# Why is it so difficult to drum your fingers backwards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 7, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593 "2011-02-07T23:45:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/1 "2011-02-07T23:45:10Z")
Going from pinky to index is easy and fast. Doing it the other way requires thought and effort. Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/2 "2011-02-08T00:30:12Z")
Try starting with your thumb and not your index finger. You can develop a hypothesis from here. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/3 "2011-02-08T00:42:50Z")
When I read your post title I assumed that by “backwards” you meant pinky to index, as index to pinky is a little easier for me…though I have no problem with either (I’ve played fingerstyle guitar for years, though, which may be a factor in terms of my finger independence/dexterity etc). ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/4 "2011-02-08T01:01:24Z")
They’re both the same for me. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/5 "2011-02-08T01:05:55Z")
I don’t notice any difference between the two directions. I learned to type at an early age, maybe that has something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/6 "2011-02-08T01:10:39Z")
Both seem about the same to me… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/7 "2011-02-08T01:15:27Z")
Only a slight difference for me. Probably due to practice. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/8 "2011-02-08T01:35:08Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > Going from pinky to index is easy and fast. Doing it the other way requires thought and effort. Why is that? phjonen, I’m with you. Much harder going index to pinky. I have no idea why though. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/9 "2011-02-08T01:51:31Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > When I read your post title I assumed that by “backwards” you meant pinky to index, as index to pinky is a little easier for me…though I have no problem with either (I’ve played fingerstyle guitar for years, though, which may be a factor in terms of my finger independence/dexterity etc). Demon! Joe ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/10 "2011-02-08T01:56:11Z")
Way easier and quicker for me from pinkie to index. But reading the answers, it’s probably some random individual variation, like ability to blink equally well with either eyelid, etc… ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/11 "2011-02-08T02:13:02Z")
Index to pinky is a fair bit easier me for me than pinky to index. For what it’s worth I don’t play guitar, I do type, and i’m right-handed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/12 "2011-02-08T02:16:59Z")
If I’m just drumming my fingers mindlessly, it’s pinky-first, but I can do either with almost no effort. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/13 "2011-02-08T02:23:02Z")
Struck me as an odd question. I have never drummed my fingers pinky-to-index. I play guitar and can drum my fingers including thumb in 5/4 time or even 5-against-4 but never tried going the other direction until I read this thread. I can do it but requires more concentration. I’m sure it’s just a matter of practice. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/14 "2011-02-08T02:34:10Z")
It’s a matter of practice, of course. It’s like Asians who can spin pens around their fingers. I learned how and it would drive my American friends nuts when they would couldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Skyscrapers\_Are\_Gravestones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Skyscrapers\_Are\_Gravestones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skyscrapers_Are_Gravestones)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/15 "2011-02-08T02:54:10Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Way easier and quicker for me from pinkie to index. But reading the answers, it’s probably some random individual variation, like ability to blink equally well with either eyelid, etc.. I can _barely_ drum my fingers from index to pinky, and I can’t blink at all with my right eyelid without involving my left. I’ve been trying to work on both skills since I was a child, and twenty years later I’m just as incapable of both as I was when I was pretending to learn long division in the back of class as a kid. The math, I’ve gotten far better at; the finger drumming and right-eyelid-blinking, not so much. Maybe it’s just not in the cards for some of us less dexterous folks. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/16 "2011-02-08T09:01:52Z")
I think it’s a matter of dexterity. Some people’s brains are just wired to do those things better than other people, possibly if you were athletic when you were young. I have no problem doing that, typing fast, winking either eye, rubbing my stomach/patting my head, patting my stomach/rubbing my head, etc. The ones that kill me though is wiggling my ears and raising my right eyebrow. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/17 "2011-02-08T09:50:35Z")
I think it’s just practice. I read the thread title and started doing it index to pinky. It was slower but in about 30 second of practicing it was already getting notably faster. I have no doubt that if I did it regularly there would quickly be no difference. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/18 "2011-02-08T12:43:55Z")
> [@TokyoPlayer](#): > > It’s like Asians who can spin pens around their fingers. Is this something peculiar to Asians? Not that I can do it (I’ve never tried) but I can’t see why they’d be any better at it than anyone else. I can drum my fingers in both directions, with my right hand. It’s a bit tougher to do it backwards on my left. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/19 "2011-02-08T13:44:01Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Is this something peculiar to Asians? Not that I can do it (I’ve never tried) but I can’t see why they’d be any better at it than anyone else. They’re better at it only because they practice it. I guess it’s a cultural quirk. I’ve had a few Korean friends who do this with incredible deft and casual absent-mindedness. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593/20 "2011-02-08T14:30:58Z")
Both are the same for me except for one difference: my pinky finger is shorter than the rest of my fingers, so it doesn’t “drum” exactly the same as the other fingers. Even with that, it takes no extra effort or thought for me to drum my fingers one way or the other. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-drum-your-fingers-backwards/570593.md?page=2)