Exercises to increase handspan?

[libraboy]

Hi all,

I can stretch a ninth now and would like to do a bit more. Does anyone know any good and effective exercises to increase handspan in the long run? I've tried the Horowitz stretching exercises but found them to be of little help.

Thanks in advance.

[moby1]

Your span is a function of the size of your hand.  I cannot advise strongly enough against doing anything that tries to increase your span as it could lead to serious permanent injury.  I can't stress this enough...a small tear in a ligament in your hand or forearm can lead to chronic pain, loss of mobility, loss of sensation, or worse.  If you think you're limited by the size of your hand, that pales in comparison to trying to work around a traumatic hand injury.  Just because you can't reach a 12th the way Rachmaninoff did doesn't mean you can't give an inspired and moving performance of his compositions.  I advise working with a teacher who can help you work around any physical limitations you may think you have.

[communist]

Your span is a function of the size of your hand.  I cannot advise strongly enough against doing anything that tries to increase your span as it could lead to serious permanent injury.  I can't stress this enough...a small tear in a ligament in your hand or forearm can lead to chronic pain, loss of mobility, loss of sensation, or worse.  If you think you're limited by the size of your hand, that pales in comparison to trying to work around a traumatic hand injury.  Just because you can't reach a 12th the way Rachmaninoff did doesn't mean you can't give an inspired and moving performance of his compositions.  I advise working with a teacher who can help you work around any physical limitations you may think you have.

It also matters on flexibility which I think the poster is looking to improve upon.

[thalbergmad]

Does anyone know any good and effective exercises to increase handspan in the long run?

Tie your little finger to a stable door and tie your thumb to a horse. Then kick the horse.

I remember tales that stride pianists used to cut the webbing between their fingers.

There is no safe way of doing it.

Thal

[ahinton]

Tie your little finger to a stable door and tie your thumb to a horse. Then kick the horse.

And then, presumably, you would create a case of locking the stable door after the handspan has busted...

There is no safe way of doing it.

That would be a shame - but then it is also a quite different subject, surely?...

Best,

Alistair

[birba]

I can assure you, handspan is OVERRATED!  I have witnessed koreans, at 4' 8", who can barely reach an octave, play the liszt sonata like it was going out of style.

[Bob]

I have a 9th handspan too.  The most I've been able to do really is just make things more comfortable.  I don't my handspan has increased, but I'm using things more comfortably.

I've done 8ves or 8ve with a 5th to get the index finger in there, and then stretch out to a ninth or 10th. 

And I've done chords with as many notes as I could fit.  C E C E  and inversions, etc.  Or add the 6th or play a V7 to get five notes in the chord.