I too can curl my left pinky while keeping the other fingers straight. I can’t curl my right without moving the others, but I can then uncurl the rest of them while leaving the right pinky curled.
All of the other fingers can curl/uncurl independently.
I played trombone for several years.
Who here can hold a pencil in their pinky and index fingers such that the middle two are curled under and not touching the pencil? I can, but again only on the left hand.
I can do all of the tricks mentioned in this thread with either hand (more easily with right), but then again, my fingers are majorly screwed up. I can also do things like bending the last knuckle of a finger independently of the rest of the finger. What I can’t do, is straighten all of them… If I try, the bottom knuckle on each ends up popping out. I understand it’s due to a combination of heridity and too much knuckle-cracking… the only musical instrument I play is bass tuba, which doesn’t require that great a degree of independent movement.
But, I play drums (very well), I play guitar (okay), I play cello (mediocre at best), I type quickly, and am generally dexterous with my hands (lots of video games have helped). Could it be though, that I’ve developed more of a ‘grip’ style? With drums there is a certain amount of tenderness involved (believe it or not), but it’s mainly in your grip and wrist action. I’m going to try SaxFace’s excercises however, just to see if I can convert.
I can do it with my right hand. Comes from
decades of crochetting; I have a permanent
callus where the crochet hook rubs my
right pinky.