A post of your hand showing your reach...

[guru_of_time]

Yup, here they are

[donjuan]

wowww you almost have 12 there..

[guru_of_time]

and I just turned 16, so I still have some growing to do...my older brother stopped growing when he was 18 (he's 6'6 )

[hodi]

delete.....!

[jhon]

Here's my RH...
https://rapidshare.de/files/4337636/right_hand.jpg.html

[gruffalo]

i hit a comfortable 12 with both fingers firmly in the centre of the start and end note. im 17, havent stopped growing yet but i had big hands from a young age aswell. im not to good with the whole digital camera thing so maybe i can post the pic another time. ah well i dont need to prove it.

[donjuan]

i hit a comfortable 12 with both fingers firmly in the centre of the start and end note. im 17, havent stopped growing yet but i had big hands from a young age aswell. im not to good with the whole digital camera thing so maybe i can post the pic another time. ah well i dont need to prove it.

no you dont have to prove it, but it would actually mean something if you did.. id just like to see that reach!

[gruffalo]

i will see if i can figure out my camera. never actually taken photos of my piano or hands on it. i went from middle C to an F (no not the F just after  )  i can touch the G but i wouldnt be able to play strong on it. will PM you the pic in a while.

[maul]

Ah, so now that you are contemplating posting a pic, you change your "easy 12th" statement. heh

[gruffalo]

still remains an easy 12th.

[maul]

C to F is an 11th. 

[gruffalo]

sorry i confused that a bit. C to G can do just about and C to F very comfortably. wwhen i mean just about its not like a few mms onto the key its well in but i wouldnt do it very easily if i had to do it quick and loud in a piece.

[guru_of_time]

let's see some more hands lol

[arensky]

Here are a few different views of my hands...
LH F-C-A; I can hit all "segregated" 10ths, i.e. white to white/black to black, hope no one is offended by this terminology, it's how I've always described it. I can reach all the minor tenths


Minor 10th black to white (below) is the easiest, though


To facilitate big reaches in both of my not so large hands, I invented the "March of the Minor 9th Chords", going chromatically up and down the keyboard, HS and HT;
RH C minor 9th Chord


LH Bb minor 9th Chord;


My RH is shaped and reaches the same as my LH; anyone have different sized hands? I've met a few people here and there...


My hand is small, but my fingers are long, including my thumb, which enables me to substitute to greater distances  in scales passages(i.e. Thumb replaces 5th finger) than some pianists, as shown in this photo of the underside of my RH, with the thumb poised to replace the 4th finger.


I've always felt that my hands are small compared to most other pianists, but I guess the long fingers make up for the small hand size; observers always compliment me on my "beautiful hands".
I call them "my pretty girly hands". I used to hate them, but they work pretty well, and I wouldn't trade them in for another pair; I'd have to learn all over! Life can be short, there's no time for that now....

[guru_of_time]

My RH is shaped and reaches the same as my LH; anyone have different sized hands? I've met a few people here and there...

if you noticed in my pictures, my left hand is a little larger than my right. Also, my left eye is better than my right, my left arm is slightly longer, and so is my left foot lol...but, I'm right handed

[jbmajor]

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...

I've tried playing this intro and can hit (barely) all the chords until the upper note in the bass jumps from the Ab to an A...that chord is a bit much for my handspan.   

[jhon]

is it true that cliburn can reach a 14th?  i heard it somwhere...

[guru_of_time]

is it true that cliburn can reach a 14th?  i heard it somwhere...

I seriously doubt it...that's almost two octaves and he doesn't look like that large of a guy...

[arensky]

is it true that cliburn can reach a 14th?  i heard it somwhere...

Dunno...let's have a look....or several....


 looks big to me...now comparing hands with violinist David Oistrakh...


In the airport snack bar in Heidelburg, 1958, maybe listening to fellow Texan Buddy Holly?...



 With fellow Texan li'l Bushy, or George II...

 Yo Van, real fast with left hand....

