How far can you reach?

[dana_minmin]

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. 

That's cute 

[juwaru]

I can play an 8ve between my first and second fingers, a 10th between my first and third fingers, and an 11th between my first and fourth. I guess if I can cheat and stretch my hand in front of the keys I can play a 12th.

For the record, having big hands is usually more of a pain than a blessing. I can play most of Rachmaninoff's chords, but when I try to play Mozart it's like a Sumo wrestler performing in a ballet.

Every time I play Arpeggios and one of my fingers has to go between the black keys, it has to be a surgical strike or I end up playing three notes. For me, Chopin's Op. 10 No. 1 was actually pretty easy, but his Op. 25 No. 12 is a super challenge.

[pwla]

10th easily and an 11th outside of the keys

[csharp_minor]

Alas, I can only go as far as a 9th outside of the keys . Just relised I find doing octaves a bit easier with fingers 1 & 4 otherwise I press other keys...

[pianisten1989]

I reach a 10 if it's on white keys, and almost 11, between 1 and 5-
Octave between 2 and 5, and almost a 7th with 2 and 4

[soderlund]

11th quite easily. I reach a 12th but I can't press both keys down at the same time, but if I press the first one I can hold it down and then play the 12th. A 9th between 2 and 5 and a seventh between 2 and 4. 

[smiggy]

I can reach a 11th comfortably, but 12th just with pain lol.
I have big hands, but wouldn't want to get bigger...would be too big lol

[kelly_kelly]

I can just about grab a ninth outside the keys, and only between two white keys or two black keys. And I'm less than 5 feet tall...

[go12_3]

Me too can reach 9th, I have small hands. 

[Petter]

9th 

[trish89]

HM I can reach 8th, 9th with problems 

[dana_minmin]

We love our hands no matter how wide they can stretch.

[cubsfan334]

11th comfortably with notes in between, perfect 12th.

Because I just turned 16 and I'm still growing height-wise, I hope my hands aren't through yet.

[aslanov]

Ditto...to both parts.  :-)

trippo....to both parts.

[db05]

8th. 9th outside the keys. On account of my injury, sometimes I use 1-4 for octaves. Can barely reach it.

[alpacinator1]

9th easily, 10th kind of easily but I do have to stretch. 11th outside of the keys

[nejikun]

a 10th easily but the 11th is too much effort

[weissenberg2]

10th without to much of a stretch.   

[perfect_pitch]

I can just reach a Major 10th (say a C - E')

However I can't reach a Major 10th (e.g. Ab - C') because black not is slightly further away from the C, than the A is.

[anne126]

10th

oops

[imbetter]

10th without much trouble at all 11th stretching it.

[dr. j]

Interesting to note how important we our reach to be when in actuality we have to use what we were given in the best possible way to make the most beautiful music we can.  Fun to read, though.  Seems like the 10ths have it!

Dr. J

[learner of liszt]

I can reach a 10th effortlessly, and an 11th with a bit of work. What amazes me is that Liszt, who had just average sized hands, could (supposedly) reach nearly a 16th because he flexible hands with no membrane between the fingers.

[rob_the_dude]

16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (are you sure it's not semitones  )

I'm 'normal' - 10th with notes, 11 at a stretch/outside. 

[giannalinda]

10th for me.....you ask; what about safely? i say...no comments

[kiwi_bd]

Oh my...it seems that European and American has much larger hands than Asian....
Most of my friends can only reach 9th....some of them can only play 8th, very few could reach 10th
I am quite envious...

[giannalinda]

Oh my...it seems that European and American has much larger hands than Asian....
Most of my friends can only reach 9th....some of them can only play 8th, very few could reach 10th
I am quite envious...

Yes im indian and italian. more italian than indian though. NOt by much

[angierc]

I can reach 10th easily, and 11th if I stretch..
I'm 13, and I wanna ask: can my hands grow bigger again? I think my hands are just not big enough to play some pieces (how glad if i have boy's hands. they are big, and they have great range on the piano).
 

[grisell]

It depends on the chords. When I was younger, I could take 10s with the right hand (Schubert/Liszt: Liebesbotschaft). I could even do b-g sharp-e with LH (11). Now I can't make 10s with RH without strain, making trying useless since I can't control the touch. However, c-g-e flat (small 10) with the left hand is no problem at all.

[perfect_pitch]

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.

You Bastard... I'm 6'2" and I can 'just' reach a tenth (sort of)

Damn you. Use your gift wisely...   

[lontano]

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?

