Shape of hand?

[thatasianguy009]

Hi, I'm new here, I wanna know you guys' idea on this issue.

I'm just an average classical music fan, so I'm willing to absorb any information you posted under this thread.

Some pianist, like Rafał Blechacz are rather liberal at the hand shape, they seemingly don't maintain deliberately a specific hand shape, but some pianist, like Yundi Li, seemingly always keep their hands in a rather round curve.

Is hand shape vital to your performance? Or is it just preference, it's completely individual?

I'd like to hear your thoughts. Anything you post here will be appreciated.

Like I said, I'm just an average classical fan, so I'm not sure this issue is an issue at all. I'm not sure if my observation was precise. Should my original post contain any technical error, I'd be delighted to correct it.
Also, sorry for my english.

thatasianguy009

[perfect_pitch]

Some pianist, like Rafał Blechacz are rather liberal at the hand shape, they seemingly don't maintain deliberately a specific hand shape, but some pianist, like Yundi Li, seemingly always keep their hands in a rather round curve.

I'll say so - I used to be flat-handed like Horowitz and it didn't get me anywhere. Now I play with a nice curve (and although I don't like Yundi Li's music a lot of the time), his curvy hands are what I think is the best hand shape.

[quantum]

I think specific hand shapes could give you specific sounds.  Not that one is wrong and the other correct.  More important is your ability to use the hand shape you have chosen effectively.

[birba]

If you've got a big enough hand, keep it curved and relaxed. Like holding a ball.  If not, use it the way it comes most naturally to you.  In my life, I've seen enough koreans and japanese with hands that can barely meet an octave, but somehow, they can get around the liszt sonata like nobody's business.  And look at Argerich!  I think the most important thing to keep in mind, is YOUR natural curve to the hand.

[richard black]

I play with a rounded right hand and a flat left.

[abj]

I too play with a round right and a flat left.
I sometimes change the shape of my hand though,
So I can achieve the sound that I want.

[antichrist]

yea dont learn horowitz
btw,it doesn't matter if your classical fan or not
the issue is about pianistic skill

[stridersnake]

Shape of hand doesn't matter really. You can go check my site https://onepianotutor.blogspot.com I have lots of experience with Chopin and if you want you can contact me. Prices are affordable!

[vanbeethoven]

Curving my hands does help me sometimes to get passages more even etc. I wouldn't make it a rule though.

Greetings

[thalbergmad]

Shape of hand doesn't matter really. You can go check my site https://onepianotutor.blogspot.com I have lots of experience with Chopin and if you want you can contact me. Prices are affordable!

Just as a matter of interest, were you planning to include that link in your 3rd post as well?

Generally, we don't try to sell each other services on here and whilst you no doubt have some ability, we have pianists and teachers on here with years of experience that give their time and advice for nothing.

Advertising is actually against the forum rules and to me personally is even less acceptable as you appear to have joined today.

Welcome, but i would ask you to read the rules.

Thal

[ahinton]

Just as a matter of interest, were you planning to include that link in your 3rd post as well?

Generally, we don't try to sell each other services on here and whilst you no doubt have some ability, we have pianists and teachers on here with years of experience that give their time and advice for nothing.

Advertising is actually against the forum rules and to me personally is even less acceptable as you appear to have joined today.

Welcome, but i would ask you to read the rules.

Fair comment and wise and necessary words, Thal; much apprecaited.

As for the possibly vexed issue of hand shape, it's perhaps a good thing that I never had any ambitions to be a pianist (my profound and never-compromised love for the instrument notwithstanding), since apart from my blatant lack of innate ability at the instrument, the length of my two thumbs (or rather sheer lack thereof) would alone quite rightly be a laughing stock amongst serious piano aspirants...

Best,

Alistair

[thatasianguy009]

Thank you folks, that's really loads of useful information out there. Thanks.

[lostinidlewonder]

RH: E GbAbBb B
LH: F GbAbBb C

Chopin natural hand form guide.

Whatever shape your hand takes you should feel comfortable. Sometimes we practice bad habits and force them to become comfortable. your fingers should always be relaxed, always curving ur fingers will require effort in your fingers to maintain that form. Some people train themselves to play this way all the time and it becomes a habit, they cannot feel that they are making their fingers hold that form because it is a deep rooted muscular memory habit.

There are certainly pieces where curved fingers will be more useful than a flattened form, we find this often the case with Bach. However even when playing Bach we can certainly play many passages with a flattened relaxed hand form. We curve our fingers when we need to, then we flatten and relax the hand the other times to conserve our energy.

I never focus on hand form alone, it is a product of your overall technique. Improving your understanding of what it means to play something comfortably and with least effort will naturally form your hand to take the correct shape. Although our hand aims to maintain a relaxed form at all times when playing, pieces will often force your hand take a particular difficult shape or "contortion", we know when we have to increase the effort in our hand to produce the form. But as soon as we can revert to relaxed postures we do so. Within technical acrobatics there are small moments of difficulty but they are controlled with greater moments of relaxed control..

You hand shapes according to the style of music you play. Someone who only plays Ragtimes or Chopin waltzes will have a particular LH technique that associates with the leaps. I can't really explain it in words. Someone who is purely jazz orientated can often hold strange high hand positions to control their improvisation patterns and forms. A classical trained person only in Baroque will often have curled fingers while playing, someone who is trained in all classical forms will often have flattened fingers to control everything they do. Hands certainly tell a story of piano experience. In my opinion the hand that looks predominantly the same while playing is one with masters technique,if the hand continually changes shape and looks busy, then we notice that this is one which has taught itself well to control bad habits.

[guendola]

Most things being said, I only want to add that nobody should ever play like Horowitz, or like any other pianist on the planet! A round shape, as taught to most beginners, is a very good starting point from where you have to develop whatever suits you best. However, there are a few "laws" set up by the anatomy of the hand which means that certain movements are more efficient than others even though at first they might be harder. This is part of the learning process. For a beginner individuality only starts when the standards obviously don't work.