Van with another fellow Texan, relief for Left Hand!! 


I think it's obvious Van has a REALLY big hand! 14th, maybe, never saw anyone do that, biggest reach I've ever seen is a 13th....
 


Look at my previous post above, and look at my little girly handz....

Oh, they get the job done, can't complain... but to have hands like da Van or da Rubinstein...

[arensky]

                                               
                                Artur Rubinstein's Hands...


                         

                         

                         

                         

                                   F**** U!!!! MY TEMPO!!!! Let's take it outside, stickboy.....       

                     

                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         

[argerich_smitten]

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)...

And that's why Rachmoninoff rolled those chords himself? 

[guru_of_time]

And that's why Rachmoninoff rolled those chords himself? 

many, including me, have pondered that since the first time having listeined to it

[paris]

my reach

[donjuan]

my reach

thats impressive for a girl! I dont think Ive ever seen a girl reach like that!!

[paris]

imagine playing chromatics with this hands 

[pianistimo]

 on my four year old's 'groovy tunes' piano, i thought for sure i could reach two octaves.  dissappointment prevails - it has the same sized keys as my piano.  they just go down faster (and light up).  still a ninth.

[steve jones]

Paris, you have the stretchiest hands Iv ever seen 

I dont have a snap unfortunately (as I dont have a digital camera!), but I will post one as soon as I can. Not sure what my reach will be yet, as I am still working on it. At the moment I can get a tenth with good stretch. I hope to get the tenth so I can hit it comfortably without having to stretch to hard. If I can get my fingers as bendy as Paris', then I reckon I could probably get about three octaves 

Actually, you would probably be interested to see my hands, as I have a slight genetic abnormality - my pinkies curve inward. This is a trait from my mothers family. As a guitarist, this has been of great benefit as this slight curve suits the fretboard very well. Unfortunately, it robs me of a few mm's in reach on the piano. If I could have my 5's straightened then I reckon my reach would be improved notably. Infact, if I had pinkies like 'arensky' then I would be in business!

I will have to get a photo and show you. You probably wouldnt notice at first glance, but with closer inspection it becomes more obvious.

[arensky]

my reach

WOW!!! I is impressed... but is this maximum stretchage, or PRACTICAL? Either way you have beautiful hands; are you a girl? It looks like it in the other picture where you play the white key 9th with 5th and 2nd....(arensky can see your reflection in da fall board, if you are not a girl you are hippie or meatalhead). But it's because your hands are symetrical and pretty that I first think that...guys hands are never pretty like yours, nor as well defined.

You could be the next Gina Bachauer! Seriously, your hands are very beautiful....

[arensky]

are you a girl? It looks like it in the other picture where you play the white key 9th with 5th and 2nd....(arensky can see your reflection in da fall board, if you are not a girl you are hippie or meatalhead).

arensky does not mean to pry or demand an answer, just thinking aloud... 

[maul]

That is indeed maximum stretchage, but very impressive nonetheless.

[paris]

WOW!!! I is impressed... but is this maximum stretchage, or PRACTICAL?

it's maximum what i can reach; my practical is C-G-C-E with ease.

Either way you have beautiful hands; are you a girl?
You could be the next Gina Bachauer! Seriously, your hands are very beautiful....

thank you!
yes i'm a girl. you saw reflection...well noticed lol
if i were boy i'd have very gay hands...

Paris, you have the stretchiest hands Iv ever seen

nah...this summer one hungarian teacher showed me his arrangement of 6th hungarian rhapsody-instead of octaves,he was playing in 10ths and 11ths !!! 

[thracozaag]

koji

[thalbergmad]

Here is a picture of me playing with my teacher watching.

I had a bit of an accident, but have since fully recovered.

[arensky]

Here is a picture of me playing with my teacher watching.

I had a bit of an accident, but have since fully recovered.

Ah, "The Beast with Five Fingers", one of the best piano movies ever! Your teacher looks pleased, I think....

