We pianists are often preoccupied with empowering our so-called ‘weak’ fingers – i.e. the fourth and fifth – and with some justification, given that we need to make the most of all the digits we’ve got. Thankfully, weird contraptions designed to strengthen certain fingers haven’t caught on, despite an appetite for experimentation evident among pianists in the 1830s (it didn’t end well for poor Schumann, who famously damaged his second and third fingers with his homemade cigar box and wire gizmo). Just as a racket sports player cannot solely rely upon a strong forehand to compensate for a dodgy backhand, and the right-footed footballer might still need to shoot with the left foot, so the pianist must learn to harness all ten digits. There are plenty of pieces, studies and exercises at all levels, designed precisely to help build confidence and
