Good hand position at all times is essential for good piano playing. All of the fingers must be in a place that allows easy and immediate access to the keys.
Because the keys are levers and take more energy to move the closer you are to the fulcrum, our fingers naturally tend to play near the ends of the keys. As efficient members of the body they are always "looking" for ways to save us energy so it takes conscious effort to train the hands to maintain a position that allows the thumb constant access to the keys. This means that fingers two three and four almost always need to play inside (in between) the black keys so that the thumb is always over white keys.
In some keys, F Major for example, the thumb must be used to play black notes and if the tempo is quick, moving in and out of the black keys will greatly inhibit good tone and rhythm.
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FloydPerryThistle - 26 Nov 2003
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