Keyboard Layout: Dvorak vs Colemak: is it Worthwhile to Improvethe Dvorak Layout?

[rusi]

On Jun 19, 9:21 am, Lie Ryan <lie.1... at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 06/18/11 03:53, Xah Lee wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Jun 15, 5:43 am, rusi <rustompm... at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> On Jun 15, 5:32 pm, Dotan Cohen <dotanco... at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >>> Thanks. From testing small movements with my fingers I see that the
> >>> fourth finger is in fact a bit weaker than the last finger, but more
> >>> importantly, it is much less dexterous. Good to know!
>
> >> Most of the piano technique-icians emphasis, especially those of the
> >> last century like Hanon, was to cultivate 'independence' of the
> >> fingers.  The main target of these attacks being the 4th finger.
>
> >> The number of potential-pianists who ruined their hands and lives
> >> chasing this holy grail is unknown
>
> > Hi rusi, am afaid going to contradict what u say here.
>
> > i pretty much mastered Hanon 60. All of it, but it was now 8 years
> > ago. The idea that pinky is stronger than 4th is silly. I can't fathom
> > any logic or science to support that. Perhaps what u meant is that in
> > many situations the use of pinky can be worked around because it in at
> > the edge of your hand so you can apply chopping motion or similar.
> > (which, is BAD if you want to develope piano finger skill) However,
> > that's entirely different than saying pinky being stronger than 4th.
>
> > there's many ways we can cookup tests right away to see. e.g. try to
> > squeeze a rubber ball with 4th and thumb. Repeat with pink + thumb.
> > Or, reverse exercise by stretching a rubber band wrapped on the 2
> > fingers of interest. You can easy see that pinky isn't stronger.
>
> Except that the actual finger strength themselves are not very relevant;
> the dexterity of the fingers turned out to matter more because pressing
> the keys in a keyboard does not actually take a lot of power.

Actually there are 3 factors: strength, dexterity and independence.
Speaking somewhat simplistically,
strength corresponds to how hard one can hit a note,
dexterity to how fast one can play,
independence to.. well independence :-) eg fugal/multi-voice music
needs more independence -- both physical and intellectual -- than
harmony/chord based music

In Bach's introduction to his 2 and 3 part inventions he indicates his
intention:

An honest guide, wherewith lovers of the clavier, and especially those
anxious to learn, are shown a clear method not only how to learn to
play neatly in two parts, but further to play correctly and well in
three obbligato parts; and at the same time not only to acquire good
inventiones (ideas) but to work them out well; but above all to get a
cantabile style of playing and in addition to get a strong taste for
composition.

Likewise in Donald F Tovey's commentary on the fugue in Beethoven's
Hammerklavier he cautions:
"It is three voices, not two fists that unite..."