On thumb preparation

I refer you back to my video tutorials on piano technique. Also read Sandor's book "How to Play the Piano." Anyway, the division of pedagogical opinion is "thumb under" vs. "thumb beside." What does that mean? The first school teaches us for a long time that the thumb must pass "under" the other fingers, the second "beside" the other fingers. Passing the thumb under the other fingers is complicated and wastes time and energy at the expense of speed and evenness. In the second case, the thumb moves alongside the fingers with an obvious movement of the hand and a slight lowering of the wrist. I find, as Sandor confirms, this technique to be more effective especially in speed, in which it would be impossible to have the time to pass the thumb "under" (see my visual examples in the videos). Now, talking about preparation means, as Cortot indicates in his book on piano technique, preparing for the "movement" of the hand. There are written exercises in that book, in case you manage to get it. I see no other "preparation" than that of "straining" and "forcing" the poor thumb and compelling it to play under the other fingers, in a restrictive position. Naturally, at the beginning of studies, the passage underneath must be acquired and known, with a slight longitudinal rotation of the hand, but soon the student must become aware of the second system which will lead them toward speed. At the beginning of acquisition, in both cases, one must have patience and find the right balance over time. A good Master will know how to guide the student and suggest what they "must not do." Happy studying

Thank you Pianoexpert