How to increase speed and accuracy of 10th run?

[xander1984]

Hi piano players,
I just joined this forum. I'm an amateur piano player (primarily into jazz). I got bogged down by this challenge and decided to turn to this forum. I'm writing a quasi-ragtime song and want to include 10ths for the left hand. Actually I wrote it but will have to practice 10ths a lot in order to feel secure in playing them at a fast tempo. It looks like it's going to take a lot more time than getting accuracy down for the octaves. (Accuracy and agility)

I think increasing my hand span would make it easier to gain speed for 10ths. At this moment, I can reach most tenths at once. (the farthest interval being from E-G# but I gotta stretch a bit before being able to play this at once; still it would be nice to reach all the tenths at once). Any tips or personal success stories on increasing the hand span? For me I started stretching the left hand about 5 months ago and gained from being able to reach F#-A# to D-F#).
Thanks. 

[omar_roy]

Physically trying to augment your hand in that, or any, manner is a surefire way to cause some pretty serious injury.  Schumann comes to mind...

[xander1984]

He used some sort of device to increase the hand span as far as I know. I know when I read the story I had to cringe too.

Anyway. This is my own personal experience: For me I just stretch a lot using the edge of a desk. I haven't had any pain or weakness in strength in the left hand and I've done some stretch several times a day every day for about six months and have had no problem.

[ted]

Don't strain yourself trying to increase your hand span beyond that which is musically comfortable for your hand size. Many stride and swing players cannot stretch all tenths, especially with other notes included in the middle. And many who can stretch them do not play them straight all the time anyway, preferring to use a large number of broken tenths, either upward or downward, for their rhythmic effect and variety. Even Waller, who had an enormous hand, did this to superior effect in many of his solos rather than just bang them down all the time. For myself, I think straight tenths sound nicer in slow stuff, blues and the like, than in fast pieces. This is because the faster you play, the less discernible, and therefore less important, left hand harmony becomes.

I think we have all struggled and strained trying to do some particular movement which is very unsuited, or even impossible for our hands. Common sense usually sets in when we realise that the musical effect is not worth the bother. It is easy to allow some specific aspect of technique to become a neurosis out of proportion to its musical result - bad for the body and bad for music.

[xander1984]

Thanks. You're probably right.
Fats was probably the one who started using 10ths a lot in the left hand. I remember listening to him playing "Handful of Keys" on a recording. He moved 10ths really fast in that recording and I began to wonder how big his left hand was. I like using broken tenths too but they have their own places and playing them all the time gets kind of tedious and like playing 10ths all the time. But I'd go variety as you do. Thanks. I will heed your advice. Still, a part of me tells me it'd be nice to hit all 10ths. :$

[stevebob]

Schumann's ill-fated device, from what's known of it, was for increasing the mobility and independence of the fourth finger.

I've experienced a very modest increase in hand span by stretching the webbing between the fingers.  I don't do it a lot, and I don't attempt to stretch it much.  Still, white-to-white and black-to-black tenths are completely comfortable for me now; white-to-black, not so much ... but I accept any possible gain with this approach is finite.  My method seemed commonsensical and has never caused pain or discomfort of any kind; I would never attempt anything more extreme.