Big Hands via the knife

[rhapsody4]

I often read or hear that a famous composer from the past slit the webbing in their fingers to make their hands larger. Sometimes the anecdote is about Liszt, sometimes it is Rachmaninov.

Is there any conclusive evidence either way about this, because I cannot believe that either man would need to improve their playing in such a way. Anyone have any thoughts?

(I assume no-one here has first hand experience).

[thierry13]

In my opinion(and I read a great deal on both composers), it's all false. The worse that ever happenned to a pianist was Schumann, wich stretched his hands with some kind of tool or whatever, and that paralysed him. Nothing about Liszt nor Rachmaninoff.

[Petter]

There are other ways to solve it. 

[Bob]

That's one way to solve the problem. 

[term]

pianos with smaller keys the other.

But what if someone really offered surgeries to enlarge hands and made it widely known. I wonder how many poor guys would really do it...not few, i assume.

[amelialw]

pianos with smaller keys the other.

I seriously hope that I won't have to make that option one day. I do have very petite hands, my teacher said that I have the smallest hands out of all the older students she has taught before (12-20).

[thalbergmad]

I think that Hoffman had narrower keys on his piano.

Thal

[amelialw]

I think that Hoffman had narrower keys on his piano.

Thal

really? I did'nt know that

[thalbergmad]

I am not sure, but I think he had about 1/10 inch shaved off each key. That would make an octave 7/10 of an inch less than an ordinary piano. I am relying on memory here, so i might be off track.

It was not unknown for "stride" pianists to cut the webbing in between the fingers. Some even used an extension to the little finger. I remember "Fats Waller's" son claiming this in a documentary.

Thal

[thalberg]

I think that Schumann's problem was a device that kept one finger stationary while the others worked.  The tendons of the fourth finger are also connected to the third and fifth fingers.  So he screwed up his fourth finger by trying to make it too independent.  It messed with the tendons or something and screwed him up for life.

Henselt used to stretch his hands.  He claimed they were like leather--anyone's hands could stretch if the proper exercises were applied with the proper consistency.  This enabled him to play chords where the notes were really spread out.  He was proud of this but unfortunately his audience didn't notice too much.

[gerry]

I wouldn't be surprised to someday see an equivalent of sports steroids for hand dexterity. All the young musicians would start using them to win competitions and begin setting impossible benchmarks in technique.

[gerry]

This thread reminded me of a Life Magazine (that dates me!) article back in the 60's where the then popular pianist, Roger Williams, was pictured doing push-ups on his finger tips instead of flat hands. Probably inspired many a would-be pianist to do the same.

[thalberg]

I wouldn't be surprised to someday see an equivalent of sports steroids for hand dexterity. All the young musicians would start using them to win competitions and begin setting impossible benchmarks in technique.

Interesting thought......of course the mind is so involved in piano playing.  If you're not that bright, the drugs might make your fingers faster than what your mind can keep up with.  What kind of playing would that produce.  Probably quite comical.

[gerry]

Interesting thought......of course the mind is so involved in piano playing.  If you're not that bright, the drugs might make your fingers faster than what your mind can keep up with.  What kind of playing would that produce.  Probably quite comical.

Unfortunately, I've experienced performances bearing evidence that the above can be achieved drug-free.