A post of your hand showing your reach...

[dikai_yang]

well, here's mine, would you guys post yours??  wanna know how big are people's hands...

[jlh]

hmm... well, here's mine.  I wanna see a pic of that 5 year old who could reach like a 10th or something...

[pianonut]

dear dkai-yang,

my hand span is about equal to yours.  why the pic?  is it to prove that people can reach what they say they can?  or, is it to see sexy hands.  (*whispers to herself that bob, bernhard,m1469and janice are sure to post here, if they refuse to post pics elsewhere).  my pinky and thumb are short (unlike many pianists who have long fingers) - i learned to jump quickly and pedal the bass.

[piazzo23]

hmm... well, here's mine.  I wanna see a pic of that 5 year old who could reach like a 10th or something...

Ok, you have a tenth. It´s supposed to be playable in less than a second 

[jlh]

Ok, you have a tenth. It´s supposed to be playable in less than a second 

Since this is all fun and games, I won't be too hard on you, but my hand is stretching more than normal on purpose -- and it's an 11th, btw... the 10th is easy.  Count with me, 1...2...3...
 

[maul]

Yeah, but can you play that instantly? No. You have to stretch your fingers as far as you can and wrap them below the keys. You have a 10th reach.

[Aziel]

About...(1024 X 768 resolution)


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[jz_rach2]

sigh...i have quite small hands-_-;; my right hand can reach an 8ve comfortably but can bearly touch a 9th. left hand is a bit better, can strech a 9th but can't fall on it . i wonder how i can make my hand grow more. i'm a small person and small hands bring a lot of disadvantages. so streching exercises come in help here =)

[jlh]

Yeah, but can you play that instantly? No. You have to stretch your fingers as far as you can and wrap them below the keys. You have a 10th reach.

I didn't say I had an 11th reach... just that "my hand is stretching more than normal on purpose" to exhibit the limit.  Also, my post was in reply to piazzo23 whose post gave the impression that there was a miscounting of intervals.  No, I can't play an 11th at once in under a second unassisted, but a 10th is a different matter.  Does that clear it up?

Sorry for the confusion.

[maul]

It's cool. It's just that the topic is called "A post of your hand showing your reach..." so you understand how I'd get that impression.

[Dazzer]

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ouch... i sympathise - pat pat -

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nup... hand won't fit. but its nearly 10.

[Mozartian]

mine lol
https://img113.imageshack.us/img113/5569/hand4yo.jpg

[Aziel]

ouch... i sympathise - pat pat -

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nup... hand won't fit. but its nearly 10.

You sympathize someone with a larger hand spand? 

[sevencircles]

Rachmaninof could reach a 14:th with each hand so could Cziffra.

[Goldberg]

Rachmaninof could reach a 14:th with each hand so could Cziffra.

Where did you find that out?

...Cziffra says in his autobiography that he had naturally small hands for which he had to compensate in his playing, and I have never seen anything (videos, photos, interviews) otherwise that would indicate he could reach a 14th...

[toymaker]

Rachmaninof could reach a 14:th with each hand so could Cziffra.

Official Guinness Record: Rachmaninoff. He could strike the following chord with his left hand: C - Eb - G - C - G. Simply a giant. 

[sevencircles]

...Cziffra says in his autobiography that he had naturally small hands for which he had to compensate in his playing, and I have never seen anything (videos, photos, interviews) otherwise that would indicate he could reach a 14th...

Cziffra´s handsa were  big. Just check out any video of him playing and you can see that his hands were indeed bigger then average.

His pinkies were very limber and he could play with pinkies and indexfinger forming a 90 degree angle.

It´s possible that he  could reach a 14:th on a Hoffmann size keyboard only though!

I am certain that there are people who could reach further then Rachmaninof.

Like the worlds tallest man perhaps.

[JP]

Cziffra´s handsa were  big. Just check out any video of him playing and you can see that his hands were indeed bigger then average.

His pinkies were very limber and he could play with pinkies and indexfinger forming a 90 degree angle.

True.

[allchopin]

I'm guessing Cziffra's hands could reach somewhere from a 10th-11th.

[sevencircles]

What´s the widest stretch you have seen in a (playable) piece?

It´s something by Rachmaninof, right?

[thalbergmad]

I have seen an 11th in the Henselt Concerto. Loads of 10ths as well.

[franzliszt32]

I like my stetch, it stretches a 10th. I was told its not the size that is most important, it is the stretch between each finger.

(                                                                                                                                         )

I have a very large gap between the 4th and 5th finger. According to my teacher if I make the gap between thunb and 1st finger I could get an 11th. I did a lot of exercises to enhance my stretch.

[franzliszt32]

The bracket is the size of stretch but for some reaon it doesn't fit, evn though it does in the bit where you write the message lol

[doublesharp]

I am certain that there are people who could reach further then Rachmaninof.

Like the worlds tallest man perhaps.