A few years ago I introduced my family to Marc-Andre Hamelin via his DVD. We remarked on how large his hands looked, compared to his overall stature. My sister wondered if a pianists hands actually "expand, or grow larger" over time. I had no scientific answer, but I believe it can happen. I know that when I was at my most active at piano 20+ years ago my hands could handle an octave +2 (major 11th), but today, having lost my skills, I can only reach an octave (with a little practice!).

I'm listening to a CD called "The 11th Finger", a compilation of several 20th century composers most demanding works by the very gifted Jenny Lin. Ms Lin certainly has at least 11 (if not 12 or 13) in her presentation of these fantastic works. It is a fascinating CD!!

My first real exposure to extended/uncommon hand-spans was with Scriabin's 3 Etudes, Op 65 (studies in 5ths, 7ths, 9ths, all quite challenging), but there are many more.

And I believe Rachmaninoff could easily reach 3 octaves in each hand (at least that's how it appeared to my parents when they saw him perform not long before his death!).

Peace

Lontano

[neardn]

All of them.

[grisell]

According to what I've heard, Rachmaninoff's largest reach which he used regularly was RH c-g-c-e flat-g. Quite impressive. A friend of mine could take LH g-c-e flat-g-c.
On the other hand, performance has very little to do with the span of your fingers. Eugene d'Albert could barely reach an octave, and look at some of the Asian child prodigies! Another striking example is eight-year old Umi Garrett playing Liszt's Gnomenreigen (

).

[weissenberg2]

As of a few days ago I can reach a perfect 11th   

[furtwaengler]

Dr. John can reach!

[pollydendy]

I am able  to reach a 9th, and I am 5'2" . I can spread my fingers to 180 decrees-a straight line from 1 to 5.  I have found that your flexibility and practice will help to maximize your reach, but nothing will beat genetics....so pray for height and big hands in the family.    

[scriabinftw]

Personally I believe I have been quite lucky with my hand size! In my right hand I can stretch a compound minor 6th (diminished 13th) In my left hand, and a 12th in my right hand.
It's interesting, as I am only 13 years old. But I Hope my growing is done! don't won't to become some kind of freak of nature haha.

[indianajo]

Oh my...it seems that European and American has much larger hands than Asian....
Most of my friends can only reach 9th....some of them can only play 8th, very few could reach 10th
I am quite envious...

I can do a tenth on the lip of the white keys. Nineth on the black keys. 
I look like the 1/3 of my native American ancestors (there are lots of lies in the family history,perhaps N Am was "black" before WWI ) and I have really tiny wrists fingers ankles and forearms.   N Am is of Siberian origen, I see on TV, with the short arm leg and finger adaptation to the cold.  I fell lucky to be able to reach a C maj tenth, since I was so much better at piano than my Mother's first enrichment program, art school.
I too am envious or Russians and other North Europeans with a long reach.  Much more can be done on guitar with longer fingers than mine.   

[rachmaninoff_forever]

a 10th comfortably, an 11th if I stretch a lot, and a 12th on a good day with 72 degrees and sunny skys.

Not too sunny, it has to be like half cloudy half sunny.

[austinarg]

From C to (an octave higher) Eb.

[gyzzzmo]

c to f i can play, from c to g i can reach

[j_menz]

I can reach to the end of my hand. Both of them.

[ajspiano]

I can reach to the end of my hand. Both of them.

I can reach further than that if I put on my finger extenders..  the nails are problematic though so far as playing..

[j_menz]

I can reach further than that if I put on my finger extenders..  the nails are problematic though so far as playing..

I'd also have some strong words with your manicurist about that nail job.

[ajspiano]

I'd also have some strong words with your manicurist about that nail job.

I just keep them for the opening of the toccata in D minor.

[j_menz]

I just keep them for the opening of the toccata in D minor.

Why?

[ajspiano]

I just keep them for the opening of the toccata in D minor.

*toccata and fugue

[j_menz]

*toccata and fugue

Forgetting the "and fugue" part makes me rethink my position on capital punishment. 

[ajspiano]

Forgetting the "and fugue" part makes me rethink my position on capital punishment. 

Its because the opening is perhaps more toccata than it is fugue.. (makes note to look at score and listen to the rest of the piece).

[j_menz]

Its because the opening is perhaps more toccata than it is fugue.. (makes note to look at score and listen to the rest of the piece).

It's a toccata and a fugue, not a toccata-fugue.

I fainted at the "and listen to the rest of the piece". You owe me for bandages and smelling salts.

This is, according to the internet so you know it must be right, the best version ever:

(Actually, it is pretty damn good!)