Cracking Knuckles

I have a possibly bad habit of cracking my knuckles as well as my wrists. I can't seem to stop. When I don't do it for a while the joints in my hand begin to "ache"; not in a very painful way, they sort of just feel a little warm. Not sure if this is weird, but I'm curious if this affects my ability to play the violin? Sometimes it seems no matter how much I practice, a certain part in a piece might seem too much for my fingers, and they trip over themselves. This is especially true for my pinky, which can never seem to press down as quickly as the others, especially when doing a run. Is this just lack of skill or maybe just normal finger weakness? Or is my habit inhibiting my ability to play?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/22/AR2009022201783.html

It's one of the first google results for the suggested "cracking knuckles good or bad"

Any famous pianists with notoriously bad habits like this?

I wouldn't worry about this. It is probably due to you (finger weakness or lack of skill or whatever), not the cracking.

I am not a famous pianist but I do crack my knuckles occasionally. I do that when they feel 'stuck' and need to be 'loosened' (for practice, or just for convenience). I've come across articles (being a medical student) that said the same thing as the article above does to make sure my pianoplaying won't be negatively affected by the cracking. I would even believe that this loosening of the ligaments in the joints of the fingers might even, if done occasionally and not too forcefully, help your fingers stay flexible. If you are a musician who makes music by using the fingers, your tendons ought to be in a pretty good shape already.

If I don't crack them, they will crack by themselves when I try to reach some of the big chords in debussy or chopin ;)

All I have heard to do with the cracking of knuckles is that if you do it too much you lose some grip.

OR ARTHRITIS HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA

No.

Cracking itself does no harm.

Irrespective of cracking, bending any joint too far can do harm, though. So don't be foolish.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! >D

I dont believe that it causes damage unless you do it excessively. More information can be found here: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_cracking_your_knuckles_lead_to_arthritis

I used to do it, but I was discouraged by my dad!! :)

First post by they way!

I dont believe that it causes damage unless you do it excessively. More information can be found here: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_cracking_your_knuckles_lead_to_arthritis

I used to do it, but I was discouraged by my dad!! :)

First post by they way!

Welcome! I'm happy to know that your first post was in my thread.

Well, sometimes if I don't crack my knuckles or the joints in my fingers for a while they'll begin to ache a little. Not sure if that's weird at all or if it's serious.

No dear