Largest hands Robert Wadlow (USA), famously the tallest man ever, had hands that measured 12.75 in. (32.3 cm) from the wrist to the tip of his middle finger.

Of course this doesnt measure the direct handspan, but I calculated out the stretch by finding the ratios using my own handspan (even though everyone is different it at least gives an idea).

From the wrist to middle fingertip of my hand is 8 in.  and so is the comfortable reach from thumb to pinky (this is probably true for most people).

So with this information we can approximate Wadlow's handspan to be approximately 12-13 inches which would give a comfortable reach of exactly 2 octaves.   

[Barbosa-piano]

I give up! I did everything I could to post the picture and it is in a different format, blahblah... I don't know what to do.
 Now...
 :)I can reach a tenth confortably, and if a stretch very well, an eleventh, and 12th... My left hand stretches with more ease than the right one.

I have seen an 11th in the Henselt Concerto. Loads of 10ths as well.

Bela Bartok wrote his odd paralel ninths in the Out of doors suite, I believe, the stretches are not as wide as the ones found in Rachmaninoff's music, but in greater quantity.

[Dazzer]

You sympathize someone with a larger hand spand? 

larger?

well i guess you couldh ave just said you have a 13th or something... instead of drawing your span... man you must have some font size...

[guru_of_time]

What´s the widest stretch you have seen in a (playable) piece?

It´s something by Rachmaninof, right?

Prokofiev's 9th Fugitive Vision has 10ths throughout the entire song

the intro to Rach 2 (the infamous F Minor to C Minor transition) has 10ths, so you can tell if the pianist has a small or large hand (depending on whether they roll it or not)...

I'll post a picture of my hands later...

[Jacey1973]

hmm... well, here's mine.  I wanna see a pic of that 5 year old who could reach like a 10th or something...

Niice hands!

[techlogik]

well, here's mine, would you guys post yours??  wanna know how big are people's hands...

Just use your photo for my hands.  I can only reach an octave stretching.  A ninth is pretty much a mess reaching outside the end only.

In Chopin's Prelude Opus 28 No 7, measure 12, it has a right hand chord, A#-C#-E-A#-C#, it is like an 10-11th stretch.

To play this, I have to Arpeggio the first 3 notes, then play the last two as an interval all with my right hand while the left is playing the other chord which is nearly an octave.  Since it is supposed to be pedalled and it is 3/4 time half notes, it gives time to do this and still sound pretty good.

I've seen a big guy play this piece, and he just stretched his hands and hit the chord like it was nothing...I was not happy about that.

[6ft 4]

Just use your photo for my hands.  I can only reach an octave stretching.  A ninth is pretty much a mess reaching outside the end only.

In Chopin's Prelude Opus 28 No 7, measure 12, it has a right hand chord, A#-C#-E-A#-C#, it is like an 10-11th stretch.

To play this, I have to Arpeggio the first 3 notes, then play the last two as an interval all with my right hand while the left is playing the other chord which is nearly an octave.  Since it is supposed to be pedalled and it is 3/4 time half notes, it gives time to do this and still sound pretty good.

I've seen a big guy play this piece, and he just stretched his hands and hit the chord like it was nothing...I was not happy about that.

This ought to make u feel better:



admitted that is a very difficult stretch,

And here's the left:

https://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/TheGreenBeret/LeftHand.jpg

[donjuan]

my left hand:

In Chopin's Prelude Opus 28 No 7, measure 12, it has a right hand chord, A#-C#-E-A#-C#, it is like an 10-11th stretch.

To play this, I have to Arpeggio the first 3 notes, then play the last two as an interval all with my right hand while the left is playing the other chord which is nearly an octave.  Since it is supposed to be pedalled and it is 3/4 time half notes, it gives time to do this and still sound pretty good.

I've seen a big guy play this piece, and he just stretched his hands and hit the chord like it was nothing...I was not happy about that.

my attempt:

...not a very fun chord...  glad I dont have to play it

[chozart]

omg you people have freakish hands

lol

I'll post mine later (can't go to the piano now, parents will have a fit if I go near it after 9 >_>)

[Jacey1973]

This ought to make u feel better:



admitted that is a very difficult stretch,

And here's the left:

https://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/TheGreenBeret/LeftHand.jpg

*compares hands* I'm not far off that - in the LH anyway can reach the note below though a 10th i think.

I'm having problems with stretching my RH in a particular bar of the Rach Etudes Tableaux op 39 no 8 though (see my post on this if you can possibly help with fingering/hand swapping!)

[xvimbi]

This ought to make u feel better:



admitted that is a very difficult stretch,

Yikes, just looking at that gives me pain

Out of curiosity, can't you move your elbow out, so that the forearm/hand rotate counterclockwise a bit? Then straighten your thumb. Your thumb is severely collapsed. Are you trying to pull our legs with that photo? You have such long fingers that they might run into the fallboard, but this combination of collapsed joints, severe curling of some fingers while others are flat, and the tendons showing like that, indicating severe tension, can't be good. I hope you don't play like this very often

[6ft 4]

*compares hands* I'm not far off that - in the LH anyway can reach the note below though a 10th i think.

