Piano Guidance
Photo by Mikhail Nilov Pexels Logo Photo: Mikhail Nilov

Do you need all 10 fingers to play piano?

Given enough desire and commitment, anyone can learn to play piano or guitar with fewer than ten fingers. Django Reinhardt was a famous jazz guitarist who lost the use of two of his four fretting fingers but learned to adapt and went on to become one of the most accomplished and talented guitarist in the world.

What is the most beautiful chord progression on piano?
What is the most beautiful chord progression on piano?

9 Best Piano Chord Progressions [With Examples] I – vi – ii – V. V – ii – vi. I – V – IV – I. I – V – vi – IV. I – IV – V – IV. I – ii – iii – ii –...

Read More »
Did Elvis Presley have perfect pitch?
Did Elvis Presley have perfect pitch?

He pointed out that despite an impressive vocal range of two and a half octaves and something approaching perfect pitch, Elvis was perfectly...

Read More »
Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide
Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Many musicians learn to overcome various handicaps (including missing fingers) and become very accomplished on their instrument of choice. People play with their head and their heart - their fingers are just a means to execute what they wish to express musically. Given enough desire and commitment, anyone can learn to play piano or guitar with fewer than ten fingers. Django Reinhardt was a famous jazz guitarist who lost the use of two of his four fretting fingers but learned to adapt and went on to become one of the most accomplished and talented guitarist in the world. Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack, Jr. better known as Dr. John decided to switch from guitar to piano after losing his index finger on his fretting hand in an accident. As a pianist he became a highly sought after professional session musician and his work on piano can be heard on albums by James Taylor, Van Morrison and Aretha Franklin and has worked with Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, and Ani DiFranco, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

According to Wikipedia

Paul Wittgenstein (May 11, 1887 – March 3, 1961) was an Austrian concert pianist notable for commissioning new piano concerti for the left hand alone, following the amputation of his right arm during the First World War. He devised novel techniques, including pedal and hand-movement combinations, that allowed him to play chords previously regarded as impossible for a five-fingered pianist. Paul Wittgenstein commissioned numerous works from famous composers (including Benjamin Britten, Paul Hindemith, Alexandre Tansman, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Sergei Prokofiev, Franz Schmidt, Sergei Bortkiewicz, and Richard Strauss) designed to be played on piano with only the left hand. Here is a You Tube video about a very talented pianist with only 4 fingers.

YouTube 4 fingered pianist

There are countless other examples and YouTube videos of musicians who have lost fingers who are able to play piano or guitar amazingly well. This proves my opening point that given enough desire, anyone can learn to overcome their handicap in a way that allows them to pursue their passion and express themselves musically. As far as piano pieces strictly arranged for a specific handicap, I am sure they exists, but each situation would be different depending on how many fingers are missing and on which hand. Here is a link that provides a list of music composed specifically for left hand only piano (many commissioned by the aforementioned Paul Wittgenstein).

List of Works for left hand piano

It would probably be a good idea for an aspiring pianist who was deprived of the use of one or more fingers to find a patient piano teacher who could help them discover the appropriate alternative fingerings for music they wanted to play.

How do you cancel a subscription?
How do you cancel a subscription?

Manage your subscriptions on Google Play On your Android device, go to your subscriptions in Google Play. Select the subscription you want to...

Read More »
Is MuseScore still open source?
Is MuseScore still open source?

MuseScore is an open source and free music notation software. For support, contribution, bug reports, visit MuseScore.org. Fork and make pull...

Read More »

What is a 101 keyboard?

A 101-key keyboard (U.S. layout) from IBM that superseded the PC/XT and AT keyboards. Introduced in 1985 as the Model M and standard on IBM's PS/2 computer, the Enhanced keyboard was used for more than a decade and continues to be used in its Windows keyboard variant.

A 101-key keyboard (U.S. layout) from IBM that superseded the PC/XT and AT keyboards. Introduced in 1985 as the Model M and standard on IBM's PS/2 computer, the Enhanced keyboard was used for more than a decade and continues to be used in its Windows keyboard variant. The Enhanced keyboard relocated the Control, Alt and function keys, and many fast typists were extremely unhappy about the changes. In 1995, the Enhanced layout was superseded by the Windows keyboard, which uses the same layout plus three specialized Windows keys (see Windows keyboard). See PC keyboard.

Separate Cursor Keys

The Control Key Blunder

Fix Them All

Do you have to tune a digital piano?
Do you have to tune a digital piano?

A digital piano is maintenance free – there are no hammers and strings to produce sound so there's no tuning required.

Read More »
How do you memorize a melody?
How do you memorize a melody?

10 Tips for Memorizing Music #1. Start small. This might go without saying, but building your memory is a process. ... #2. Use sight reading tips....

Read More »
Is a 32 key piano enough?
Is a 32 key piano enough?

Even if you manage to find a keyboard that is not a MIDI controller, 25 to 32 keys simply isn't enough to make the most of your piano learning...

Read More »
How do I save a MuseScore as a PDF?
How do I save a MuseScore as a PDF?

Select a file and click Open ; or simply double-click a file. Open recent allows you to choose from a list of recently-opened scores. Save, Save...

Read More »