5th finger (Pinky!) Problems

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone had a solution to a problem I have where my little finger, the 5th one, sticks up (like Im holding a cup of tea or something) anytime I am not using it, scales especially. It just looks really stupid and I think I would probably get marked down for it in exams.

I was thinking the answer would just be practise and it'll kind of sort itself out but no luck. I've tried a few things - different stretches that try to 'relax' the finger and I've even tried curling it up when I do scales to try and stop it from sticking out but somehow I don't think thats the proper way to do it . Am I missing something obvious or is it just that I need a teacher to guide me with this? - I've read something along that line on another forum.
Thanks.
( sorry i couldn't resist posting the afro smiley)

hey tefnut...

I have the exact same problem so I am curious what the others have to say to it! =)
thanks for asking!

Yeah, you have to practice this to get it under full control. You have to force it to be down when ever it is supposed to be down. I had this thing before, but when I became aware of it, I started to focus my mind on holding it down, and it has helped a lot.

Practice your scales at extremely slow tempo. Put your hand, relaxed, on the keyboard, and play note for note, slowly, paying attention that the only fingers moving are the ones that have to play. This is slow and needs full concentration: it can't be done for a long time; try to do it for 5 minutes then play something else.

hey tefnut, dont know about you, but my finger is starting to lie down now!! thanks for the tips guys!

I also had the very same problem with pinky finger sticking up while playing ...so i solved that prob by sitting on my hands ..but then quickly realised it was not that good of an idea