Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today’s question is: What is the most important finger for playing the piano? Of course, all of your fingers are important, and they each play a vital role. Imagine playing the piano with less than ten fingers. It would be really hard! It’s hard enough with all ten fingers. But there’s one finger that really is pivotal for playing the piano. Not only that, but it is arguably the most important finger that you have for everything.
The most important finger is the thumb.
Why are the thumbs so important? Naturally, being able to grasp objects with the thumb, because it’s opposing the other fingers, is incredibly important. And it’s in no small part how civilization developed. Our thumbs enable us to utilize tools. The thumb gives you control. In piano playing, there are three aspects that make the thumb vitally important. The thumb is your strongest finger. The third finger is pretty darn strong, but not like the thumb. Instead of having three bones like your other fingers, the thumb only has two. And it has a unique set of tendons and muscles.
How does this impact piano playing?
First of all, when playing scales, arpeggios, or any passages that go up and down the keyboard, because the thumb has the flexibility of being able to oppose the other fingers, you can use the thumb to cross other fingers. It can go under the hand to reach for the next note. Imagine trying to play scales without your thumbs. It’s really hard because crossing over fingers without using the thumb is awkward. Sometimes you have to do that when you’re playing counterpoint. You might have to hold a note with your thumb while other notes are being played on top. If the thumb is already engaged in playing a note, it can be necessary to cross with different fingers.
The thumb is vitally important for playing octaves and other larger intervals.
Unless you have very large hands, you probably can’t play an octave with your other fingers. Even if you had an extra finger like your other fingers instead of a unique finger like the thumb, you wouldn’t be able to get the control and power of the thumb. It’s the magic of the arch! You can get the power of the arch of the whole hand with the thumb. It’s the power of the arch that gives you control when playing octaves as well as chords. This enables you to get the balance you want. You utilize the rocking of the hand from the left to the right to balance the tone from one side of the hand to the other side. You can get a certain amount of that with your other fingers, but because the thumb has unique musculature, it enables you to achieve superior control. So when you’re playing octaves, for example, you can get the balance you want by how you distribute the weight of the hand. That’s also what enables rapid, powerful octaves.
That’s the power of the thumb!
It’s your strongest finger. It’s opposable, so you can cross it and easily get fluidity on scales, arpeggios, and other passages that go up and down the keyboard. And lastly, the power of the arch gives you control and speed on octaves and chords. Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.
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8 thoughts on “What Is the Most Important Finger in Piano Playing?”
Without that huge lateral movement relative to the rest of the hand we would never have been able to play scales efficiently on keyboards, so make no mistake, we would have found another device on which to create our music. Look at what xylophone and vibraphone players manage to do. And speaking of the limitations of using keyboards, I just automatically wrote the word ‘mistake’, decided not to delete it, when I thought the word ‘music’. Something to think about there.
People will always find a way to make music. But it sure is nice to have two hands!
Thank you for the Thumb,,most important….extension ,rather than finger.Good for students to re-think what the thumb can do. So different from a string instrumentalist …..We have our hand , but even more with a thumb at hand!
On stringed instruments, each hand does completely different things. So there is an added level of complexity in simply holding the instrument!
I’ve heard that stringed instrument players, specifically guitar, classical or otherwise, have more difficulty learning to play piano than other cross over musicians because of the very different interaction, especially rhythmically, between the hands.
Generally, people who have experience with any other musical instrument (including singing), have an easier time picking up the piano. I have known many string players who have developed skills at the piano. However, it is of even greater benefit for people who have had some piano training earlier in life.
One comment on thumbs and octaves. I was taught to practice those difficult octave passages (like in Funerailles, and Chopin’s Aflat Pollonaise) with just your thumbs.
It’s funny, when I started to read your comment, that is what I thought of for some reason! It’s not a bad idea as long as you have the arch position so that the pinky is over the octave.