It's my understanding that Ervin Nyreghazi plays the piano on this soundtrack; anyone know for sure?                                                         

[thalbergmad]

Ah, "The Beast with Five Fingers", one of the best piano movies ever! Your teacher looks pleased, I think....

It's my understanding that Ervin Nyreghazi plays the piano on this soundtrack; anyone know for sure?                                                         

I will have a look at the credits tonight to see if his name comes up.

 

[arensky]

I will have a look at the credits tonight to see if his name comes up.

 

As I recall it does not, I stayed up late one night to watch it; nor is he listed on the page for his movie on the IMDB (Internet Movie Database). I think he worked for drinks or women, he is listed nowhere on the IMDB even though he was a Hollywood soundtrack pianist, or so his publicity and bios in the 70's claimed. It sure sounds like him in "Beast with 5 Fingers" though...next student is here must run now...

[celticqt]

I am disgusted by all of your amazing stretchy hands!!    Don't have a digital camera, but I can only reach a 9th comfortably and a 10th if I'm hanging off the keyboard (LH & RH). 
So is "hitchiker's thumb" unusual or something?  My thumbs bend like that too, and I can also waggle the first joint of my fingers while keeping the others straight.  Hmm.

[bearzinthehood]

Meh, I'll bite.

- Hilariously wrong image was here -

Not that big, but ok for my height I guess (I'm only 5'9").

[etudes]

sorry too small 

[steve jones]

etudes,

I can now get an 11th at a similar kind of stretch to your 12th. I doubt I'll ever be able to hit it in a piece, but at max stretch my fingers will reach the edge of the keys.

[etudes]

to be honest
that is my max stretch and if i have to play 12th in any place of any piece i would play with roll!

[sevencircles]

that is my max stretch and if i have to play 12th in any place of any piece i would play with roll!

Rach played 10:s with rolls even though he could squeze a 14th if he wanted to

Why
he rolled 10:th:s remains a mystery to me.

He should have been able to use fingerings that no one else could play.

[etudes]

Rach played 10:s with rolls even though he could squeze a 14th if he wanted to

Why
he rolled 10:th:s remains a mystery to me.

He should have been able to use fingerings that no one else could play.

maybe he just wanted the sound to come out like that?
btw about fingerings try to check out many of busoni's fingerings its worth to have a look

[noelle]

My 11th stretch (I can't play one, just reach one) - picture taken a few years ago (when I was 14, I think).  And some random hand tricks that are fun to experiment with.

[zheer]

Do you really have fun experimenting with your hands. Haw boring.

[steve jones]

Hey, after about 10 years I finally got a digital camera. So as promised, as snap on my wee paw! Im sure you'll all sleep better tonight now, right? 

Funnily enough this looks nothing like my hand in real life! But here you see that at my max stretch, my fingers are just enough to reach the 11th. I cant play this interval though. I can do most tenths, but the long opposite key major tenths cock me up royally.

Also, notice my weird pinky. We have this family trait where our pinkies are proportionally small and bent at the knuckles. Very odd, and probably costs me a valuable couple of mm's in reach.

Ohwell, I guess Im never going to be any good now?   

SJ

[gruffalo]

ah, i remember this thread. i worked out that mobile phone camera wasnt too bad when the pictures are viewed on a PC. so:


my hands with me:




squeezing a 12th:




and an 11th:

[steve jones]

'kin 'ell!

You have a mit on you Gruff old boy. I bet there are few chords that beat you to punch line, ay?

Its must be pretty sweet never to have to stretch a rough chord... 

How do you find fiddly stuff, Bach and the like?

SJ

[gruffalo]

i dont know, i cant really comment or compare on what it feels like, because i had big hands from an early age. my friends call me E.T. as a joke, but for some reason i get a weird satisfaction out of looking at my hands in the mirror as opposed to from the feeling of playing on the piano. i always thought my hands looked normal, until i noticed them in the mirror.

[avetma]

I can reach a 11, but practicaly c-g-c-e... very easy and comfortable. Same as paris