Sore pinkies?

[ellen-beckerman]

Hi there, I have been practicing a lot lately, 3-4+ hours per day, and my pinkies have gotten sore. Has this happened to anyone else? Any solutions? I warm up, take breaks, etc. Not quite sure how I am straining them, am watching my technique in the mirror. Would love ideas!

[Sylvia]

Do you mean pinkies, as in the little fingers?
pinkie n – definition in American English Dictionary – Cambridge …
dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/american-english/pinkie
pinkie n – definition, audio pronuncation and more for pinkie n: the smallest finger of a person’s hand See more in American English Dictionary – Cambridge …

[ellen-beckerman]

yes, little fingers.

[tony-morosco]

You are probably tensing them. Like when you see a movie with a proper English woman drinking tea, and she keeps her pinky sticking out. After a few hours of tensing your pinkie I can imagine they would get sore.

Relax the pinkie. Let it just hang. So long as it isn’t getting in the way there is no reason to keep it tense, and for most people it is short enough compared to the other fingers that it won’t get in the way.

[ellen-beckerman]

Thank you, Tony, I was thinking about that today as I was practicing, and it seemed to help a little. Oddly, they don’t hurt when I play, but do afterwards. But I will keep an eye on it.

[barbara-brundage]

Yes, make sure it is following the other fingers when you close and open them. Tension in your pinkies is very hard for most people to overcome, but it’s really important to make the effort.

[ellen-beckerman]

Thank you Barbara, I’ll take a look. By the way, I love your arrangement for Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie for lever harp. thank you so much for it!

[ellen-beckerman]

Thank you Barbara, I’ll take a look. By the way, I love your arrangement for Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie for lever harp. thank you so much for it!

[barbara-brundage]

Why, thanks, Ellen, I’m glad you like it. The tension-in-pinkies thing is a problem for most of us when we first start. It takes a lot of conscious effort, but you can do it.

[Tacye]

Or take a rubber band (loose enough it doesn’t cut the blood supply off) and fasten your pinky to the 4th to remind you. I see on another thread I am not the only person to suggest this!

[kay-lister]

Tracye – LOL . . . WORKS doesn’t it?!

😉 Kay

[ellen-beckerman]

Thank you so much for this advice! I tried it this morning and it helped tremendously. I’ll get those pinkies in line yet! :o)

[Angela Biggs]

Kay and Tayce — I read your tip about the rubber band this morning and had my first lesson with my first paying student tonight. She remarked upon the tension in her RH pinky and I slid on a rubber band. It worked. I doff my hat to thee. 🙂

(And this is *exactly* why I spend so much time on this forum. I never know what I’m going to learn, or when it’s going to come in handy!)

[kay-lister]

😉

Kay

[Tacye]

Indeed 😉 Automated nagging!

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