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Topic: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans  (Read 12214 times)

Offline comme_le_vent

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Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
on: January 10, 2004, 06:17:12 PM
A curiosity for me, and i suppose many of you.... what are the hand spans of the big names?
i have only met one pianist, but i suppose many of you have met quite a few...and btw im talking ninths and tenths etc, not cm and inches.
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Offline eddie92099

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Re: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
Reply #1 on: January 10, 2004, 07:00:48 PM
Rachmaninov's trick was to play C E G C with fingers 2 3 4 5, then curl the thumb under to hit the top E,
Ed

Offline comme_le_vent

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Re: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
Reply #2 on: January 10, 2004, 07:17:54 PM
we know this already, anyone besides rachmaninov?
the pianist i met, hamelin, had about the same size hands as me and i can reach a good 11th, and i know about a 19th century pianist - henselt - who has rather small hands but could play extremely large chords and intervals, i think he has the same flexible joint condition that ol paganini had
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Great artists aim for perfection, while knowing that perfection itself is impossible, it is the driving force for them to be the best they can be - MC Hammer

Offline Rach3

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Re: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
Reply #3 on: January 10, 2004, 07:23:19 PM
I can span an eleventh. Rachmaninoff could span a twelvth.
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Offline liszmaninopin

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Re: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
Reply #4 on: January 10, 2004, 07:29:21 PM
I tried that Rachmaninoff trick, C E G C, but with my thumb can only get the D.  Anyway, in response to the thread, didn't Hoffman have small hands?

Offline eddie92099

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Re: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
Reply #5 on: January 10, 2004, 08:13:06 PM
Yes. Steinway made a keyboard for him that was slightly smaller,
Ed

Offline allchopin

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Re: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
Reply #6 on: January 10, 2004, 11:14:07 PM
Quote
Rachmaninoff could span a twelvth.

No, because I can span a 12th.  I know that Rach had bigger hands than me- I believe he was a 14th.
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Offline comme_le_vent

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Re: Famous Pianist's Hand Spans
Reply #7 on: January 10, 2004, 11:51:35 PM
maybe the 12th he was referring to was in the C E G C G chord that he could play.
https://www.chopinmusic.net/sdc/

Great artists aim for perfection, while knowing that perfection itself is impossible, it is the driving force for them to be the best they can be - MC Hammer
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