how does bodysize/height affect playing ability?

[stevie]

not just hand size, but height and arm size, i have a feeling it effects how you approach the keyboard, for a huge pregnant cat like berezovsky or richter, the keyboard becomes submizzive, but this is contradicted by short guys like wunder and godowsky who are small people but seem to command the keyboard.

hahah randomly, ive wondered if it helps leaping accuracy and a different psychological approach the the instrument, and if being extra large hinders velocity, cliburn being a prime example.

[gyzzzmo]

I don't think it matters.
Longer arms means less leaping, but F=M*A means you need more energy to move your arms.
Though i can immagine that when somebody is really FAT, its more strenious  to keep playing long periods, and when you have big/thick fingers, jumping far is hard too.

Gyzzzmo

[maxy]

I don't think it matters.
Longer arms means less leaping, but F=M*A means you need more energy to move your arms.
Though i can immagine that when somebody is really FAT, its more strenious  to keep playing long periods, and when you have big/thick fingers, jumping far is hard too.

Gyzzzmo

Really fat?  Bronfman, Sokolov, Ogdon and Lazar Berman did play huge programs without any problems.   They all had (or still have) huge sound. 

[gyzzzmo]

I ment really, really really lobby fat people

[alwaystheangel]

I heard people with fat fingers play better jazz because they can hit the keys more forcefully and it doesn't matter too much if you make a wrong note.  (My band teacher, I never know if he's joking or telling the truth)

[chopinfan_22]

I'm tall and thin, not to mention I have large hands (comfortably, I can stretch an 11th). So, piano playing is relatively easy for me. I have no trouble leaping, because my hands are large/arms are long, and my hands are thin, but in a masculine way, and since I'm so thin, I can move my arms fast.

[alwaystheangel]

You can stretch to 11? wow, I can just barely do a 10, nine's easy though. Crazy... 11... grumble grumble...

[gruffalo]

I'm tall and thin, not to mention I have large hands (comfortably, I can stretch an 11th). So, piano playing is relatively easy for me. I have no trouble leaping, because my hands are large/arms are long, and my hands are thin, but in a masculine way, and since I'm so thin, I can move my arms fast.

i am exactly the same.

[invictious]

I don't think it matters.
Longer arms means less leaping, but F=M*A means you need more energy to move your arms.
Though i can immagine that when somebody is really FAT, its more strenious  to keep playing long periods, and when you have big/thick fingers, jumping far is hard too.

Gyzzzmo

It actually means that more force is used, but not necessarily more energy, PHYSICS!!

Gravitation potential energy = m*g*h

That IS energy, so if you are those lobby fatty wobbly people, you can play rachmaninoff with quite some volume.

[henrah]

Like Volodos? *ooo burn*

[letters]

i have small nimble fingers, i can only stretch an octave or a ninth occasionally, but i am of average height (im a girl) 5 foot 6, and have quite slim arms. my hands start to hurt when i play lots of octaves and i used to sometimes get pains up my arms if i played too much without warming up, but now that doesnt happen probably because im playing more. i can play quick runs and things better than big chords but i can still play nice and loud i guess it would take more energy for me to do that though.

[gyzzzmo]

It actually means that more force is used, but not necessarily more energy, PHYSICS!!

Gravitation potential energy = m*g*h

That IS energy, so if you are those lobby fatty wobbly people, you can play rachmaninoff with quite some volume.

force=energy: physics

[kelly_kelly]

i have small nimble fingers, i can only stretch an octave or a ninth occasionally, but i am of average height (im a girl) 5 foot 6, and have quite slim arms. my hands start to hurt when i play lots of octaves and i used to sometimes get pains up my arms if i played too much without warming up, but now that doesnt happen probably because im playing more. i can play quick runs and things better than big chords but i can still play nice and loud i guess it would take more energy for me to do that though.

Same here, except I'm under 5 ft. I have to put the bench up REALLY high  .

[mrdaveux]

How about FATS Waller?

[krittyot]

Body shape plays very little role in your playing. What's more important is how well you practice.

[donjuan]

well, for someone like me with long legs, Kawais can be a problem because I can't put my knees under the piano.  So when I play on one in competition, the fact that I played on a Yamaha (which I can put the knees under) in practice might screw me over.

Generally, I think massive arms and shoulders will help with use of weight transfer to get a big sound, and good legato.  It's kind of like how the big guys make great opera singers.

[krittyot]

Generally, I think massive arms and shoulders will help with use of weight transfer to get a big sound, and good legato.  It's kind of like how the big guys make great opera singers.

Disagree. Opera and Piano are very different. Look at Schnabel, he's very short, yet produced tremendous sound. Another great example is Alexei Sultanov. He's the same size as Schnabel. Listen to his Liszt and Chopin, and you will see it's hard to believe a pianist with his size could unleash such power.

