More than 10th intervals?

[xavura]

This is the biggest interval I can manage (e.g. C->E, although I can't possibly reach say C#->F [EDIT: Of course, that's an 11th so that makes sense...] but thankfully it's also the biggest interval I've seen in sheet music.

The thing is, it hurts to do this and a piece I'm learning has a few of these in it. If there's one thing about pain+piano I know: If it hurts--don't do it.

So, other than for people with Rach' hands, is this supposed to hurt? With practice is it possible to enhance your stretch?

[xavura]

Okay, now I'm just frustrated. There's a 12th interval... is that even physically possible for most people?

L.H. - C2, G2, F3, G3
R.H. - D4, G4, D5



What am I supposed to do?

[larapool]

Agreed, I can only manage a tenth... was just thinking about this the other day, for kicks I was looking at the beginning of Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata and right off the bat there is a massive interval in the right hand that I physically cannot perform.

The only solution I can think of is to quickly roll the chords, but I'm not sure how acceptable that is in all cases.

[xavura]

That's interesting as the R.H stretch at the beginning of Hammerklavier I CAN do, so is that more than a 10th? I don't recall... hrm.

Anyway the first and only thing that came to me was also to roll the chords but it's still difficult and it just doesn't seem right. The piece contains a lot of arpeggios around this section but for the parts that are not marked as such it just feels wrong, you know?

It's depressing and it's making me want to stop learning the piece.

[xavura]

Well, I just watched my favourite performance of the piece and, what do you know, Valentina Lisitsa can't manage the stretches either and rolls the chords!

I am now less depressed.

[j_menz]

Basic rule for intervals: If you can't reach (reliably and comfortably), roll.

[xavura]

Okay thanks people but my question - is it possible to enhance your stretch through practice, without hurting yourself?

I'm guessing short of a hand transplant I'm out of luck?

[nystul]

Okay thanks people but my question - is it possible to enhance your stretch through practice, without hurting yourself?

I'm guessing short of a hand transplant I'm out of luck?

I don't want to discount the impact of flexibility on making big spans easier to play, but Rachmaninoff had a big span mostly for the same reason he was really tall.  We can stretch our back and legs every day but most of us won't end up 6'6".  If you dig up data for hand spans and do some measurements on the piano it is easy to see why most people seem to be in the same boat regarding tenths.

[werq34ac]

It's plausible Rachmaninoff had Marfan's syndrome, which is why he had such big hands. Be glad you don't have Marfan's, there was a basketball player who died because his aorta burst while he was going up for a dunk (or a rebound or something to do with jumping into the air). Anyway he died before he hit the ground.

[Bob]

I think you can max out what you have to use and that's it.  I tried stretching them a bit.  I can do scales in 9ths but I don't see 10ths ever happening.

[xavura]

Okay, I guess I should be content with what I have then.

I think you can max out what you have to use and that's it.  I tried stretching them a bit.  I can do scales in 9ths but I don't see 10ths ever happening.

What do you mean by "scales in 9ths"?

[Bob]

Instead of playing scales in octaves I do them in ninths sometimes.  It sounds a little weird at first but it's really not too dissonant.  The thinking being that if ninths are comfortable, octaves are going to be cake.  Ninths in both hands I mean, stretched out more than octaves.

You can also "plant" a thumb or pinky into a key and stretch out to a tenth or whatever you can stretch to.  It's not really useful in actual playing but it is a stretch. 

The hands just don't stretch any more after a certain point.  Or I'm too old and my hands have already gotten stuck how they are or I don't stretch them enough.