How far can you reach?

[dana_minmin]

As title. I'm a girl, and I can reach only 9th. One of my girl friend (a piano starter) barely reaches an octave. I'm curious to know if my hands are small or in average size.

sometimes I think Rachmaninoff is not taking care of pianists with small hands, very often his compositions contain big chords where it's not quite possible to play them like appregios.

How far can you reach?

[Bob]

There are tons of thread like this.  One by me too I think.

I'm a ninth safely.  Tenth if I really needed it but that's not comfortable and I would avoid it if possible for a performance.

[Essyne]

Octave only :-( . . . . Ninth if i stretch it

You'd think being six feet tall, I'd have bigger hands . . . .

[ahinton]

Octave only :-( . . . . Ninth if i stretch it

You'd think being six feet tall, I'd have bigger hands . . . .

Since pianistimo isn't around to argue with me, I'd blame that God, meself, for I don't think that He (if He exists) cares much for pianists, since He'd otherwise have created their hands rather differently - for example, with more evenness of digital length and the ability comfortably to play scales in octaves between each pair of adjacent ones...

Best,

Alistair

[Etude]

The first keyboard instrument came after the human hand so I think it's more the case that we had the opportunity to create the instrument differently.

Minor 10th here, though if there are notes in between I usually have some trouble.

[michel dvorsky]

Octave only :-( . . . . Ninth if i stretch it

You'd think being six feet tall, I'd have bigger hands . . . .

I can make a 10th fairly easily.

Only 5'7, baby...

[mike_lang]

I can make a 10th fairly easily.

Only 5'7, baby...

Ditto...to both parts.  :-)

[retrouvailles]

I'm about 6'2'' and can get a 10th easily and sometimes a perfect 11th. Maybe the occasional augmented 11th if its the right combo.

[pianochick93]

I can get a ninth easily most of the time, I can get a tenth if I stretch.

[gyzzzmo]

i reach the 11th fairly easy, i can touch the 12th but that has no practical use since ill be pressing the 11th too :p
I have no problem with rachmaninoff chords, so i have an advantage with that. But i sometimes have the feeling that people with small hands have an advantage with fast notes, maybe just because theres less flesh too move :p

gyzzzmo

PS, stretch is more important than hand size. A friend of mine is very petit, but can easily get a 10th since she can get her pink/thumb in a straight line.

[shingo]

I can reach a 10th and it be practical, but an 11th would be an uncomfortable stretch and even then I would probably hit both keys.

[dana_minmin]

[an entry before gyzzzmo]
I always think that guys have larger hands than girls no matter how tall they are, so I didn't think about the height factor.

when I meet people, I'd look at their hands after their face. and I noticed most of the guys have big hands. It makes me think how wide their hands spread. I also think the thumb angle also determines significantly the spread, and part of our musician training is to maximize this angle.

[dana_minmin]

PS, stretch is more important than hand size. A friend of mine is very petit, but can easily get a 10th since she can get her pink/thumb in a straight line.

what? she has hand-yoga classes?

[Essyne]

erm, yes. . . . "Handel-ini yoga! Forget Kundalini, Ashtanga, or even Bikram - we have what every classical musician is looking for! Develop the dexterity and strength in your metacarpals needed to play any instrument with speed and efficiency! We make 'Sit and Be Fit' look like child's play!"

[mephisto]

I have small hands but I can reach and 11th outside of the keys(from C to F in the next octave).

[dana_minmin]

how could you do this?

I have small hands but I can reach and 11th outside of the keys(from C to F in the next octave).

[mephisto]

how could you do this?

I have to specify that I ment outside of the keys, NOT over. I have difficulty in believing that most people can't do the same, or maybe they.

I will upload some pictures, to show if I may be doing it wrong.





I belive most people should be able to do the same if they do it OUTSIDE of the keys.

[gyzzzmo]

what? she has hand-yoga classes?

Actually, she's a cellist in the Royal conservatory in London :p
No, i dont think she's a yoga type :p .

[popdog]

Can reach a major 10th easily.  11ths are would need a lot of practice. 

[dana_minmin]

haha, you cheat! 


then I can do a 10th 

[mephisto]

I did specify how I did it.

[optima]

I can reach a 10th , 11th only "out of the keys"-not useful..but what i ve noticed is that i can stretch my third finger a lot and play octaves  with it and my thumb , this helps me in legato octave phrasing in demanding pieces  - for example Schumann G minor sonata( coz i use 1 - 3 ->1 - 4->1 - 5), 1st movement, and Scriabin  Etude,op.8 No 12 etc


but since i am a woman with almost man -sized hands , the problem is that i cant share gloves with my mother, I don't fit in rings( i have to order if i want any) and last week i was given a really lovely bracelet as a gift that couldn't fit in my wrist!What a pity!!

but jewels are nothing compared to the grand piano I'm purchasing next month    

 

[dana_minmin]

I've tried that Scribain etude too, but...    I've heard that Scribain had small hands right?

P.S. Really admire you people living with a lot of space and big enough to fit in a grand. In my city, it's almost impossible to have a grand at home, not even a really small grand.

P.P.S. Sometimes I make my own bracelets and necklaces  so they're unique and I don't have to worry about the size of my hands (though the ready-made ones fit me well ). The rings are a challenge.

[nanabush]

I can do 'quick'-ish scales in 10ths.  11th I can just about do.  The scriabin op8/12 has tons of 11ths, only on black notes tho, so it's ok if the tip of my thumb touches them, doesn't blur w/ any other notes... 10ths w/ notes in between, forget about it unless i have like 2 seconds to place my hand ... the scriabin is excellent though, really helping my left hand technique which I think is lacking .

