Little finger use

[Alan Day]

A lot of my playing involves the option of using the little finger for base accompaniment below the normal chords.

It is not difficult and like all points raised in playing, just needs a bit of practice. All of the far left hand notes are played with the little finger and sometimes those next to them. It gives depth to the chords and provides an option for single, or chord included base runs.

Worth a try.

Al

[JimLucas]

A lot of my playing involves the option of using the little finger for base accompaniment below the normal chords.

It is not difficult and like all points raised in playing, just needs a bit of practice. All of the far left hand notes are played with the little finger and sometimes those next to them. It gives depth to the chords and provides an option for single, or chord included base runs.

Worth a try.

It should be noted that Alan is speaking about the

anglo

.

Here's what I wrote in this post in another thread:

My own use varies considerably with the instrument:

• On the English, I use my little fingers to hold the instrument, sometimes but very rarely bringing one up to press a particular button in an otherwise awkward fingering sequence.
  
• On the anglo, I make considerable use of both little fingers.
  
• On the Crane, I use both little fingers, though not equally with the other fingers. This is partly because of which notes (accidentals only) are positioned directly under the little fingers, but also because I have difficulty reaching the most distant buttons with my too-short little fingers.
  
• On the Maccann, where I'd say I'm at advanced beginner level, I use my little fingers as a matter of course. As a simple consequence of the note locations in relation to the music I'm playing, I use my little fingers on the Maccann more than on the Crane, but less than on the anglo.
  
• On both the Maccann and the Crane, I think I would use my little fingers more if the hand bars were closer to the buttons. On a concertina of either type with enough buttons, there are buttons which I simply can't reach with my little fingers, yet can with my ring fingers.
  
• I don't have enough personal experience with the Hayden (a few minutes, more than 15 years ago), but I expect that on it I would use my little fingers even more than on the Maccann in the lower range of each hand, but might have more difficulty with the extremes of the upper ranges.

I definitely recommend exercising the little fingers and practicing using them as much as possible....

[hjcjones]

A's absolutely right, but why should he need to point it out? On most instruments the use of the little finger passes without comment - it's expected. It may take a little work to bring it under control but that's only because we don't use it much in daily life (unless we are touch-typists, for example). Why should it be a big deal for concertina players?

[Ken_Coles]

It was a big deal for me...years ago, at age 22, my left 5th finger was smashed up in an accident. It is still weak. I hesitated to train it on C/G anglo, but that F# made me learn it (Off to California), and it works fine. It really takes little force to play a properly adjusted concertina button. At an early stage I'd have appreciated this encouragement, so let me add mine to Alan's - I've known players who rearrange all sorts of notes on anglo so they never have to use the 5th finger.

 

That weak finger is the reason (or excuse) that I've never progressed with fretted instruments. A steel string guitar takes all those fingers, and quite a bit of pressure. I was delighted to learn not too long ago that, in contrast, I _can_ finger a violin/fiddle, it takes very little pressure and has been fun to work on.

 

Music is where you find it.

Ken

[David Barnert]

Here's what I wrote in this post in another thread:

My own use varies considerably with the instrument:

• ...
  
• I don't have enough personal experience with the Hayden (a few minutes, more than 15 years ago), but I expect that on it I would use my little fingers even more than on the Maccann in the lower range of each hand, but might have more difficulty with the extremes of the upper ranges.

Surely, you meant the lower range of the left hand and the upper range of the right.

 

As I have mentioned before, I use my little fingers on the Hayden pretty much only when I need them and do most of my playing with the three stronger fingers on each hand. I know this is contrary to standard teaching, but it is the habit I have developed and it serves me well. Examples of when I would use them:

 

• On the left hand, to play a low C or D held as a "pedal" tone while playing melodic material with the other fingers.
  
• On the right hand to play an accidental sharp (outside the prevailing key) under a note I've already played with the 2nd or 3rd finger, that is, a raised 4th under the 5th note of the scale, or a raised 5th under the 6th.

[JimLucas]

Here's what I wrote in this post in another thread:

My own use varies considerably with the instrument:

• ...
  
