| In examining the nature of the hand, it will be | | | | opening the hand and straightening the fingers. The |
| necessary at this stage to exclude any consideration | | | | contraction of either set of muscles draws the bones |
| of it other than as something to be acted upon. It will | | | | into which they are inserted towards the bone from |
| afterwards, in its relation to the keyboard, be | | | | which they originate. |
| considered as an agent. | | | | If the hand and arm were allowed to fall loosely by the |
| The framework of the arm and hand consists of thirty | | | | side, and if the attitude assumed by the fingers were |
| bones: 1 for the upper arm, 2 for the forearm, 8 for the | | | | noticed, it will be seen that they do not hang straight, |
| wrist, 5 for the palm of the hand, and 14 for the fingers | | | | but are kept partially bent or flexed. If they are then |
| and thumb. The hand and wrist are, strictly speaking, | | | | straightened or extended, the stretch can be felt, and |
| attached to only one of the two bones of the forearm. | | | | concentration is needed to keep this position, and |
| This may easily be proved. Let the right arm be loosely | | | | when this effort is relaxed, the fingers return to their |
| extended, and the hand made to-turn half round and | | | | previous rounded shape. |
| back again without bending at the wrist, the fingers of | | | | The muscles when lying at rest, or in other words, |
| the left hand during this motion touching lightly the " | | | | without contraction of either flexors or extensors, |
| under" bone of the right arm close to the elbow. As | | | | cause this attitude of the fingers. It is to be noticed that |
| the hand turns, the upper bone alone turns with it, | | | | this natural attitude is the same as that used in playing |
| attached to, and "rolling" on the lower one at both | | | | on the piano. |
| elbow and wrist. | | | | It may be as well to employ in future the words "stiff" |
| The terms "under" and "upper" are applied only | | | | and "loose" to denote the two states of the muscles: |
| relatively to the two bones of the forearm, as by | | | | the former to the forcibly contracted, the latter to the |
| means of motion at the shoulder-joint their respective | | | | perfectly natural state. |
| positions may be reversed. In the present instance the | | | | Of more practical use to the piano student than |
| position in which they are regarded as " upper " and | | | | knowledge of how muscles contract is the knowledge |
| "under" is that in which, when the arm is outstretched, | | | | of what causes muscles to contract; since, from a |
| the thumb is uppermost. | | | | clear comprehension of how to arouse and control the |
| The bones of arm and hand are dependent for there | | | | muscular action necessary for piano playing will spring |
| motion on the action of the muscles, which are | | | | all that is included in the expression, Technique. |
| attached in the case of the hand and arm nearly | | | | It will be sufficient to indicate here, very briefly, what |
| always to bone, for the purpose of moving it. A bone | | | | the non-medical student may learn fully and clearly |
| cannot be altered in position unless the muscle or | | | | from such works as, say, Professor Huxley's "Lessons |
| muscles moving it are altered in shape. When | | | | in Elementary Physiology." The brain is the organ from |
| uncontracted, every muscle assumes the greatest | | | | which originate the impulses which cause the body to |
| length and the softest consistency natural to it. When | | | | act upon external objects. |
| forcibly contracted it is shortest and hardest. | | | | These impulses are communicated to the muscles |
| There are two sets of muscles used to move the | | | | through certain channels called nerves. Commands |
| hand, the flexors and the extensors. The former are | | | | from the brain are sent out through one set of nerves, |
| situated chiefly on the front of the forearm, and draw | | | | and impressions which the brain receives from outside |
| the fingertips towards the palm of the hand; the latter, | | | | are brought in through another set. |
| situated on the back of the arm, are instrumental in | | | | |