I'm having problems with stretching my RH in a particular bar of the Rach Etudes Tableaux op 39 no 8 though (see my post on this if you can possibly help with fingering/hand swapping!)

ur 5ft 7?

u must have huge hands for a woman. 

man am i good at making women feel feminine.

Yikes, just looking at that gives me pain

Out of curiosity, can't you move your elbow out, so that the forearm/hand rotate counterclockwise a bit? Then straighten your thumb. Your thumb is severely collapsed. Are you trying to pull our legs with that photo? You have such long fingers that they might run into the fallboard, but this combination of collapsed joints, severe curling of some fingers while others are flat, and the tendons showing like that, indicating severe tension, can't be good. I hope you don't play like this very often

yeh it looks like the a weird crab like alien mutation lol.

i think its because my thumb is relatively short compared to my fingers.

[donjuan]

i think its because my thumb is relatively short compared to my fingers.

noo its because you have that "artistic thumb" that bends backwards... I sure wish I had a cool thumb like that

[xvimbi]

yeh it looks like the a weird crab like alien mutation lol.

i think its because my thumb is relatively short compared to my fingers.

The issue is that your thumb is totally collapsed. I can't even collapse my thumb, even if I try. Did you play guitar with your left hand? Try simply extending your thumb (similar to what donjuan showed)and, if you want to, turning the last joint inwards, not outwards as shown in your picture. That might help with the other fingers. Collapsing joints is generally not a good idea.

(I wish I had your span, though)

[6ft 4]

If my thumb is at full extension i physically cannot move the middle joint inwards. I mean my muscles cant do that for some reason, tis very odd.

I've never played guitar, its overplayed tbh, but anyway how is that related?

Donjuan, ur thumb gives u like an extra note stretch so never mind this artistic la dee ta i could reach a 12th almost if my thumb could extend like yours!!!

[Jacey1973]

ur 5ft 7?

u must have huge hands for a woman. 

man am i good at making women feel feminine.

I have average sized hands - my average span is a 9th, 10th if i stretch (i've noticed my LH has a slightly larger span than my right - is this unusual?) that's pretty average from what i've read on this forum....at least i don't have a weird bendy thumb! 

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p.s Hope you like the display i made for you above...ohh on the preview it's not as neat, ah well it's only 6ft 4 

[donjuan]

Donjuan, ur thumb gives u like an extra note stretch so never mind this artistic la dee ta i could reach a 12th almost if my thumb could extend like yours!!!

sorry - the more common name is "hitch hiker's thumb", which I see you have.

have a look at this page about thumb measurement:

https://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/WWC/1994/thumb.html

You must be homozygous recessive in that trait, whereas I am either Homozygous dominant or heterozygous dominant, depending on my parent's thumbs and their parents thumbs.

donjuan

[da jake]

My hands are roughly the same size as Lizst (but unfortunately nowhere near as talented) -   I can't stretch more than f# to b flat. Luckily, I still have a bit of growing ahead of me.

[janne p.]

In Chopin's Prelude Opus 28 No 7, measure 12, it has a right hand chord, A#-C#-E-A#-C#, it is like an 10-11th stretch.

To play this, I have to Arpeggio the first 3 notes, then play the last two as an interval all with my right hand while the left is playing the other chord which is nearly an octave.  Since it is supposed to be pedalled and it is 3/4 time half notes, it gives time to do this and still sound pretty good.

I've seen a big guy play this piece, and he just stretched his hands and hit the chord like it was nothing...I was not happy about that.

The two lowest notes can both be played with the thumb, thus making the required reach lesser.

[maul]

Alright, well here's mine:







It seems like most of us have the same reach. Where are all those people claiming they had 12ths and such? Heh

[prometheus]

Hehe, these pictures remind me of Allan Holdsworth.

[donjuan]

The two lowest notes can both be played with the thumb, thus making the required reach lesser.

brilliant!  a great idea now why didnt I think of that... but you have to position carefully, or youll end up hitting the D# by accident.

[musicsdarkangel]

Hehe, these pictures remind me of Allan Holdsworth.

Holdsworth is SICK

his 4 note p/ string technique is unbeatable.

He should have been a pianist 

[Dazzer]

LH


RH

[Jacey1973]

LH


RH

Well what do you know? You have the same hand span as me.

[prometheus]

Holdsworth is SICK

his 4 note p/ string technique is unbeatable.

He should have been a pianist 

Well, he does the most insane stretch chords on guitar. Nah, he shouldn't be a pianist. I do wonder if he would beat Rach on a finger 2 to 5 stretch.

[pizno]

It's not the size but what you do with it that counts.

I can't believe no one has said that yet.