Survey: Your Hand Span

[Glissando]

When I first started playing, an octave was my maximum, but over the years my hands have stretched quite a bit, and now I can reach a tenth comfortably with both hands (although in the right hand it's a little bit more of a stretch).

Peace,
Bri

You give me hope!
And seriously- Barenboim has only a ninth? Truly?
In the past few months I've gained some stretch and can now reach a ninth, although it's a stretch.
I feel so relieved. I've been kinda depressed about my lack of span lately. No more- if Barenboim can get by with a 9th, I sure can too!

[rhapsody in orange]

-green with jealousy-
Anyway I can only manage a 9th on both hands.. (Only a major 9th on white keys... I can't do it on black keys, i.e C#-D#)
 

[Muzakian]

I can stretch C-F in the left hand and C-E in the right hand, however I can't transpose this to other keys  Minor tenths are all I can manage with both hands in all keys, though I've never noticed this to inhibit my playing.

[Fr.Chopin]

Man! Sometimes i wonder, how I can play piano with hands that can barely reach an octave?

[allchopin]

Well it looks like it's due time for another update.  I guess the results will be ever so slightly more representative of the piano population this time.

[pocorina]

From what I read hear, a LOT of you seem to be able to stretch further with your left hands. Meaning quite a few of you are left handed, surely.

Does that not interfere with your playing? I know there are many excellent left-handed pianists, but most pieces are composed by and for right-handed people, if you think about it.

Somebody should compose an opus of pieces for left-handed people. 

[xvimbi]

From what I read hear, a LOT of you seem to be able to stretch further with your left hands. Meaning quite a few of you are left handed, surely.

Does that not interfere with your playing? I know there are many excellent left-handed pianists, but most pieces are composed by and for right-handed people, if you think about it.

Somebody should compose an opus of pieces for left-handed people. 

You could always get one of those pianos with the action reversed 

[pocorina]

Gee, i didn't even know you could get one.

My handspan is 22cm, by the way that is a tenth, major or minor. Both hands equal. I'm ambidextrous!! HAHAHA

[lfischer]

i'm very lucky in that i can reach a 13th with both hands. with both thumbs on middle C i can put my right pinky on top A, and my left pinky on bottom E. although i am left-handed, i find the 13th easier to manage with my right hand. however, i have noticed that many right-handed pianists find that their left hand can stretch slightly further than their right, so possibly it is a trend that the dominant hand has a lesser stretch than the recessive hand. this may be because of a thicker layering of muscle in the dominant hand?
being able to stretch a 13th is very useful indeed. one of my favourite party tricks when with musician friends is to play the opening of rach 2 without spreading any chords. 
i am 17 now, and i'm learning brahms 2 among a host of solo pieces by chopin and grieg, some of which i find rather fiddly. grieg has some fantastic un-spread12ths in it though.
to all of you with hands that cannot reach a 10th, do not worry, there is plenty of amazing music out there which is written by people with hands of a similar size.

[Skeptopotamus]

11th and 11th

[Jake]

9th comfortably, over the keys. 10th is a stretch, from the sides of the keys.

I can just barely squeeze an 11th if I contort my hands every which way.

Btw, how is anything bigger than a major 10th even useful for the bulk of the repertoire?

[Skeptopotamus]

some modern pieces, tremelos