• I don't have enough personal experience with the Hayden (a few minutes, more than 15 years ago), but I expect that on it I would use my little fingers even more than on the Maccann in the lower range of each hand, but might have more difficulty with the extremes of the upper ranges.

Surely, you meant the lower range of the left hand and the upper range of the right.

No. I mean that I can reach outside buttons (toward the left on the left hand, toward the right on the right hand) if they are near the hand bar (i.e., buttons in the outside direction, within the lower musical range of each hand), but not if they are distant from the hand bar (within the higher range of notes).

 

I would expect this to be particularly the case on some (still theoretical?) many-button versions of the Hayden keyboard, which extend the layout perpendicular to the hand bars, but -- unlike other duets -- also parallel (ignoring the slight slant) to the bars, in order to get enharmonic duplication.

[Dan Worrall]

I guess my first reaction was like Howard's...I use pinkies a lot and never think much about it. But reflecting back, it was not so easy at first...35 years ago. I remember not being able to steadily separate the motion of my pinkie from the rest of my fingers. I worked at it a good long while. At first, I had a lot of trouble with my pinkie slipping off keys. I thought at first the keys were too slippery (someone started a thread on that issue a couple of years ago) and then I thought I just had no accuracy in my left hand pinkie. Neither were the problem...I just had to build up strength and agility in that digit. What did the trick for me was playing some of Kimber's music--I had no choice other than to use the pinkies, and if the tune demands it, you eventually order the pinkie, subconsciously, to shape up. Today, I never even think about it; all that trouble was (can it be?) a quarter century ago.

 

What does occur to me as unusual and a bit remarkable these days is chopping....using the same finger to press two separate keys in quick succession. Irish players--those being taught in the popular revival styles-- seem to be getting taught not to do it, as has been mentioned in this Forum (and some tutors) many times. These days I am playing a lot in the old styles of anglo playing, which among other things included playing nearly completely in octaves, or old style chording (Kimber-like, using octave positions on the left and adding in an adjacent note or two, as opposed to revival-style English oom-pah style). I hope those descriptions make sense! At any rate, that old style of playing takes a lot of chopping, usually across rows...so you need to develop some speed at button switching. I've recently been learning some old Sally Army band arrangements. The melody and counter-melody parts are written completely in octaves (no surprise) but the vamping parts (2d or 3d concertina) are surprisingly complex and use successions of the same sort of two-handed chords taught in Herbert Booth's tutor (see concertina.com). The arrangements I have use a lot of quick chord changes--not just the usual I-IV-V but also adding inversions, seventh chords and the like. To do this quickly one must chop not only with one finger but with 3 or 4 fingers at a time, in march tempo (120-130 bpm). Like pinkie use, it takes some practice, and my practice at it now reminds me a bit about strengthening my pinkies years back.

 

Cheers,

Dan

[Alan Day]

Interesting replies.

I posted this in the "Teaching and Learning" section for beginners, so it may sound a bit obvious to some players who start off with little finger (pinky) use.

I am not sure about the strength bit, I think it is more technique to get the finger working.I do a lot of finger table drumming using all fingers when not playing. Sitting in a traffic jam can be a useful drumming practice time. This is best done on your own as it can be a bit irritating to those around you.Trying to move the little finger up and down with each finger in turn is a bit of a strain when you start, but gradually it becomes easier.

I never realised that the little finger is used so much in English System playing until I got the strength of Utube around me.

It is another concept of playing that can introduce a whole range of options to your playing.

Al

[hjcjones]

So far as I can recall (it's a long time ago now!) I used the little finger from the start - but I already played guitar and recorder, both of which require the use of the little finger, so it probably didn't occur to me not to. However, judging from how often it gets mentioned, it does seem to be a bit of an issue for some players.

 

I can't imagine the desirability of using the little finger ever being discussed on, for example, a piano forum.

 

I agree with Al, it's not so much about strength but technique. You have to learn control over the little finger, which otherwise just tends to follow the others. It's not a difficult skill, and it's not confined to playing music, but it does have to be practiced.

[LDT]

I have to type for work and | ten to use my RH little finger more than left hand...and consequently notice a difference between sides when I play the concertina.