to have the freedom that it has. However, the pianist must be aware that the movement of the thumb, when looking at its dorsal side, goes "side-wise" , and that it also goes "outwards and inwards" when reaching a new key. The whole hand can be imagined like a cathedral dome, where the thumb serves as a double hinged gate keeper. Another major difference between the thumb and the rest of the fingers, is that the former touches the piano keys using a half flesh half nail contact (app). This may probe to be difficult at the beginning, particularly when trying to maintain the equilibrium over the black keys. In fact, if the initial feeling is difficulty in maintaining the thumb equilibrium, a student may be in the correct direction. A good passing of the thumb under the hand requires: 1. That another finger holds the weight of the hand; 2. Maximum ralaxation in all other fingers; 3. That the thumb performs an economical and relaxed movement to the next key. At all times when doing drills, please remember that the thumb is mostly controlled by muscles in the hand. Chopin's piano lessons were legendary because of their immediate results. Some students would later remember that the first lessons were a martyrdom. They would spend one or two hours with Chopin just working in one measure of a score. Yet, because of the immediate progress, there would no necessity for years and years of tedious exercises. The master was excruciating in the fingering of the music. After all, each finger was like a different singer, so that a particular note should be played only with the fitting one, provided that the hand does not lose its natural position. In the next video, however, we will visit the notion that these fine nuances were possible with the delicate pianos of the early 19th century. Later, the modern concert hall piano would allow for more power and energy, but to the detriment of detail and sensitivity.