[gruffalo]

well, for someone like me with long legs, Kawais can be a problem because I can't put my knees under the piano.  So when I play on one in competition, the fact that I played on a Yamaha (which I can put the knees under) in practice might screw me over.

Generally, I think massive arms and shoulders will help with use of weight transfer to get a big sound, and good legato.  It's kind of like how the big guys make great opera singers.

is not true, thats more of a stereotype. go to the Royal Opera house occassionally or watch it on tele. i though this too until i realized. i once saw this really old skinny Bass produce a really big deep resonant booming oaky voice. i really didnt expect it.

i have the same problem with my legs with Kawais.

[invictious]

force=energy: physics

TOTALLY INCORRECT!
Get you physics right next time before you start arguing with me, or any chemistry or biology questions, oh yea, and mathematical concepts.

Force is measured in NEWTONS, which is F=ma, mass times acceleration. it means more force is applied, but not necessarily more energy, you can understand this concept provided that you have a functional brain.

The energy type we mostly talk about in piano playing is kinetic and gravitational potential

Kinetic energy = (m*v^2)/2
Gravitationl potential = m*g*h

It it uses a mixture of both kinetic and GPE, and it is measured in JOULES! That is the unit for measuring units.

Next time, please revise or learn or get a brain before you start talking about things over your level.

[pianistimo]

imo, richter uses too much f=m*a in his bach italian concerto recording of ?  can't remember the date.  anywya, it was on the radio today - and it was almost gross - but still listenable.  why, when i love everything else he plays with so much force, do i detest his italian concerto.  i think it doesn't sound light - or italian.  it sounds  very russian.  don't get me wrong - but that's the only thing i haven't liked that richter has played.

btw, i think it's all in the adjustable bench (or modified piano).

points for women playing lighter pieces.  it's just easier for them.  the sound is authentic.  i think there's a time and place for all shapes and sizes to play all types of sounds and styles of music - but it's interesting over time to see which types of music that you play most affect others.  i much preferred one lady students playing of the italian concerto over richter's.

[nervous_wreck]

the massive weight of big peoples arms allows them to play louder, but they're not actually pushing or jumping any more, they're letting gravity do the work for them. as for skinny people, sure you have more agility but in order to get the same loudness without ruining your tone or sound quality, you really have to work on letting your arms drop for a foot away from teh keyboard without missing a note... all in all, it's about the same, each side has their things to work on.

[lostinidlewonder]

I think body size plays no role except in your ability to stretch to play all the notes of a chord. We are born with these hands in front of us, we don't know anything better, so with disiplined study we will work out how to use our own hands to produce music. The feeling you get from playing an octave will become routine, but it feel different for someone who can stretch a 14th to someone who can just stretch the octave. You cannot explain to someone what it should feel like because of this difference, it has to be experience yourself.

So it becomes a very dangerous thing to say body size effects (postively or negatively) your ability as a musician because we cannot test this fact, we cannot remove our hands and put on different ones. We have to learn to deal with what we have. I do find teaching students with fat fingers which cannot fit inbetween white and black notes have it very very tough.

[krittyot]

TOTALLY INCORRECT!
Get you physics right next time before you start arguing with me, or any chemistry or biology questions, oh yea, and mathematical concepts.

Force is measured in NEWTONS, which is F=ma, mass times acceleration. it means more force is applied, but not necessarily more energy, you can understand this concept provided that you have a functional brain.

The energy type we mostly talk about in piano playing is kinetic and gravitational potential

Kinetic energy = (m*v^2)/2
Gravitationl potential = m*g*h

It it uses a mixture of both kinetic and GPE, and it is measured in JOULES! That is the unit for measuring units.

Next time, please revise or learn or get a brain before you start talking about things over your level.

Man, why do you have to be so pissed. Everybody makes mistakes and I see no reason why you have to express your opinion like this. This is quite low.

[emmdoubleew]

TOTALLY INCORRECT!
Get you physics right next time before you start arguing with me, or any chemistry or biology questions, oh yea, and mathematical concepts.

Force is measured in NEWTONS, which is F=ma, mass times acceleration. it means more force is applied, but not necessarily more energy, you can understand this concept provided that you have a functional brain.

The energy type we mostly talk about in piano playing is kinetic and gravitational potential

Kinetic energy = (m*v^2)/2
Gravitationl potential = m*g*h

It it uses a mixture of both kinetic and GPE, and it is measured in JOULES! That is the unit for measuring units.

Next time, please revise or learn or get a brain before you start talking about things over your level.

Hhahaha, but dude, in order to move your arm up you have to raise your gravitational potential, which requires force.

Just because they're different units doesn't mean they're not related.

[gyzzzmo]

Finally some support about this, i was quite shocked about the quite agressive reply :S
btw, the gravitation you speak about, is also accelaration. The upward movement can be seen also as F=m*g. The more mass, the more energy is needed.