After the recorder, the violin is the instrument most commonly offered to children by state schools in the UK.
The violin is a challenging instrument. Rapid, independent motion of the digital joints in the left hand is desirable. This study was conceived after an 11-year-old patient volunteered that she had given up playing the violin because of difficulty and discomfort manoeuvring the left small and ring fingers independently. On exami¬nation, she was found to have absent FDS (flexor digitorum superficialis) function in the small finger. The research investigated whether lack of inde-pendent movement of the small finger PIPJ affected the musical ability of string players. Because an ana¬tomical variation is fixed, training and strengthening exercises will be unlikely to correct any issues of technique that arise as a result.
To read the original article: Does the functionality of your small finger determine your ability to master the violin? | ScienceBlog.com