[optima]

I've tried that Scribain etude too, but...    I've heard that Scribain had small hands right?

P.S. Really admire you people living with a lot of space and big enough to fit in a grand. In my city, it's almost impossible to have a grand at home, not even a really small grand.

Yes, this is true, Scriabin had really small hands(hardly reaching a 9th) , maybe that was the reason he and Rachmaninnof didn't get along well . If you haven't seen it yet, go and watch this video about Rachmaninoff's big hands - those guys are perfect

&feature=related )

Don't imagine that it is really easy to fit a grand piano in my apartment - that was the main reason I've been arguing with my parents for 2 years, coz we have to move out 1 couche and a table in order for the piano to fit in!  . but, yes, thank god our livingroom is spacy and high - ceiled so (i think) the sound will be ok!
And Dora, if you ever consider to go for a grand, don't bother with "babies" - they are pretty much the same with a good stand- up piano. "Real" grands start from 1.70 m and on

[dana_minmin]

Speaking of buying a new piano, the one I own now is just a PSO. I met a piano technician a few months earlier and I described my PSO to him, he immediately suggested me to go for a new one . because my piano hasn't tuned for many many years (this is my first piano, 2nd-hand and I know nothing about maintanance as I was just a kid). the sound board may break anytime even under the hands of a skillful technician.

I've been arguing with my parents, esp. my dad, to buy a new one. My dad is capable to fix many electronic things from TV to AC, so he *thinks* my piano is in a good shape because it's there for years not even moved an inch, and he can tune my piano...

and he's stubborn.

I think I have another year to argue with him like optima did. 

[hodi]

i can reach a 10th.

one of my teacher's students has the largest hands i have ever seen
he can EASILY span a 13th !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pianoplayer88]

I can reach a 10th if I stretch a little. And I'm only 5'4''...

[Essyne]

big people = not always big hands

little people = not always little hands

people who do "hand yoga" = disgustingly talented

[dana_minmin]

one of my teacher's students has the largest hands i have ever seen
he can EASILY span a 13th !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Does he fully utilize his advantage? or is he a good player?

[sarah the pianist]

I can strech a ninth with difficulty  but i can do fast octaves

[thalberg]

10th very easily.  11th with difficulty.  12th on outsides of keys.

[pianochick93]

10th very easily.  11th with difficulty.  12th on outsides of keys.

 
Can we swap hands please?

[pianoplayer88]

Can we swap hands please?

Agreed!

[aewanko]

when stretching for an octave, I often press a 9th.

I can do a 10th as long as i press at the TIP of the keys. an 11th is impossible!!

i'll show photos soon!

[dana_minmin]

Can we swap hands please?

I won't.  I love my hands even they're relatively small.

[thalberg]

Can we swap hands please?

Haha....now that I have left the music field, I wish I could sell my hands to another pianist. 

[Essyne]

Stupid question (but I'm sure you know by now that I'm one who openly flaunts her ignorance  ). . . .

How do you play something that you simply cannot reach (ie big chords)? Any "cheats"?

[dana_minmin]

then the 6th Paganini etude is simply unplayable?

[pianochick93]

How do you play something that you simply cannot reach (ie big chords)? Any "cheats"?

Arpeggiate (is that a word) them, or leave out notes that aren't vitally necessary.

[retrouvailles]

Arpeggiate (is that a word) them, or leave out notes that aren't vitally necessary.

Never leave out any notes! That has always been a philosophy of mine. Even when the chords are like those notorious "skyscraper chords" in the Alkan Quasi Faust movt of the Grande Sonata, I leave nothing out.

[gyzzzmo]

For people with small hands: Chopin etude opus 10 no1 might give you some guidance on how grabbing those huge chords

gyzzz

[gfx_player]

wow i can only reach 9th, but 10th is hard for me

[hyrst]

I have very small hands.  I have had to do quite a bit of muscle training and stretching to reach an octave with any clarity.  Nearly all my students, including some of the 6 year olds, have bigger hands then me.  I didn't realise my hands were quite that small until I started teaching and saw the hands of these children.  I can now stretch my hand flat and in a straight line from thumb to 5th (without assitance from external pressure) and I just don't have the hand size to improve on the octave. 

There are pieces that simply are not practical for me to play.  I do arpeggiated chords and alter chord stuctures in  some cases - but there is so much literature that is worth playing that it isn't really an issue.  However, my teacher wanted me to learn the Ravel Toccata from Le Tambeau de Couperin and it took me a lot of work to get past the first two lines.  I actually involuntarily burst into tears the first time I tried - it just hit me as impossible.  With committment, I learnt how to play the piece.  It wasn't easy!  I kept thinking how easy it must be for someone with bigger hands.  If I didn't like to quit and give up on things once challenged, I would never have played this piece.

None of my students have hang ups about not being able to reach certain distances.  They just try.  They inspire me to try too, instead of worrying if I can or can't.

[tds]

white key tenth here

[thalberg]

One time I asked a very sweet and kind girl how far she could reach at the piano.  She innocently sat down, and showed me how far she could reach by placing her left hand at one end of the piano and her right hand at the other end of the piano. 

[thalbergmad]

For people with small hands: Chopin etude opus 10 no1 might give you some guidance on how grabbing those huge chords

gyzzz

Indeed, using the left hand helps immensely.

Thal

[communist]

when i was 11 years old i could reach 10ths almost no trouble

[puphead]

oh my..
I only can reach 8th..I'm afraid that'll be a problem when i play..

[gyzzzmo]

Indeed, using the left hand helps immensely.

Thal

Oops, i actually ment chopin etude op10 no 11 :p