Need help in achieving hand/finger independence.

[apcastle]

Hi there!!!

I need help developing and achieving hand/finger independence on the keyboard. I've been playing keyboards for a long time since high school, and I have this problem mixing my left hand with my right hand. I can't seem to separate my brains into halves just to achieve it.

Can you share to me some techniques on achieving hand and finger independence?

Your inputs are very much appreciated. Thanks!

[stefanlindmark]

If you are really having problems, you can try some excercises just using your hands, no keyboard.

Put your hands on your knees and clap rythms. Start with really simple ones. Gradually increase after you've mastered the simple ones. Otherwise continue.

You don't have to read notation to try this. Find words or short sentences that has a rythm and say the words loud.

Could look like this:
Clap your left hand on your left knee and say "car car car car...". Then stop.
Clap your right hand on your right knee and say "lorry lorry lorry ...".
Then try to do both at the same time.
Is it easier if you try to say the words before clapping them?
Work until you can start clapping the rythm with both hands without "warming up" with one hand before adding the other.

Then switch: right hand claps "car car car" and left "lorry lorry lorry".

Then try new combinations left+right/right+left:
"car" + "ambulance"
"ambulance" + "lorry"

Now, try switch side of the hand. Put your right hand on your left knee and vice versa. Do the same excercises again with your arms crossed.

Experiment with other rythmic patterns (words, sentences).

Laugh if it feels silly or difficult. It helps because it provides extra oxygen to your brain :biggrin:


There are lots of other practices that are less rythmic and more related to interaction between your brain halves. Like this one:
Draw a big number "8" rotated 90 degrees (lying down) in the air in front of you using your finger while tracking your finger with your eyes. Both clockwise and anti-clockwise, both arms. Make it more difficult by doing it while drawing a circle on the floor with your foot. Then try to draw the circle with the other foot. Clockwise+anti-clockwise.

[Staccato]

If you want to use your keyboard and practice your hands together, the practice a pattern in your left hand. Start slowly and the build up speed. Once you really feel comfortable, then starta playing some different with your right hand, maybe the same notes, but other rythm, or maybe reverse the pattern, thats up to you. Then you can do the same thing with your right hand, play a specified pattern and then play something else with your left hand. Make sure you are playing the same pattern all the time with the chosen hand and keep the beat.. if it helps, practice with a metronom. And remember, it´s precision, not speed that counts when doing exercises for independece between fingers and hands.

[apcastle]

Thanks for your advices, guys....

Right now, I'm using inverted and mirrored five finger pattern in trying to achieve finger and hand independence. I got that concept from Jordan Rudess' Keyboar Madness DVD. I also used Metronome while doing it, as per his advice as well. Somehow it helps separate my brain halves in which I can do something in the left hand while doing something different in the right hand. I am also trying to follow stefanlindmark's advice on non-keyboard exercises, and it sounds silly though. LOL... but it make sense....

Perhaps I have a lot of work to do in terms of achieving finger/hand indepence, but I am confident I can make it. It's just sheer determination and patience.

If you have something to add, it will be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

[lkin3]

To add to keyboard excercises, I find formula pattern scales to be extremely helpful, every key, minor and major, starting on Ab (I start on Ab and go up chromatically to try and get rid of the tendency to fall back on C Major). Formula pattern is two octaves ascending with boths hands...then split with the right hand continuing up for two octaves, and the left mirroring, returning to the starting note...then right going back down 2 oct. and left hand ascending back 2 oct, then both hands descending to start position in unison.