Pinky exercise - needed help

[kenvng]

Hi, I am needing help.   My pinky is weak.  I believe my pinky is double-jointed.  When I play piano it aches downward at second joint from the nail and locked up.  I can't curve it back unless i relax the whole hand and curve up other fingers with it.  Anyone knows any exercise or any technique to help me out? I just learned playing and loving it.  Do not want to stop because of something like that.  I healthy and physically fit.  I am not in any way physically challenged.  Well except for the pinky. 
Thank you in advance for all the helps!!!
I apologize if this is not the right thread to post in.  Thank you.

[Terry]

Welcome kenvng!  I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles.

Well, one of the few rules on this forum is to avoid giving specific technical advice.  You can read a whole lot more about this on Advice: an update.  So I don't think you'll get a lot of advice here.  But nothing is stopping anyone who had problems with their pinky to say what helped them!

And it is completely legit for me to tell you that I think you need specific technical advice.  If you are healthy and in good shape, the way you are moving is what is causing trouble for your pinky. Which is great news, because it means that if you can learn to move differently, your situation can change.  I had a terrible problem with my pinky that I was able to get help with through a combination of yoga and the Taubman approach to piano technique.  As I was able to feel my arm and hand go down into each key with a more free pinky, I felt better, and the quality of my playing improved as well!

One thing that never worked for me was exercises.  I did a lot of exercises when my fingers had troubles, and it just made them worse.  Finally, I realized that my fingers were suffering because they were too isolated in the first place, and what I needed was to play in a more coordinated and integrated way with the rest of my hand and arm.

A teacher of the Taubman approach to piano technique could help you play in a more integrated way.  If you would like to contact The Balanced Pianist and let us know where you live, we will try to recommend a good teacher who lives near you.

I would also like to invite you to attend The Balanced Pianist Pennsylvania, coming up on Columbus Day weekend.

Good luck to you!

[wongk]

I think a positive mindset (extremely positive) helps to shield the body against injuries. I think taking care of the body is also very important in becoming a balanced pianist- getting enough sleep, a balanced diet, enough exercise- not finger exercises.

With regards to finger exercises, I think they're pretty pointless. I think most anything out of the context of music is generally not very useful. I found that my technique generally never really improved by practicing 20 minutes of scales and arpeggios every morning, and the connection to the music was never made. I have also not heard a pleasing piece of music which had an extended passage(s) of scales and/or arpeggios. Therefore I abolished them from my practice time and I approach every passage with attention to balance and only practice really fast scales when they happen to be the chains, linking musical events together, ergo allowing me to play them at sight when they come up in musical events.